Christina Battle: Stolon Mesh Network

Last updated: October 3, 2023

1: Introduction

(a) Who we are: The Stolon Mesh Network (“Stolon”, “we”, “our”, “us”) was initiated by and is stewarded by the 221A Artist Run Centre Society [https://221a.ca/] (“221A”).

(b) What we do: Stolon provides free wireless access to the internet through a mesh network (“Stolon Mesh”) run by and for the community. You can log in to use the Stolon Mesh or learn more about Stolon, the Stolon Mesh, and its guiding principles at https://221a.ca/project/christina-battle-fellowship/ (“Stolon Website”).

(c) Where we do it: Stolon and 221A are based in so-called Vancouver, on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

2: Accepting the Terms

(a) Acceptance: These Terms of Service, including our privacy policy [https://cbattle.com/stolon-mesh-privacy-policy/y/] (“Privacy Policy”) (together, the “Terms”), set out the relationship between you and Stolon. The Terms are a binding legal agreement between you and Stolon, so please read them carefully. If you use the Stolon Mesh, you must accept these Terms.

(b) Privacy Policy: We handle any information collected or stored during your use of the Stolon Mesh in accordance with our Privacy Policy [https://cbattle.com/stolon-mesh-privacy-policy/].

(c) Changes to Terms: We may make changes to these Terms at any time and without notice to you. The changes are effective immediately after the new Terms are posted to the Stolon Website. We will notify you of changes to the Terms by posting a notice on the Stolon Website and on the screen that allows you to log in to the Stolon Mesh. The Terms will include the date they were last updated. You will have to accept the newest version of the Terms each time you log in to use the Stolon Mesh. 

3: Community Guidelines

(a) Manifesto: The Stolon Mesh Manifesto sets out our community values and additional guidelines for using the Stolon Mesh. We encourage you to read it.

(b) Free to use and share: The Stolon Mesh is free to use. Users of the Stolon Mesh all share the same login and password. You may share or distribute the Stolon Mesh login and password.

(c) Community conduct: You agree to use the Stolon Mesh in a manner that is just, caring, and responsible to the community. You may not use the Stolon Mesh for the following purposes:

• Discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.
• Harassment, bullying, or other malicious behaviour.
• Law enforcement.
• Illegal use
• Operating a server, including web, email, file sharing, or other protocols, or seeding torrents or other peer-to-peer activities that use an unreasonable amount of bandwidth (please be mindful of your daily network usage).

(a) Denying access: Stolon reserves the right to deny access to the Stolon Mesh to anyone who, in our sole discretion, has violated the Community Guidelines or the Stolon Mesh Manifesto.

4: Disclaimers

(a) Third party content: We provide unfiltered access to the internet through the Stolon Mesh. Stolon has no control over and accepts no liability for content provided by third parties. Your use of third party websites or services may be governed by the terms and conditions and privacy policies of those third party websites or services.

(b) Sole risk: You understand and agree that your use of the Stolon Mesh is at your sole risk. You assume the sole risk in downloading or otherwise accessing any data, files, or other materials obtained through the Stolon Mesh. You are responsible for implementing safeguards to protect your electronic devices and files and are responsible for the entire cost of any service, repairs, or corrections necessary because of your use of the Stolon Mesh.

(c) Limitation of liability: Stolon, 221A, or the Stolon Parties are not liable, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, for any damages whatsoever, including any damages for business interruption, loss of use, loss of data, loss of revenue or profit, loss of capital, loss of business opportunity, loss of goodwill, personal injury, loss of life, pain and suffering, or emotional distress, whether from breach of contract, tort, negligence, breach of privacy, or any other theory of liability, and regardless of whether such damages were foreseeable and whether or not we were advised of the possibility of such damages.

(d) “As is” and “as available”: The Stolon Mesh is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Stolon, 221A, and their employees, agents, officers, directors, or members (“Stolon Parties”) assume no responsibility or liability for the availability or reliability of the Stolon Mesh, or for your use of the Stolon Mesh and Stolon Website.

(e) No warranties: Stolon, 221A, and the Stolon Parties make no warranties or conditions of any kind, whether express or implied: 

• Regarding the quality, reliability, timeliness, or security of the Stolon Mesh or the content available through it;
• That the Stolon Mesh will be uninterrupted or error-free; and
• Regarding this site or its information, contents, or materials.

Stolon, 221A, and the Stolon Parties specifically disclaim implied warranties and conditions of merchantable quality, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement of third party rights, to the maximum extent permitted by law. 

(f) Indemnification: You will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Stolon, 221A, and the Stolon Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability, deficiencies, claims, actions, judgments, settlements, interest, awards, penalties, fines, costs, or expenses of any kind, including legal fees and the costs of enforcing this right to indemnification or pursuing any insurance providers, arising out of or in connection with any third party claim, suit, action, or proceeding relating to your actual or alleged use of the Stolon Mesh. 

