Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Fraudulent and Deceptive Content
- Harmful Content
- Privacy Violations
- Defamatory Content
- Promotional and Commercial Abuse
- Platform Integrity
- Self-Service Profile Abuse
- Inquiry and Lead Generation Abuse
- Referral Program Abuse
- Credential Fraud
- Retaliation
- Multiple Accounts and Identity Fraud
- Intellectual Property Violations
- Enforcement Actions
- Off-Topic Content
- Reporting Violations
- Changes to These Guidelines
1. Introduction
These Platform Guidelines govern your use of the VerSquare platform (versquare.com), including all content you post, actions you take, and interactions you have on or through the platform. These Guidelines are incorporated into and form part of the VerSquare Terms of Service. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meanings given in the Terms of Service.
Violation of these Guidelines may result in content removal, account suspension, account termination, or other enforcement actions as described in Section 15 of these Guidelines and Section 10 of the Terms of Service.
2. Fraudulent and Deceptive Content
You may not post, submit, or distribute content that:
2.1 Fake or Fabricated Reviews
- Is not based on your genuine, first-hand experience with the Provider being reviewed.
- Describes services you did not actually receive or interactions that did not occur.
- Represents the experience of a third party rather than your own.
- Is posted on behalf of another person, whether for compensation or otherwise.
- Is posted under a false identity or using someone else's account.
2.2 AI-Generated Reviews
- Is generated in whole or in substantial part by artificial intelligence, large language models, or other automated content-generation tools.
- Uses AI or automated tools to fabricate experiences, facts, or details that did not occur.
Permitted AI use: You may use AI tools (grammar checkers, spell checkers, writing assistants) to improve the clarity, grammar, or readability of a review that is based on your genuine experience. The underlying facts, opinions, and experiences described must be your own. AI assistance with expression is permitted; AI fabrication of substance is prohibited.
2.3 Incentivized Reviews
- Is posted in exchange for payment, compensation, discounts, refunds, rebates, free products or services, contest entries, preferential treatment, or any other form of benefit or incentive, regardless of whether the review is positive or negative.
- Is solicited by a Provider through "review gating" (selectively requesting only positive reviews).
2.4 Other Deceptive Practices
- Contains materially false or misleading information presented as fact.
- Plagiarizes or copies content from other review platforms, publications, or users.
- Misrepresents your relationship with a Provider (e.g., posing as a customer when you are an employee, competitor, or affiliate) without disclosure.
3. Harmful Content
You may not post, submit, or distribute content that:
3.1 Harassment and Threats
- Threatens, harasses, bullies, or intimidates any person, including Platform users, Providers, Provider employees, or VerSquare personnel.
- Contains direct or implied threats of physical harm, property damage, or other illegal action.
- Constitutes stalking or targeted campaigns of intimidation against any individual.
- Encourages others to harass or threaten any person.
3.2 Hate Speech and Discrimination
- Contains hate speech or discriminates based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or other characteristics protected under applicable law.
- Promotes or glorifies organizations or ideologies that advocate discrimination or violence based on protected characteristics.
3.3 Violence and Illegal Activity
- Promotes, glorifies, or incites violence or illegal activities.
- Provides instructions for illegal activities.
- Solicits participation in illegal activities.
3.4 Sexually Explicit Content and Exploitation
- Contains obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit content.
- Exploits, harms, or attempts to exploit or harm minors in any way, including but not limited to child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
4. Privacy Violations
You may not post, submit, or distribute content that:
4.1 Unauthorized Disclosure of Personal Information
- Discloses personal information of others without their consent, including but not limited to: names (when not publicly associated with the business), home addresses, personal phone numbers, personal email addresses, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, government-issued identification numbers, or other sensitive personal data.
- Publishes photographs, videos, audio recordings, or other media depicting identifiable individuals without their consent.
- Violates any person's rights of privacy or publicity under applicable law.
4.2 Doxxing
- Publishes or compiles personal information about another person with the intent to harass, intimidate, threaten, or facilitate harassment by others.
- Publishes the personal information of VerSquare employees, moderators, or contractors.
4.3 Exception for Publicly Available Information
Information that is already publicly available in connection with a Provider's business operations (e.g., a business owner's name as listed on the Provider's website, publicly filed business registrations, SBA lender registry listings) may be referenced in reviews and platform content.
