Disclaimer

1. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the PD/GWSS Board cannot and does not monitor, censor or edit the contents of Users’ messages. Users alone are responsible for the contents of their messages, and the consequences of any such messages. Neither the CDFA nor the PD/GWSS Board assume any responsibility or liability for messages or other content that is provided by Users or anyone else.

2. You may only use the PD/GWSS Forum for legal purposes and you may not use the PD/GWSS Forum in any way whatsoever that could constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any applicable law or regulation. For example, you may not use this Forum to send, post, distribute or disseminate any defamatory, obscene, or otherwise unlawful messages, material, or information, including another person’s proprietary information (including trademarks, trade secrets, or copyrighted information) without express authorization from the rights holder.

3. Additionally, you may not use the PD/GWSS Forum to collect or harvest personal information, including Internet addresses, about other Users of the PD/GWSS Forum or use the PD/GWSS Forum to send any messages or material that are harassing, offensive, racially offensive, discriminating, abusive, threatening, harmful, embarrassing, vulgar, cause distress, or otherwise objectionable.

4. Users may use the PD/GWSS Forum for research-oriented purposes only and will not use this Forum for advertising, chain letters, junk mail, “spamming,” solicitations (commercial or non-commercial), any other type of unsolicited e-mailing (whether commercial or non-commercial) or any use of distribution lists. Users further agree not to send or deliver viruses, Trojan horses or other harmful, disruptive or destructive files.

5. The administer and moderators of the PD/GWSS Forum reserves the right to terminate any User’s use if we become aware and determine, in its sole discretion, that such User is violating any of the foregoing guidelines.

6. It is the PD/GWSS Forum and CDFA’s policy to respect the privacy of its Users, but the User agrees that this agreement does not create a reasonable expectation of privacy in the context of User’s communications. The PD/GWSS Forum and CDFA will cooperate with law enforcement and other legal authorities in investigating claims of illegal activity.

7. In addition, Users many not use or attempt to use another person’s or entity’s account, service or system without authorization from the owner, nor will Users interfere with the security of, or otherwise abuse, the PD/GWSS Forum service, system resources or accounts, or any network or another User’s use or enjoyment of the services. No User may forge header or address information.

8. The PD/GWSS Forum and CDFA reserves the right, but is not obligated to employ blocking or filtering software or other monitoring devices or techniques if deemed necessary or reasonable to detect or protect spam with respect to electronic communications received by Users from other entities.