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Recent events have generated a lot of discussion concerning how MangaDex enforces its rules and how much of a hand MangaDex should have in moderating behavior. This post will hopefully clear up some of this confusion and dispel some anger that we have not taken an official stance on some things.
Firstly, as we have often said before: We are not here to provide a moral compass or take sides. We are nothing more than a platform that aims to serve scanlators, assist them in reaching a wider audience, and provide our readers with fun manga to read. The rules that we have in place are intended to enforce basic civility and nothing more.
Some have complained that our rules are vague and contain numerous loopholes that people abuse. Believe me when I say that all of staff have worked extremely hard to put in place rules that are fair without being suffocating. There are occasions where our rules have been modified when we’ve found that they do not work like we intended. We do not double down and insist we are right when it becomes clear that a rule is detrimental to MangaDex’s functions. In regards to loopholes, some are unintentional and we try to address that wherever and whenever we can. Some rules are kept intentionally vague because we recognize that our moderation teams need broad powers in determining what punishment fits the crime or if any crime was even committed.
In regards to scanlation groups, this point must be made abundantly clear: MangaDex has been, and always will be, neutral when it comes to internal group dynamics or when groups feud for whatever reason. We are a platform, not a mediator or arbitrator of scanlator conduct. It has long been internal policy to stay out of group drama to avoid the appearance of favoritism. This means that we will not interfere with sniping, which is the practice in which groups/translators "steal" a series from a group that is already working on said series. It also means that we will not interfere when groups talk about other groups (negatively or otherwise) in credit pages, TL notes, extra pages, etc., etc. In addition, a recent clarification of the Stay on Topic, Don't be Disruptive rule, means that we will allow scanlators and users to discuss everything in a scanlator's release, including any drama that may be included. Of course, this will still be subject to 5.1 and its related rules.
Unlike every other aggregator out there, we do not believe in altering a group’s release to suit our needs. We will not censor a release in any way unless the release is clearly a troll or contains something egregiously offensive. To this date, we have only removed *one* credit page because it contained a highly offensive reference to the New Zealand shooting.
I hope that this has cleared up staff’s stance on moderation and our rules.
Also, while the opinions of a small, vocal minority has been made known, we’d like to hear from you what you think about our rules and how our moderation teams (both forum moderators and site moderators) are doing. Take a look at the poll above and share with us your thoughts and opinions.
Poll Question: Do you think MangaDex should take a firmer stance on moderating user conduct?
Lastly, some individuals and scanlator groups take issue with our stance of donations and ads. Let me be clear that we have no issue with groups utilizing ads or asking for donations. We understand that servers and raws need to be paid for. Some groups even opt to pay their translators. Scanlation isn't free and isn't always cheap depending on how big your operation is. Our issue with ads is that most aggregators use ads for profit. Usually, that profit comes at the expense of readers whose computers or devices are infested with malware, viruses, or even hidden bitcoin miners. Our main issue with ads is that we believe they are detrimental to user experience and safety. That's why we have opted to not use ads.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this wall of text. We hope it has answered most, if not all of your questions. Please feel free to ask any questions below or simply comment on how you feel about this post. Also, please take the time to visit the above poll!
From the MangaDex Team
Firstly, as we have often said before: We are not here to provide a moral compass or take sides. We are nothing more than a platform that aims to serve scanlators, assist them in reaching a wider audience, and provide our readers with fun manga to read. The rules that we have in place are intended to enforce basic civility and nothing more.
Some have complained that our rules are vague and contain numerous loopholes that people abuse. Believe me when I say that all of staff have worked extremely hard to put in place rules that are fair without being suffocating. There are occasions where our rules have been modified when we’ve found that they do not work like we intended. We do not double down and insist we are right when it becomes clear that a rule is detrimental to MangaDex’s functions. In regards to loopholes, some are unintentional and we try to address that wherever and whenever we can. Some rules are kept intentionally vague because we recognize that our moderation teams need broad powers in determining what punishment fits the crime or if any crime was even committed.
In regards to scanlation groups, this point must be made abundantly clear: MangaDex has been, and always will be, neutral when it comes to internal group dynamics or when groups feud for whatever reason. We are a platform, not a mediator or arbitrator of scanlator conduct. It has long been internal policy to stay out of group drama to avoid the appearance of favoritism. This means that we will not interfere with sniping, which is the practice in which groups/translators "steal" a series from a group that is already working on said series. It also means that we will not interfere when groups talk about other groups (negatively or otherwise) in credit pages, TL notes, extra pages, etc., etc. In addition, a recent clarification of the Stay on Topic, Don't be Disruptive rule, means that we will allow scanlators and users to discuss everything in a scanlator's release, including any drama that may be included. Of course, this will still be subject to 5.1 and its related rules.
Unlike every other aggregator out there, we do not believe in altering a group’s release to suit our needs. We will not censor a release in any way unless the release is clearly a troll or contains something egregiously offensive. To this date, we have only removed *one* credit page because it contained a highly offensive reference to the New Zealand shooting.
I hope that this has cleared up staff’s stance on moderation and our rules.
Also, while the opinions of a small, vocal minority has been made known, we’d like to hear from you what you think about our rules and how our moderation teams (both forum moderators and site moderators) are doing. Take a look at the poll above and share with us your thoughts and opinions.
Poll Question: Do you think MangaDex should take a firmer stance on moderating user conduct?
Lastly, some individuals and scanlator groups take issue with our stance of donations and ads. Let me be clear that we have no issue with groups utilizing ads or asking for donations. We understand that servers and raws need to be paid for. Some groups even opt to pay their translators. Scanlation isn't free and isn't always cheap depending on how big your operation is. Our issue with ads is that most aggregators use ads for profit. Usually, that profit comes at the expense of readers whose computers or devices are infested with malware, viruses, or even hidden bitcoin miners. Our main issue with ads is that we believe they are detrimental to user experience and safety. That's why we have opted to not use ads.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this wall of text. We hope it has answered most, if not all of your questions. Please feel free to ask any questions below or simply comment on how you feel about this post. Also, please take the time to visit the above poll!
From the MangaDex Team
