Moral bankruptcy has a few definitions out there.
this article
describes it as "The state a person reaches when they trade away or violate too many of their core moral values and commitments."
In this context, moral bankruptcy online would be the abandonment of morality, in the sense of any form of responsibility to one's peers.
This responsibility, as you should know, manifests itself in the form of a promise, or vow of some sort.
For most sites, this ends up being a Terms of Service, or Service Agreement.
Recently a good friend of mine has gotten the ire of a few moderators. Normally this wouldn't be that much of a problem.
This is what the Terms of Service are for. Sometimes they're coupled with an Acceptable Use Policy. These are meant to be the moral bond of admins to their users.
The words in such policies and agreements make sure that by their own hand, admins cannot abuse their position or authority.
In such policies, the admins vow to take certain actions, or otherwise provide some sort of assurance to the user of their good will.
However, these do not have any such effect when coupled or suffixed with a complete and total waiver of liability, as shown below.
This was exactly the kind of surprise waiting for my friend.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless [Service], the [Service] administrators, the owners/operators of the computing resources, and all other parties connected with the administration or operation of [Service] from all claims which are a result of your usage, without limitation. You agree that any traffic which originates from your [client] or connection is your legal responsibility. Notwithstanding the above, you agree that should [Service] or the [Service] administrators be found liable in a court of law for any action or lack of action related to your or other’s use of [Service], their liability is limited to $0.00.
"TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, [Service] SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOOD-WILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM (A) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE; (B) ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF OTHER USERS OR THIRD PARTIES; OR (C) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, USE OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR CONTENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL [Service's] AGGREGATE LIABILITY EXCEED ZERO U.S. DOLLARS (U.S. $0.00)."
Just in case it's not apparent, these disclaimers are the admins taking a piss on you.
You have not being given anything. The admins are not obligated in any way to follow any rules - this ensures the opposite, that it is always okay for them to harm you.
If the admins care about any user or express a desire to, they should not be legally removing their liability (legalese for responsibility) to everyone in any possible case, to literally any extent at all.
To put it another way, it's one thing to trust a person. It's another to make certain that if they screw you over, legally, it's what they're allowed to do, and what you agreed to. Why on earth would you contractually bind yourself to being treated this way?
It's the legal equivalent of walking around with a taser strapped to your privates 24/7 that anyone can activate.
Even if you don't fault anyone for setting it off, it's still you who gets harmed - or anyone who agrees to the same rules. There is no reason to allow this upon yourself or others, and every reason not to.
Here's An example of this happening to someone. This is your chance to discover what's taped to your back. Don't let the next person kicked be you.
So your network service operator is a bad apple. You need to act quickly - the ceiling could come crashing down whenever the operator sees fit to drop it, and you don't control that.
Make archives or copies of everything you hold dear. Contact people you trust about any information you don't know how to archive. Do not ask the service operators for help if at all possible!
Find someone else who's willing to or already hosts the service you're escaping from - this time paying attention to the terms. Finding a place that takes legal and moral responsibility for their actions can be difficult, and in the case of proprietary networks, an exact replacement may not be possible. If you can't find one, consider self-hosting or contacting people like me for help - people who care about or have been in this exact kind of situation.
Bring your old data to the new service. This can take time and effort to do successfully, but don't disconnect from the prior service until you can be sure you won't lose or miss anything.
No network is the same without your friends - they matter too. After you've moved over, start by introducing them to your new hangout. Encourage them to move some of their things over and store archives of things they like.
When you feel it's the right time, explain your concerns - link this page if you have to. Being treated well by the people who handle a piece of your life is important!
Don't feel frustrated if a friend or two doesn't want to move - the flow of people to wherever you go will catch up to them eventually, and places that are crafted to abuse people often do. The most important thing is that when it does happen, nobody's left in the lurch.