**Um, No. It is all off-site linking to competitive sites. Not just in the free section but also in signatures & posts, so if you have a link your signature expect a message as soon as we can get to it. Additionally, offsite linking to other marketplaces or freestuff sites are not allowed within the forum, gallery, or forum signatures. For example: Links to competing stores like Daz3d.com, RuntimeDNA.com, etc are not allowed. However, links to non-competing stores like Etsy.com or Ebay.com are acceptable.

And please don't shoot the messengers. We're just doing our jobs by following the rules. Please & thank you.

Have a creative day!**

Don't worry i wont shoot anyone :D im just addressing the rule.

And i will make it perfectly clear to anyone, im not against Renderosity removing links, whether its signatures, competing or non competing links or any other type of link for that matter, if it contain or have been reported to contain viruses/malware and so forth they should remove it. Any company running a community should do that, so i have no problem with that. I also understand why Renderosity doesn't allow competing links to places like Daz3d etc, but it have nothing to do with preventing viruses, its for completely other reasons, so these things shouldn't be mixed together.

So my issue is aimed towards a specific addition to the rules of linking that i strongly disagree with for a lot of reasons, But those people and by far the most, that have added links and free content to people here on Renderosity completely free of charge, that a lot of you have benefitted from and enjoyed over the years, does not want or are trying to spread these things, But because a few incidents of people getting a virus from a link in the freebie forum, all these people are some how being accused or pointed out as if they are the main problem here and simply by removing ALL their links the problem can be helped.

But the fact is that you can get a virus from any link, regardless of the place its posted, if you click a link without protecting yourself or using your own judgement when downloading something, there is a chance of you getting a virus. A person spreading these things might have posted in the freebie section, because its the most obvious place to post it, but they will post it regardless of whether Renderosity want it or not, and should it be removed or not have the effect that they want, nothing prevent them from posting it in another forum with another topic, that won't be removed before its to late.

Its impossible to look at a website or something you download whether it contains a virus or not, therefore specialized software have been developed and continues to be so in other to better analyze and remove these things for you.

But if a person is defending this rule, because they think it will increase their security, they are simply being mislead by Renderosity argument, which can potential be very harmful, because such people might assume that due to this rule, any link found on this website is save and therefore don't use there own judgement or software to protect them self.

Tips for protecting your computer from viruses by Microsoft

Protecting your computer from viruses and other threats isn't difficult, but you have to be diligent. Here are some actions you can take:

Install an antivirus program. Installing an antivirus program and keeping it up to date can help defend your computer against viruses. Antivirus programs scan for viruses trying to get into your email, operating system, or files. New viruses appear daily, so set your antivirus software to install updates automatically.

Don't open email attachments unless you're expecting them. Many viruses are attached to email messages and will spread as soon as you open the email attachment. It's best not to open any attachment unless it's something you're expecting. For more information, see When to trust an email message.

Keep your computer updated. Microsoft releases security updates that can help protect your computer. Make sure that Windows receives these updates by turning on Windows automatic updating. For more information, see Turn automatic updating on or off.

Use a firewall.‌ Windows Firewall (or any other firewall) can help alert you to suspicious activity if a virus or worm attempts to connect to your computer. It can also block viruses, worms, and hackers from attempting to download potentially harmful programs to your computer.

Use your browser's privacy settings. Being aware of how websites might use your private information is important to help prevent fraud and identity theft. If you're using Internet Explorer, you can adjust your Privacy settings or restore the default settings whenever you want. For details, see Change Internet Explorer 9 privacy settings.

Use a pop-up blocker with your browser. Pop-up windows are small browser windows that appear on top of the website you're viewing. Although most are created by advertisers, they can also contain malicious or unsafe code. A pop-up blocker can prevent some or all of these windows from appearing.

The Pop-up Blocker feature in Internet Explorer is turned on by default. To learn more about changing its settings or turning it on and off, see Change Internet Explorer 9 privacy settings.

Turn on User Account Control (UAC). When changes are going to be made to your computer that require administrator-level permission, UAC notifies you and gives you the opportunity to approve the change. UAC can help keep viruses from making unwanted changes. To learn more about turning on UAC and adjusting the settings, see Turn User Account Control on or off.