5. Defamatory Content
You may not post, submit, or distribute content that:
5.1 False Statements of Fact
- Contains false statements of fact that harm or could harm the reputation of any person, business, or organization.
- Makes accusations of criminal conduct, fraud, or other illegal activity without factual basis.
- Maliciously misrepresents facts about a Provider, their employees, or their services.
5.2 Distinguishing Fact from Opinion
Reviews may include subjective opinions, impressions, and evaluations based on genuine experience. The distinction between protected opinion and actionable defamation is a matter of law, and VerSquare reserves the right to remove content that, in our reasonable judgment, contains false statements of fact that could expose the platform or the poster to defamation liability.
6. Promotional and Commercial Abuse
You may not use the Platform to:
6.1 Self-Promotion and Advertising
- Promote your own business, products, or services in reviews or other user-generated content.
- Post advertising, marketing, or promotional material.
- Include affiliate links, referral codes (except VerSquare referral codes used per the Referral Program Terms), or promotional discounts.
- Solicit business or customers.
6.2 Competitor Disparagement
- Post reviews or content whose primary purpose is to disparage a competitor rather than describe a genuine service experience.
- Coordinate negative campaigns against competitors.
Exception: Genuine comparisons based on your actual experience with multiple Providers are permitted (e.g., "I worked with Provider A and Provider B, and found Provider A's communication better").
6.3 Spam
- Post repetitive, mass-generated, or template-based content across multiple Provider profiles.
- Use automated tools to post content at scale.
- Send unsolicited commercial messages through any Platform messaging features.
7. Platform Integrity
You may not:
7.1 Rating and Ranking Manipulation
- Attempt to manipulate ratings, rankings, search results, or any algorithmic ordering on the Platform.
- Engage in "review bombing" - coordinated campaigns of negative (or positive) reviews intended to artificially shift a Provider's rating.
- Coordinate with others to post reviews intended to manipulate a Provider's standing on the Platform.
- Post duplicate reviews of the same Provider (one review per Provider per account).
7.2 Circumvention of Platform Systems
- Attempt to circumvent or interfere with VerSquare's fraud detection, content moderation, or review verification systems.
- Use technical measures to evade bans, suspensions, or content removal decisions.
- Exploit bugs, vulnerabilities, or errors in Platform systems rather than reporting them.
7.3 Data Harvesting and Scraping
- Scrape, data mine, crawl, or harvest content, data, or personal information from the Platform through automated means.
- Use Platform content, data, or reviews to train artificial intelligence models, machine learning systems, or other automated systems, except as explicitly permitted under a written agreement with VerSquare.
- Systematically download, copy, or archive Platform content beyond reasonable personal use.
7.4 Reverse Engineering and Security
- Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code of any Platform software or systems.
- Introduce viruses, malware, worms, trojans, ransomware, or other malicious code.
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any Platform systems, accounts, servers, or networks.
- Conduct denial-of-service attacks or other actions designed to impair Platform availability.
- Probe, scan, or test Platform systems for vulnerabilities without written authorization.
7.5 Abuse of Flagging and Reporting Systems
- Submit false, malicious, or bad-faith reports or flags against content or users.
- Engage in mass flagging campaigns intended to suppress legitimate content.
- Manipulate the moderation system to target specific users or Providers.
8. Self-Service Profile Abuse (Business and Professional Accounts)
If you hold a Business Account or Professional Account, you additionally may not:
8.1 False or Misleading Business Information
- Provide false, misleading, or materially inaccurate information in your business or professional profile, including but not limited to: business name, address, license numbers, years in business, services offered, team size, or transaction history.
- Claim or imply credentials, licenses, certifications, or affiliations that you do not hold or that are expired, revoked, or suspended.
- Use a business name, logo, or branding that misleadingly suggests an affiliation with another entity.
8.2 Misleading Professional Credentials
- Misrepresent your professional role, title, or seniority.
- Claim experience or specializations that are materially inaccurate.
- Fabricate or inflate performance metrics, transaction volumes, or client counts.
- Misrepresent your regulatory or licensing status.
8.3 Profile Impersonation
- Claim a business profile that you do not own or have authority to manage.
- Claim a professional profile representing a person other than yourself.
- Create a profile for a business or professional that does not exist.
8.4 Failure to Update Material Information
- Fail to update your profile within 7 days of any material change in your licensing status, business address, services offered, or other information that users may rely on when evaluating your business or qualifications.
