BuildBLK — Acceptable Use Policy & Community Guidelines
Effective Date: [DATE]
BuildBLK exists to help people find and support Black-owned businesses. This policy keeps it useful and safe. It applies to everyone — visitors, reviewers, and business owners alike — and it is part of our Terms of Service.
The short version
Be honest. Be firsthand. Don't harass anybody. Don't game the directory.
Do not post
Dishonest content
- Reviews of a business you own, work for, are related to, or compete with
- Reviews written in exchange for payment, discounts, free products, or any other benefit
- Reviews of an experience you did not personally have
- Multiple reviews of one experience, or reviews from multiple accounts you control
- False claims about a business's ownership, certifications, licensing, or practices
- Impersonation of another person, business, or organization
Harmful content
- Threats of violence, or content that incites or glorifies violence
- Harassment, stalking, or targeted abuse of any person
- Hate speech or attacks based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or veteran status
- Doxxing — publishing anyone's home address, phone number, financial information, or other private information without consent
- Sexual content, or any content sexualizing minors
Unlawful or infringing content
- Content that infringes copyright, trademark, or other IP rights (see our DMCA Policy)
- Content that violates someone's privacy or publicity rights
- Content promoting illegal activity, fraud, or the sale of prohibited goods
- Defamatory statements presented as fact
Spam and manipulation
- Advertising, promotional links, or solicitations unrelated to the listing
- Automated posting, bots, or bulk submissions
- Scraping, crawling, or harvesting data from the Service
- Creating accounts to inflate or suppress ratings
- Any attempt to reverse-engineer, bypass, or interfere with our systems or security
A note on organized abuse
Directories of Black-owned businesses have historically been targets of coordinated review-bombing and harassment campaigns. We treat coordinated attacks as a serious violation and act on them decisively — including bulk review removal, account and IP-range bans, temporary review freezes on targeted listings, and referral to law enforcement where warranted.
If you are a business owner experiencing this, contact [SUPPORT EMAIL] with the subject line "Coordinated Attack" and we will prioritize it.
What businesses may not do
In addition to everything above, businesses on BuildBLK may not:
- Misrepresent ownership, certifications, licensing, or affiliations
- Offer any incentive in exchange for a review, or ask customers to remove negative reviews in exchange for anything
- Use the BuildBLK Verified badge without a current, active designation
- Claim a listing for a business they do not own or lawfully represent
- Suggest that BuildBLK endorses, certifies, or guarantees them
How we enforce
Depending on severity and history, we may:
- Remove the content
- Issue a warning
- Limit account features (for example, disable reviewing)
- Suspend the account
- Terminate the account and remove associated listings
- Revoke a Verified designation and require return or destruction of physical badge materials
- Report to law enforcement
Serious violations — threats, doxxing, content involving minors, coordinated attacks, fraud — skip straight to termination.
Appeals
If we take action against you, we will tell you what happened and why, and you may appeal once by emailing [APPEALS EMAIL] within 30 days. A person who was not involved in the original decision will review it. We aim to respond within 10 business days. See the Takedown and Dispute Procedure.
Reporting
Report anything that violates this policy using the Report control on any listing or review, or by emailing [SUPPORT EMAIL]. Tell us the URL, what's wrong, and anything that helps us verify it. We review every report and do not retaliate against good-faith reporters.