5: Miscellaneous 

(a) Governing law: Your use of the Stolon Mesh and these Terms are governed by the laws British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada, as applicable, without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision, principle or rule and notwithstanding your domicile, residence or physical location.

(b) Severability: If any part of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, that finding will not affect any other part of the Terms or invalidate or render unenforceable that part in any other jurisdiction.

(c) Headings: The headings used in these Terms are included for convenience and do not limit or otherwise affect these Terms.

6: Intellectual Property

(a) Rights reserved: The Stolon Website and the content on it (“Stolon Content”) is owned by The Stolon Mesh Network. Stolon reserves all rights to the Stolon Content, including, without limitation, copyright, trademark, domain names, design rights, and all other intellectual property of any kind, whether registered or unregistered, anywhere in the world.

(b) Use of Stolon Content: The Stolon Content is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

Last updated: March 26, 2024

1. Introduction

Terms of Service: This Privacy Policy is part of our Terms, which includes our Terms of Service [https://cbattle.com/stolon-mesh-terms-of-service/]. Capitalized words in this Privacy Policy have the same meaning they do in the Terms of Service.

Application: This Privacy Policy applies to information we collect, use, or disclose about you from a) your use of the Stolon Mesh, b) your use of the Stolon Website [ https://221a.ca/project/christina-battle-fellowship/], and c) any email or other electronic messages between you and Stolon.

This Privacy Policy describes:

• How we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information.
• The types of information we collect from you or that you provide when you visit the Stolon Website or use the Stolon Mesh.
• Our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

Principles: We believe people in our community have a right to free, uncensored, and unsurveilled access to the internet. For this reason, we collect as little personal information as possible while offering the Stolon Mesh.

2. Acceptance of Privacy Policy

Read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our policies and practices for collecting, processing, and storing your information. We will only use your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy unless otherwise required by applicable law. We take steps to ensure that the personal information that we collect about you is adequate, relevant, not excessive, and used for limited purposes.

If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use the Stolon Mesh or the Stolon Website. By accessing the Stolon Mesh, you indicate that you understand, accept, and consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. 

Mesh networking: The Stolon Mesh is a mesh network. A mesh network combines multiple wifi access points (“Nodes”) into a single network. In the Stolon Mesh, the Nodes are run by community organizations, listed below. By using the Stolon Mesh, you understand and agree that for the Stolon Mesh to function, each of the Node Operators may collect information as described in this Privacy Policy and may share it with the other Node Operators.  

The Stolon Mesh Node operators are:

• 221A Artist Run Centre Society
• coFood Vancouver 
• Healing Garden

Third party content: The Stolon Website may include links to third party websites, and the Stolon Mesh allows access to the entire internet. Connecting to third party sites or services may allow those third parties to collect or share information about you. Those third parties may have their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for your use of third party sites or services, or for their policies regarding the collection and sharing of information.

Changes to Privacy Policy: If we make changes to the Privacy Policy, we will post the updated policy on this page. If we make a change that has an impact on your rights, we will post the notice of the change on the page you see when you log in to the Stolon Mesh. This page will include the date it was last updated. You confirm that you accept the updated Privacy Policy if you continue to use the Stolon Mesh after the update.

3. Information we collect about you

We may collect the following types of information about you:

• Personal information: Information we can reasonably use to directly or indirectly identify you. If you use the Stolon Mesh, we collect your computer’s hardware address and assign you an IP address, both of which can be associated with you in some circumstances. If you contact us through the Stolon Website or by email, we will collect the information you send us, such as your name, email address, or other identifying information you send to us.
• Usage information: Information about how you use the Stolon Website and Stolon Mesh. We do not collect personally identifiable information about use of the Stolon Website or Stolon Mesh.   
• Non-personal information: Information that cannot be reasonably associated with a specific individual. For example, we may collect non-personal information that allows us to determine how many people are using the Stolon Mesh or what nodes in the Stolon Mesh are used most often and when. 
• Technical information: Information such as your hardware address, device type and operating system, and browser type and version. This information allows us to deliver the Stolon Mesh and improve it.

4. How we collect information about you

We may collect information using the following methods:

• Direct interactions: We collect information about your direct interactions with the Stolon Website, such as you sending us an email.
• Usage collection: To allow you to access the internet on the Stolon Mesh, we collect your hardware address and assign you an IP address when you connect. We keep a record of your hardware address and the IP we assign for as long as you are connected to the Stolon Mesh. We may also collect limited personal and technical information through server logs generated in your use of the Stolon Website. 
• Cookies, trackers, and surveillance tools: We do not use any cookies, adtech, or surveillance tools. We encourage you to learn how to block surveillance tools on other websites as you use the Stolon Mesh. You can start by installing an adblocker like uBlock Origin in your web browser. 

5. How we use the information we collect about you

We use the information you provide and the information we collect about you, including any personal information, to:

• Provide the Stolon Mesh and Stolon Website to you.
• Improve the Stolon Mesh.
• Respond to messages you send to us by email or through other channels.

