FB2600 Administrator & Moderator SOP

Administrator & Moderator SOP
Andrew Strutt·Tuesday, January 29, 2019·
--- In memory of Adrian Lamo --- This document has been updated with the collaboration of the 2600 Facebook Group and IRC 2600net Admin Teams, FB2600 Users, and 2600net Users. v2.0 - June 2026
2600 Facebook Group: Admin & Moderator Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
1. Operational Philosophy & Scope

This document outlines the internal operating procedures for the 2600 Facebook Group administration team. A fundamental purpose of maintaining this Facebook presence is to serve as an outreach platform, advertisement, and gateway for the wider 2600 ecosystem: 2600 magazine, the Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE) conference, and the 2600 IRC network (irc.2600.net). User behavior is governed entirely by the community Code of Conduct (https://codeofconduct.2600.chat). Our primary objective as a team is to maintain the operational integrity of the group, enforce the CoC, and mitigate threats (spam, abuse, and platform violations) swiftly and without drama. Admin tools are to be used decisively to protect the signal-to-noise ratio of the community and ensure it remains a viable, healthy funnel for the magazine, the conference, and the IRC network.
2. Roles and Continuity of Operations (COOP)
Moderators: Responsible for the daily execution of the CoC, managing the queue (approving/declining posts & users), and actioning users (suspensions/bans).
Primary Admin(s): Responsible for overarching group settings, automated tool configurations (Admin Assist), and roster management.
Continuity Admin: A designated, trusted backup admin holds permanent legacy access to ensure the survival and integrity of the group. This role is exempt from all inactivity clauses. In the event the Primary Admin is incapacitated, unavailable, or platform-banned, the Continuity Admin holds full executive authority to manage the group and appoint successors.
3. OPSEC and Internal Confidentiality
The Standard of Silence: Operational Security (OPSEC) within the admin and moderation team is absolute.
What is Protected: All deliberations, internal drama, moderation TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures), and private conversations taking place in the Facebook Admin group, Signal channels, or side discussions are strictly confidential.
Tenure and Beyond: This confidentiality is a condition of joining the team and remains permanently binding even after a moderator or admin steps down or is removed.
Breach of Trust: Leaking internal communications or moderation strategies to the public or unauthorized third parties is a catastrophic breach of trust. Violators will be immediately stripped of all privileges and permanently removed from the community.
4. Moderation Execution & Enforcement
Zero-Tolerance Actions: We do not negotiate with malicious actors. The following offenses result in an immediate, permanent ban with no warnings or suspensions:
Hate speech or severe harassment.
Spam, phishing, or malicious links.
Obvious one-time-use burner accounts, sock puppets, or bots.
Egregious violations of Facebook's Terms of Service.
Escalation Matrix: For general CoC violations (trolling, derailment, boundary-testing), verbal warnings are ineffective at scale. Enforcement should follow a strict escalation track using platform tools:
Level 1 Suspension: Short-term group suspension (e.g., 24 to 72 hours) and removal of the offending content.
Level 2 Suspension: Medium-term group suspension (e.g., 7 days).
Level 3 Suspension: Long-term group suspension (e.g., 28 days).
Permanent Ban: If a user returns from a Level 3 suspension and continues to violate the CoC, they are permanently removed from the group.
Automation First: Admin Assist and automated moderation tools should be leveraged to automatically filter, decline, and ban known threat vectors before they reach the manual queue.
5. Internal Conduct & Dispute Resolution
Unified Front: Admins and moderators will inevitably disagree, but those disagreements stay in the designated internal channels. Never publicly countermand, undermine, or argue with another team member in front of the users.
Action Reversals: If a team member actions a user or removes a post, another team member may not unilaterally reverse that action. Reversals must be discussed internally and agreed upon by consensus or by the Primary Admin.
6. Active Duty Roster Maintenance & Anti-Squatting
The Inactivity Clause: Moderation requires active, consistent participation in both the Facebook queue and internal discussions. Squatting on a title for prestige or magazine credits without contributing to the workload is unacceptable.
Meaningful Participation: "Activity" is defined by tangible, logged moderation actions (e.g., approving/declining posts, handling user reports, executing suspensions) and participation in internal team deliberations. Token participation—such as dropping a single comment or making superficial actions strictly to reset the inactivity clock—is considered a violation of this SOP.
Timeout & Audit Threshold: Moderators or Admins (excluding the Continuity Admin) who fail to log meaningful moderation actions or communicate an approved absence for a period of 60 Days will have their privileges revoked. The Primary Admin reserves the right to audit the Facebook Admin Activity Log at any time to identify and remove squatters who are manipulating this threshold.
Magazine Credits: Inclusion in the 2600 magazine credits as a moderator is a privilege reserved strictly for those actively working the queue and supporting the community, not a permanent entitlement tied to a Facebook title.
No Reinstatement: Once a team member is removed for inactivity or squatting, they will not be reinstated.
7. Recruitment & Succession
The "Fight Club" Rule (No Self-Nomination): Asking to become a moderator or admin disqualifies a user from consideration. Moderation is a responsibility, not a status symbol. Candidates who actively seek the title are often motivated by the wrong factors. We observe and select users who are already demonstrating helpful, level-headed behavior, not those campaigning for a badge.
Community Nomination: When scaling the team, user participation is welcomed. The administration may put out a public call for moderator nominations to allow the community to highlight consistently helpful members. (Note: Nominating oneself under a public call is still grounds for disqualification).
Internal Appointment: If community participation yields insufficient or inappropriate candidates, the active staff retains the right to nominate candidates internally based on observation of the group dynamics.
Consensus Vetting: All prospective moderators, regardless of how they were nominated, must have a proven track record of positive contribution and must be reviewed by the existing team. Addition to the roster requires internal deliberation and consensus among the active Admins and Moderators.
8. Appeals & Grievances
Suspensions are Final: There is no appeal process for Level 1, 2, or 3 suspensions. These temporary measures are designed to act as a cooling-off period. Moderation cycles will not be wasted debating temporary timeouts.
Zero-Tolerance Bans are Final: Permanent bans issued for Zero-Tolerance offenses (spam, hate speech, obvious burner accounts, platform violations) are absolute and ineligible for appeal.
The IRC Appeal Mandate: To align with our mission of driving engagement to the broader 2600 ecosystem, all appeals must be conducted via the 2600 IRC network. Users seeking to appeal a standard permanent ban must connect to irc.2600.net and join the #fb2600 channel.
Platform Exclusivity: Appeals will not be entertained via Facebook Messenger, Direct Messages to staff, or Public Facebook Posts/Channels. Any user attempting to bypass this rule by harassing staff in DMs will forfeit their right to an appeal entirely.
Behavioral Expectations: The #fb2600 channel is strictly for ban inquiries. Antagonistic behavior, rule-lawyering, or harassment within the IRC channel will result in the immediate denial of the Facebook appeal and a subsequent ban from the IRC channel itself. Using other channels to complain about Facebook bans will result in an immediate ban from the other channel.