9. Inquiry and Lead Generation Abuse
You may not use the Platform's inquiry, messaging, or contact features to:
9.1 Fake or Bad-Faith Inquiries
- Submit inquiries to Providers when you have no genuine interest in their services.
- Submit inquiries for the purpose of gathering competitive intelligence or proprietary business information.
- Submit inquiries to waste a Provider's time or resources.
9.2 Unsolicited Commercial Use
- Use Provider contact information obtained through the Platform for unsolicited marketing, advertising, or sales outreach unrelated to the services offered on the Platform.
- Add Provider contact information to marketing lists, email campaigns, or telemarketing databases.
- Resell or redistribute Provider contact information obtained through the Platform.
9.3 Inquiry Spam
- Submit mass, automated, or template-based inquiries across multiple Provider profiles.
- Use automated tools to submit inquiries or contact Providers.
10. Referral Program Abuse
If you participate in the VerSquare Referral Program, you additionally may not:
10.1 Self-Referral
- Refer yourself using your own referral link to claim referral credit.
- Create multiple accounts to generate referral credit.
10.2 Fake Accounts and Fraudulent Referrals
- Create fake accounts, bot accounts, or temporary accounts for the purpose of earning referral credit.
- Refer individuals who have no genuine interest in using the Platform.
- Coordinate with referred users to complete minimum qualifying actions solely for the purpose of earning referral credit, with no intent to genuinely use the Platform.
10.3 Misleading Referral Promotion
- Misrepresent the Platform, its services, or the benefits of joining when promoting your referral link.
- Use spam, unsolicited messaging, or deceptive advertising to promote your referral link.
- Claim that VerSquare endorses, sponsors, or is affiliated with your referral promotion activities.
11. Credential Fraud (Buyer Credential Holders)
If you hold a Buyer Credential (verified buyer status), you may not:
11.1 False Financial Information
- Provide false, misleading, or fabricated financial information during the credential verification process.
- Use another person's financial accounts, identity documents, or credentials to obtain verified status.
11.2 Misuse of Verified Status
- Represent your verified buyer status as an endorsement, guarantee, or certification by VerSquare.
- Use your verified status to pressure or mislead Providers about your financial capacity.
- Share, transfer, or allow others to use your verified buyer credentials.
11.3 Circumvention of Verification
- Attempt to manipulate, circumvent, or exploit the credential verification process to obtain a verification level that does not accurately reflect your financial position.
12. Retaliation
You may not:
12.1 Retaliation Against Reviewers
- Threaten, harass, intimidate, or take adverse action against a user because they posted a review, whether positive or negative.
- Contact a reviewer outside the Platform to pressure them to change, remove, or refrain from posting a review.
- Take legal action or threaten legal action against a reviewer for the purpose of suppressing a review, unless you have a good-faith basis to believe the review contains materially false statements of fact. (Note: This provision does not limit any party's legal rights; it prohibits the use of legal threats as a tool for review suppression.)
12.2 Retaliation Against the Platform
- Threaten, harass, or intimidate VerSquare employees, moderators, or contractors because of content moderation decisions, enforcement actions, or other Platform decisions.
- Engage in coordinated campaigns to damage VerSquare's reputation in response to enforcement actions.
- Interfere with Platform operations in response to enforcement actions taken against you or others.
12.3 Provider Retaliation
Providers who hold Business Accounts or Professional Accounts may not:
- Condition the quality of service on a customer's agreement not to post a review.
- Require customers to sign agreements waiving their right to post reviews (such provisions are unenforceable under the Consumer Review Fairness Act, 15 U.S.C. 45b).
- Require customers to submit reviews for pre-publication review or approval by the Provider.
- Degrade, refuse, or alter service to a customer in retaliation for a negative review.
13. Multiple Accounts and Identity Fraud
You may not:
13.1 Multiple Accounts
- Create or maintain more than one account per person for the purpose of circumventing platform rules, enforcement actions, or review limits.
- Use multiple accounts to post multiple reviews of the same Provider.
- Use multiple accounts to create the appearance of broader support for or opposition to a Provider.
13.2 Identity Fraud
- Create an account using a false identity or someone else's identity.
- Impersonate another person, business, or organization.
- Misrepresent your affiliation with any person, business, or organization.
