Torn rules and terms of service
What TornLife's research has established about Torn rules and terms of service, and the questions players asked about it.
What TornLife has verified
- The rules text on Real Money Trading says exchanging Torn currency or assets for real-world money or services (including assets from other games) is strictly prohibited. Staff seek out buyers and sellers on-site and externally, with no warning for a first offence. Buyers lose purchased goods and get a lengthy game ban; sellers are banned permanently without recourse. (confirmed by Torn; What kinds of trades are illegal?, )
- Chedburn (Developer) announced in 2015 that multiple accounts, meaning an additional account created by someone who already has one, are against Torn's rules. (confirmed by Torn; IP blocks removed - Play w/ friends and relatives!, )
- Player reports to staff cover Multiple Accounts, Account Sharing, Hacking, Middleman/Same IP (using a middleman to move cash and bypass the same IP block), and Bug abuse. These are handled by officers, with bug abuse confirmed with admins. (documented; Reports › Player Reports, )
- In-game messages are not actively monitored, but all are logged and checked for Social Violations when needed. The wiki points to Social Violations for the rules. (documented; Messages › Rules and Guidelines, )
- The wiki sends readers to Social Violations for the forum and chat rules. Private chats are not actively monitored, but all messages are logged and checked as needed, and players can report chats that break the social guidelines. (documented; Forum › Rules and Guidelines, )
- The Torn Wiki's Privacy Policy page (operated by Chedburn Networks Limited, the data controller under the UK Data Protection Act 1998) lists categories of data Torn may collect, including that 'if you contact us, we may keep a record of that correspondence,' but this capture does not state anything specific about staff reading player-to-player private messages or in-game mail. (documented; Privacy Policy (1/4), )
- Players must be at least 24 hours old to file a player report. There are 16 categories, handled by moderators, officers or admins. Bans are appealed by filing a player report on yourself. (documented; Reports › Player Reports, )
- Staff (bogie, 2021) treated buying cybersex for Torn cash as a real money trading offence that leads to bans. This shows that 'services' in the rule is enforced. (confirmed by Torn; Every Plot TWISTS, )
- Staff removed IP-based blocks on interactions and trades in 2015. People in the same household or on the same IP will not be banned and may interact and trade freely. (confirmed by Torn; FAQ › FAQ › Rules › If I have a relative or friend playing Torn City with me on…, )
- The Game Code of Conduct (wiki, 2021) bans creating multiple accounts to gain more items or money. Offenders are dealt with by staff. (documented; Codes of Conduct, )
- For an old account the owner can no longer log into, staff (2026) said the owner can email webmaster@torn.com from the email address registered to that account to request it be stripped of details, though staff do not act on such requests by placing the account in federal jail. (confirmed by Torn; Need Help Deleting my Old Account, )
- Transferring items or money from an account being deleted to a new account (directly or via a friend) is prohibited and results in a federal jail sentence plus items being stripped and purged from the game; a restarted account must begin brand-new, 1 day old, with no referral. (documented; NewAccount › Delete or Restart an account, )
- Torn staff (bogie) publicly confirmed in 2025 that staff access to chat logs, including private DMs, requires an input such as a filed player report (chat report category), which grants access to recent communications between the reporter and the reported party and nothing more; accessing logs also requires a justification sent to bogie and Julie. (confirmed by Torn; Torn violates your DM privacy, )
- Chedburn said in 2017 that RMT can destabilise the economy and reduce donations. Staff use their own tools that see every money trail, and disguises such as a fake poker game, items in a parcel or direct transfers do not hide it. (confirmed by Torn; Real money trading cleanup, )
- A player may only have one non-deleted account at any one time; to restart with a new account, the original must be fully completed through the deletion process first. (documented; Account Closure, )
- Torn staff (bogie) stated that mods cannot view personal DMs outside of the report system, but officers/admins can access chat logs when there is a player report or chat report; officers cannot view faction chats, only admins can. (confirmed by Torn; Torn violates your DM privacy, )
- It is technically possible for staff to access the content of private message logs between players; access is gated by a report system rather than being freely available, per staff statements in both 2019 and 2025. (confirmed by Torn; Torn violates your DM privacy, )
- Per staff (bogie, 2019): Helpers have no chat log access at all; moderators can only check room logs (global/new player chat) on a report, and for private message logs moderators may only view the specific reported conversation, not a player's full message history; officers/admins can access player logs through either a player report or chat report. (confirmed by Torn; Chats, )
- Per staff (bogie, 2025), role access differs by chat type: moderators cannot view personal DMs outside the report system but can view public chat rooms (global/new player/trade/poker); officers can access reported DM conversations via the report system but cannot view faction chat logs, which only admins can access. (confirmed by Torn; Torn violates your DM privacy, )
- Staff (bogie) told a player directly asking about this in 2019 that they had no reason to look through that player's private messages and that the player's messages had never been accessed in their entire game time, offering to discuss any privacy concerns via message. (confirmed by Torn; Chats, )
- The wiki's privacy policy page states any future changes to the policy will be posted on the page and, where appropriate, emailed to users, and directs privacy questions to webmaster@torn.com; this capture contains no clause on monitoring player communications. (documented; Torncity WIKI - The official help and support guide:Privacy policy › Changes to…, )
Questions about Torn rules and terms of service
- Can Torn staff read private messages sent between players?
Yes. Torn staff can technically view the content of private messages between players, but access is gated by the report system, logged, and requires …
- How do you delete a Torn account?
Deletion is self-service: close the account instantly in Preferences, wait 14 days, then return to confirm deletion. "Deleting" doesn't erase the acc…
- Which kinds of scamming are against the rules in Torn, and which are allowed but frowned upon?
Deceiving players in trades is not against Torn's rules, and staff will not recover lost cash or items . What is banned is cheating around the econom…
Crimes ·
- Is having multiple Torn accounts on the same IP address, such as family members, against the rules, and which interactions between them are forbidden?
Sharing an IP address, as family members or friends do, is not against the rules. Staff removed IP blocks in 2015 and say you will not be banned as l…