Help:Contents/Rules & Guidelines/Leaks

Work-in-progress rules and guidelines for handling leaks.

What is a leak

"Leaks" refers to things that have been posted publicly, but were acquired by questionably or illegal means. The following are not exhaustive lists:

Leaks are not:

• Things purchased from auctions or private parties and dumped by the owner
• Things included in public archives that are later removed, even if their inclusion was accidental
• Things in otherwise legal possession that are then dumped and posted online

Leaks are:

• Things acquired by unlawfully accessing systems or servers and exfiltrating data
• Things that were physically stolen and that stolen copy released online

Rules for handling leaks

Follow these additional rules when dealing with content stemming from a leak.

• Do not upload or link to the actual archives.
  • Doing this will get your account BANNED. NO EXCEPTIONS.
• Do not upload ROMs.
  • You can and should include the file path within the archives, and a checksum/hash of the file.
  • Similarly, instructions to make ROMs/images usable (e.g. "change byte 500 to EA", "run SAMP.EXE rom.bin") are encouraged.
• Do not upload raw assets.
  • Exception: Graphics can be converted to PNG (or other image formats) and uploaded for use in articles.
  • Exception: Other assets can be converted into wiki-usable formats for use in articles, e.g. for music comparisons.
  • You can (and should) document instructions to convert assets in the leak to something usable (e.g. compiling assembly, converting music).
• Do not upload source code, assembly, or other documents.
  • Exception: Small portions of source code or documents can be included when needed to explain or document something. (Include the original file path and line numbers.)
  • If the amount of text is longer than two paragraphs or so, it may be too much. Consider if you really need all of it.

These restrictions may be loosened for a given "leak" after a period of time, at admin discretion.