Acceptable use and community rules

Last updated: November 1, 2026. Working draft for review by counsel before launch.

The short version

Be accurate, be decent, and do not use the Commons to harm anyone. These rules apply to accounts, workspaces, the directory, jobs, events, working groups, roundtables, the API, and anything you submit.

1. Accuracy

Do not publish, submit, or attest to things you know to be false. An attestation is your organization's own statement; publishing one you know to be inaccurate may be treated as a deceptive practice under consumer protection law, and we will remove it.

2. Respect

No harassment, threats, slurs, or personal attacks. Roundtables run under the Chatham House rule: use the information, do not attribute it to a person or organization without consent. Recordings are made only when the guest agrees.

3. No abuse of the platform

No spam, scraping that bypasses the API, credential stuffing, attempts to access other organizations' workspaces, probing of systems you do not own with the domain check, or use of the site to distribute malware or phishing.

4. Jobs and directory

Job listings must be real, for a real organization, and should state a salary range where the law or good practice expects one. Directory profiles must describe a real person. Recruiters may list themselves but may not scrape the directory.

5. Commercial use

Using the tools and the workspace for your organization, including a consultancy using them with clients, is fine. Reselling access to the Commons, or presenting the Commons' output as your own certification scheme, is not.

6. Enforcement

We may remove content, suspend accounts, revoke API keys, and refuse service for breaches of these rules, with notice where practical. Conduct complaints go through the contact form and are handled by the editor; unresolved complaints about editorial accuracy go to the advisory council once it exists.