SoPS Policy for New Accounts

1. In the past, new SoPS accounts were automated, but this led to too many spammers using automated methods to sign-up and post spam. Since September 2007, user accounts are approved by humans. If an account application is suspected to be a spammer, SoPS may decide to contact the applicant and confirm their identities. SoPS reserves the right to deny, without notification, accounts requested by confirmed spammers.
2. Once an account is approved, an email with a one-time access link will be generated and sent to the registered user email. The user is expected to activate their account using this link and set their preferred password.
3. Accounts that are approved and unclaimed for over 2 weeks are automatically deleted.
4. Once a user activates his/her account, it can be kept active by logging in at least once a year from the last login date. The automated actions take for inactive accounts (not used for over a year) are listed below and at http://www.postdoc.ucla.edu/policy/InactiveAccounts.

SoPS Automated Account Deactivation Policy

For the SoPS user database to better reflect the population actively using the website, we have instituted an annual automated audit of inactive accounts. When not used for over a year, an account will go through the following phase-out steps.

• STEP I: NOTIFICATION Nine months after the last logged-in access to the SoPS website, each user will receive a notification that their account has been inactive for that period. This email will contain a link to the current policy on inactive-account deactivation.
  NOTE: At this stage, the user may prevent further action simply by logging in to the website using their account id and password, within the next three months (i.e. a year from the last login date). If you do not want to keep the account, no action is required.
• STEP II: TEMPORARY DEACTIVATION The account will be temporarily disabled a year after the last login date. Temporarily disabled accounts can be re-activated by contacting the SoPS web team before they are permanently deleted.
  NOTE: For reactivations, use the "Contact Us" link above and provide us with the account id and reason for reactivation. If you do not want to keep the account, no action is required.
• STEP III: PERMANENT DELETION Disabled accounts will be permanently deleted a year and half from the last login date. (Except for accounts of users who have created content -- these will remain in the database as disabled accounts to preserve the old content of the website.
  NOTE: Once permanently deleted, the old account cannot be revived. If the deleted username is free, you may create a new account with your old username. If your old username was used to create content and therefore not deleted permanently, please follow the note in Step II to revive your account.