6. When we disclose your information

Information you provide or that we collect may be disclosed:

• To any contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to deliver the Stolon Mesh, and who are contractually obliged to keep personal information confidential and to only use it for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this privacy policy.
• To enforce our Terms.
• To comply with a court order or other mandatory request for information. We will not disclose information in response to a request that is not mandatory.
• If we believe that disclosure is necessary and appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Stolon, 221A, our users, or others.

7. When we transfer your information

We may transfer personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this policy to contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to deliver the Stolon Mesh, including other participants in the Stolon Mesh.

These third parties are contractually obliged to keep personal information confidential, to only use it for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process personal information with the same set of standards set out in this privacy policy.

We may process, store, and transfer your personal information in and to other countries, including the United States. By using the Stolon Website or Stolon Mesh, you consent to this transfer, storage, or processing.

8. Children

Children over the age of 13 are welcome to use the Stolon Mesh. We do not knowingly collect personal information from people under the age of 13.

9. User rights

Rights to Access and Correction: You have the right to request the personal information we have stored about you, and to ask us to correct errors in that information or delete it entirely. If you want to review or correct the personal information we have stored about you, you can make a request by email to: help@stolonmesh.ca

Right to Withdraw Consent and Right to Erasure: If you want to withdraw your consent to collect, use, or store your personal information, we will delete your personal information and ask you not to use the Stolon Mesh. 

Confirmation: We may request additional information from you to help us confirm your identity before you can exercise the rights set out above. This additional information will be deleted after your identity has been verified.

10. Contact

If you have questions, comments, or requests about this Privacy Policy, or want to know more about our compliance with this policy and with applicable privacy laws, you can contact us at: hello@221a.ca

1. The Internet is a utility that should be shared and available for all to access.
2. While this mesh begins as a stolon (a community mesh network) exists primarily online, we recognize that through the online we also connect to the land and the neighbourhoods across it. The project acknowledges that the area called Vancouver is within the unceded Indigenous territories belonging to the Musqueam, Skxwú7mesh-ulh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. We recognize that the colony of British Columbia was created through organized dispossession and colonial violence.
3. Consider this network a collective space: uses of the network shall remain just, caring, and responsible of others.
4. this mesh begins as a stolon (a community mesh network) stands behind and adheres to 221A’s Organizing Values and code of ethics.
5. This project is dedicated to fostering and supporting just and caring principles as guided by The Canadian Anti-Hate Network which prohibits discrimination based on  race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. 
6. The network’s goal is to respond to its community of users; it recognizes that the shape of a community constantly shifts and takes new forms.
7. This is a network made up of individuals: users agree to not utilize the site for corporate, law enforcing, or other similar purposes. Still, it is not a punitive project. This is a community space that dissuades responses to conflict and harm that privilege the carceral. 
8. By joining – this mesh begins as a stolon (a community mesh network) – you are agreeing to embody this manifesto as you use the network. 

Content generated as part of the Stolon Mesh project*, is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. You are free to: remix, adapt, and build upon these elements in a reasonable manner and for non-commercial purposes, as long as you credit this project and license any new creations that grow from this resource, under the same terms. 

This manifesto was inspired by other terms of service and agreements researched and designed by a number of others including: NYC Mesh, Mozilla’s Data Futures Lab, Detroit Digital Justice Coalition, and SFPC.

*the Stolon Mesh Terms of Service and Privacy Policy are not covered under this creative commons license. If you have questions about it and would like more info, please be in touch.

Protocols:

1. This network is free to use.
2. Users are free to know the underlying infrastructure behind this mesh network.
3. Being part of this network is a responsibility: the network is available to those who centre its manifesto and who are committed to enacting the network’s anti-hate and anti-discriminatory priorities. As a community, this network prioritizes mutual respect, trust, safety, and comfort with one another.
4. This network serves as a conduit, providing access to other resources and content. Use of the network should centre the manifesto as external content is considered to connect with.
5. This network is fluid, responsive, and reliant on a variety of conditions: the ability to connect and provide access to the internet is not always guaranteed.
6. Following the network’s anti-hate priorities, as well as those prompted by NYC Mesh: those utilizing this network agree to use the network in good faith, and to: “not transmit contents that might jeopardize the well being of other participants or operation of the network itself, including, but not limited to illegal content, unsolicited communications, and malicious software.” (NYC Mesh)
7. A key question at the heart of this network continues to be: what kind of space should this network take? Please centre this question as you participate across it.
8. As the project develops, we hope that participants will connect new nodes to the network, extending in multiple directions and on to many others following these terms of service.
9. While this network operates using standard protected access, users should remain aware of and vigilant about their own security when using this and any network. As with most online networks, operate under the assumption that your data is not 100% safe: here are some tips you can use to keep your data and information protected while using this network
10. While this network strives to be responsible to participants, given the nature of the project, the network is ultimately not responsible for the actions of participants across it.