13.3 Exception for Authorized Business Representatives
A single individual may manage multiple Business Account profiles if they are an authorized representative of each business (e.g., a regional manager overseeing multiple branch offices). Each Business Account profile must represent a distinct, legitimate business entity. The individual's personal user account remains singular.
14. Intellectual Property Violations
You may not post, submit, or distribute content that:
14.1 Copyright Infringement
- Infringes the copyrights of any person or entity.
- Reproduces copyrighted images, text, videos, or other content without permission or a valid license.
- Misuses Provider logos, trademarks, or branding beyond what is necessary for a genuine review or comparison.
14.2 Trademark Violations
- Infringes the trademarks, service marks, or trade dress of any person or entity.
- Uses VerSquare's name, logo, or branding in a manner that suggests endorsement or affiliation without written permission.
14.3 DMCA and Takedown Procedures
VerSquare responds to valid notices of copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Our DMCA procedures are described in the Terms of Service, Section 10. To report an intellectual property violation, contact support@versquare.com.
15. Enforcement Actions
15.1 Graduated Enforcement
VerSquare generally follows a graduated enforcement approach, as described in the Terms of Service, Section 10.5. The typical progression is:
| Level | Action | Typical Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Notice | Warning and education. Offending content may be removed or edited. | First-time minor violations (off-topic content, unintentional policy breach). |
| Content Removal | Specific content is removed. User is notified with the reason. | Content that violates these Guidelines, regardless of whether it is a first offense. |
| Temporary Suspension | Account access is restricted for 7-30 days. Content may be removed. | Repeated violations after warning, or a single moderate violation. |
| Permanent Termination | Account is permanently terminated. All user content may be removed. User is prohibited from creating new accounts. | Repeated violations after suspension, or a single severe violation. |
| Profile Warning Badge | A public notice is placed on a Business Account or Professional Account profile indicating a policy violation. | Provider accounts engaged in retaliation, review manipulation, or credential misrepresentation. |
15.2 Immediate Termination
The following violations may result in immediate permanent termination without prior warning:
- Fraud (fake reviews at scale, identity fraud, credential fraud)
- Illegal activity (CSAM, threats of violence, illegal solicitation)
- Severe harassment or threats
- Coordinated manipulation campaigns
- Introduction of malware or attacks on Platform systems
- Systematic data scraping or harvesting
15.3 Profile Warning Badges
For Business Account and Professional Account holders, VerSquare may apply a public warning badge to a profile to notify users of verified policy violations. Badges may be applied for:
- Confirmed review manipulation (soliciting fake reviews, incentivizing reviews)
- Confirmed retaliation against reviewers
- Confirmed credential misrepresentation
- Repeated failure to maintain accurate profile information
Profile warning badges are applied only after investigation and are subject to the appeals process. Badges may be removed after a remediation period (typically 6-12 months) if the violation is corrected and no further violations occur.
15.4 Appeals
Users whose content is removed or whose accounts are suspended or terminated may appeal by following the process described in the Terms of Service, Section 10.6.
15.5 Effect on Content
When an account is terminated, VerSquare may, at its discretion:
- Remove all content posted by the terminated user.
- Retain content where removal would distort the accuracy of Provider ratings (e.g., a legitimate review posted by a user who later violated these Guidelines for an unrelated reason). In such cases, the content may be anonymized.
- Preserve content as necessary for legal compliance, fraud prevention, or dispute resolution, as described in the Terms of Service, Section 10.7.
16. Off-Topic Content
You may not post content that:
- Is unrelated to the Provider being reviewed or the topic of the discussion.
- Reviews the wrong Provider.
- Discusses matters unrelated to the service experience (e.g., personal grievances with the business owner unrelated to the services you received).
17. Reporting Violations
If you become aware of content or conduct that violates these Guidelines, you may report it by:
- Using the "Report" button available on reviews, profiles, and other user-generated content.
- Emailing support@versquare.com.
VerSquare takes all reports seriously. We will review reported content in accordance with the timelines and processes described in the Terms of Service, Sections 10.3 and 10.4.
You will not be retaliated against for making a good-faith report of a policy violation.
18. Changes to These Guidelines
VerSquare may update these Platform Guidelines from time to time. Because these Guidelines are incorporated by reference into the Terms of Service, material changes will follow the notification and re-acceptance procedures described in the Terms of Service.
Non-material changes (clarifications, formatting, additional examples) may be made without notice. The "Last Updated" date at the top of these Guidelines will always reflect the most recent revision.