Moderation¶

freeq provides IRC-standard moderation tools enhanced with cryptographic identity.

Channel modes¶

DID-based moderation¶

Because users have cryptographic identities, moderation actions are more meaningful:

• Bans by DID — MODE #chan +b did:plc:abc123 bans the identity, not just a nick
• Persistent ops — Op status is stored by DID, survives reconnects
• Audit trail — Who did what, with cryptographic attribution

Operator commands¶

/op nick          — Give operator status
/deop nick        — Remove operator status
/voice nick       — Give voice
/kick nick reason — Kick from channel
/ban did:plc:...  — Ban by DID
/ban nick!*@*     — Ban by hostmask pattern
/unban mask       — Remove ban
/mode #chan +i     — Set invite-only
/invite nick      — Invite to +i channel

Policy-based access¶

Instead of manual /invite and /ban, channels can use the Policy Framework for automated, credential-based access control.

Example: Only GitHub org members can join #dev:

POLICY #dev SET REQUIRE github:org:mycompany

Server operators¶

Server operators have global privileges:

OPER_DIDS=did:plc:abc123  # in server environment

Opers can:
- Operate in any channel
- Set global modes
- Access server administration

Flood protection¶

Built-in per-user rate limiting:
- 5 messages per 2 seconds per session
- Line length limit: 8KB
- Nick validation: 1-64 chars, no control characters
- SASL: 3 failures → disconnect

Best practices¶

1. Use DID bans over hostmask bans — they're identity-level
2. Set +nt on all channels (default on new channels)
3. Use policies for large communities — scales better than manual ops
4. DID ops bypass policy — ensure trusted founders are listed