Enforcement & blacklisting
How the Hub responds when a member or a company breaks the rules. The ladder, the rule categories and the severity matrix below are public. A specific case's reason and evidence are shared only with the person or company it concerns, never published.
The ladder
A first response to a clear but lower-severity violation. Recorded against the account or company, with a stated reason, the rule cited and evidence, and does not otherwise restrict activity.
Posting is limited for a set number of days. The member stays signed in and can read; the notice says when the restriction ends.
A time-boxed suspension for a repeated or more serious violation. The account is signed out for its duration and returns by itself when it ends.
The ceiling, reserved for severe or repeated violations. A blacklisted company has no public presence anywhere on the Hub, including the directory, search and every other discovery surface, until the blacklist is lifted. Blacklisting is a loss of access, not a public list: the Hub never publishes the names of banned members or companies.
Severity matrix
Version 1.0. The highest level a moderator may choose for a first violation, and once the member or company has an earlier action on record. A lower level is always allowed.
| Rule category | Severity | First violation, up to | Repeat violation, up to | Fast track |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpamUnsolicited promotion, repeated off-topic posting and automated or bulk messages. | Lower | Warning | Suspension (temporary) | No |
| Harassment and abusePersonal attacks, threats, intimidation and abusive language aimed at a person or group. | Serious | Restriction (posting limited) | Ban or blacklisting | Yes, when confirmed |
| ImpersonationPosing as another person or company, or misrepresenting an affiliation or credential. | Serious | Suspension (temporary) | Ban or blacklisting | Yes, when confirmed |
| Intellectual-property infringementPosting material that infringes copyright, trade marks or confidential design data. | Serious | Warning | Suspension (temporary) | No |
| Fraud and scamsDeceiving members or companies for money, data or access, including fake listings and quotes. | Severe | Suspension (temporary) | Ban or blacklisting | Yes, when confirmed |
| Security abuseAttempts to break into accounts or systems, scrape at scale, or spread malicious files or links. | Severe | Suspension (temporary) | Ban or blacklisting | Yes, when confirmed |
| Illegal activityContent or conduct that breaks the law, including export-control and sanctions breaches. | Severe | Suspension (temporary) | Ban or blacklisting | Yes, when confirmed |
| Serious breach of the termsOther serious breaches of the terms of use, such as evading an earlier action. | Serious | Warning | Suspension (temporary) | No |
A fast track lets a severe, confirmed case (fraud, a safety risk, illegal activity or egregious abuse) go straight to suspension or a ban, with a written note saying why. Warnings older than 180 days no longer count as an earlier action.
Changes to the matrix
- 2026-10-17, version 1.0: First published matrix: eight rule categories, each mapped to a starting level and a repeat level.
How every action is decided
- A human moderator or admin reviews the evidence and decides. Content is hidden automatically only after several member reports, pending that review.
- Every action cites a rule category and the matrix version, with a stated reason and evidence.
- The sanctioned party is notified with the reason, the rule cited and a link to appeal, every time.
- Every action has a review date: a temporary one when it ends, a warning after 180 days, a permanent one every 365 days.
- Every action is written to the internal audit trail with who acted and when.
- Action can be taken on a pseudonymous handle without revealing who is behind it.
Appeals
Anyone warned, restricted, suspended or blacklisted can appeal. The notice email includes a case-specific link that works without signing in, since a suspension ends the account's sessions. An appeal is decided by an administrator with a stated reason, which is recorded; the person a sanction is against never decides their own appeal. Overturning an appeal reverses the sanction immediately.
Transparency report
Each quarter the Hub publishes how many actions it took by rule category and level, and how appeals ended, without naming anyone. Read the transparency report.