Acceptable Use Policy

Purpose

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") defines prohibited conduct on the doBid platform and the consequences for violations. All users (Customers and Service Providers) are bound by this policy in addition to the Terms of Service. The AUP applies to all activities on doBid, including posting jobs, submitting bids, messaging, uploading photos, submitting reviews, and interacting with other users.

doBid's Role: doBid operates a digital marketplace that connects Customers and Service Providers for residential home services that do not require a state-issued license, permit, or certification (see § 3). doBid does not pre-screen, vet, verify, endorse, or guarantee any user, or any user's identity, credentials, insurance, statements, or work. This AUP defines conduct that is prohibited; doBid acts on violations when they are reported or detected, in its discretion and as described below.

Order of Precedence:This AUP supplements the Terms of Service and applies to all users. For Service Providers, where this AUP and the doBid Pro (Service Provider) Agreement differ on enforcement process — including notice, opportunity to respond, cure periods, determination, and timing — the Pro Agreement controls. This AUP defines the categories of prohibited conduct and the severity tiers that apply to all users.

Prohibited Conduct Categories

1. Fraudulent Activity

What's prohibited:

Creating fake jobs or bids to test the system
Misrepresenting credentials, insurance, or identity
Creating multiple accounts to circumvent bans or manipulate ratings
Misrepresenting business identity, location, or services offered
Payment fraud (using stolen or unauthorized payment methods)
Claiming work completed that was not actually performed
Submitting doctored photos

Why: Fraud undermines trust in the marketplace and exposes doBid to financial and legal liability.

Consequences: For Service Providers, suspected fraud follows the immediate-suspension process in Pro Agreement § 10 (notice within 24 hours, opportunity to respond within 48 hours, final determination within 5 business days). Confirmed fraud results in permanent account termination. For Customers, confirmed payment or identity fraud results in permanent termination. Payment or identity fraud will be referred to law enforcement.

2. Harassment, Discrimination & Hateful Conduct

What's prohibited:

Threatening, bullying, or intimidating other users
Slurs, insults, or dehumanizing language based on protected characteristics (race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, national origin)
Deliberate misgendering or refusal to use stated pronouns
Repeated unwanted contact after user requests cessation
Doxxing (publishing private information to harass)
Coordinated harassment campaigns
Hate speech or extremist content

Why: doBid is a professional marketplace where all users deserve respectful treatment.

Consequences:

First offense: Written warning + mandatory 3-day suspension
Second offense: 30-day suspension + mandatory reporting to legal team
Third offense: Permanent account termination
Repeat offenders: Law enforcement referral if threats involved

3. Out-of-Scope (License-Required) or Illegal Work

What's prohibited:

Posting, bidding on, advertising, or performing any service that requires a state license, permit, or certification — including electrical work, plumbing, HVAC/refrigeration (ACR), roofing, gas-line work, and structural or foundation work, and any other regulated trade requiring a license. These services are outside doBid's scope and are not permitted on the Platform.
Performing any portion of an otherwise-permitted job that requires a license (you must stop and inform the Client)
Bidding on or performing work for illegal purposes (drug-related, weapons, fraudulent schemes)
Work involving hazardous materials (asbestos, lead, biohazards) — which requires licensing/permits and is outside scope
Work violating building codes, safety regulations, or professional standards
Any activity prohibited by federal, state, or local law

Why: doBid offers only residential services that do not require a license. License-required and illegal work create safety, liability, and regulatory risks the Platform does not accept.

Consequences: Posting or bidding on a license-required trade: the posting or bid is removed; the user is warned, and the account may be suspended for repeated attempts. Performing a license-required trade through the Platform, or illegal work:immediate account suspension pending investigation, and likely permanent termination. doBid may refer the matter to law enforcement and will do so where required by law. Within permitted services, a Pro must hold any permit the law requires; failure to do so follows the 5-business-day cure in Pro Agreement § 10.

4. Off-Platform Solicitation & Payment Circumvention

What's prohibited:

Soliciting users to conduct transactions outside doBid (to avoid platform fees)
Exchanging contact information to arrange work bypassing doBid
Requesting payment via cash, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or alternative methods outside Stripe
Directing users to third-party platforms for work or payment
Offering discounts for off-platform work
Posting personal Venmo, PayPal, CashApp, or bank account information in messages

Why: Off-platform work circumvents dispute resolution, payment security, and protections that doBid provides.

Limits:Consistent with Pro Agreement § 9, this Section does not prevent a Client from contacting a Pro on the Client's own initiative (and the Pro may respond), and does not restrict a Pro's general advertising or marketing that is not directed at Clients they served through doBid.

Consequences:

First offense: Written warning + education
Second offense: 7-day suspension
Third offense: 30-day suspension
Repeated pattern: Permanent account termination

5. Contact Information Harvesting & Abuse

What's prohibited:

Collecting user contact information for purposes unrelated to an accepted job
Bulk exporting customer/contractor lists for resale or marketing
Using obtained contact data for spam or unsolicited sales
Violating the non-solicitation provision (6 months post-job for that specific Client, per Pro Agreement § 9)
Sharing user data with third parties without consent

Why: User data is confidential and should be used only for legitimate job purposes.

Consequences:

First offense: Warning + data deletion verification + 3-day suspension
Second offense: 30-day suspension
Repeat offenders: Permanent ban + legal action

6. Safety & Work Site Violations

What's prohibited:

Failing to use safety equipment required by law or by the nature of the work where doing so exposes people or property to unreasonable risk
Failing to honor a Customer's reasonable health or safety request (e.g., "no smoking in the house")
Leaving a work site unsecured or leaving hazards unaddressed
Performing work under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Exposing Customer property or occupants to unreasonable risk
Performing work without the liability insurance required under Pro Agreement § 3.2 when that coverage is required

Note: doBid does not direct the means, methods, tools, or equipment a Service Provider uses. Each Service Provider is solely responsible for how services are performed and for selecting and using appropriate, lawful safety measures.

Why: Work site safety is paramount. Unsafe work creates injury/property damage liability.

Consequences:

First offense: written warning; account suspended until condition confirmed corrected
Second offense: 30-day suspension
Third offense: permanent termination
Safety incidents: immediate suspension pending investigation

7. Content Moderation & Prohibited Speech

What's prohibited:

Sharing explicit sexual content, pornography, or sexually suggestive images
Sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or content sexualizing minors
Sharing graphic violence, gore, or snuff content
Incitement to violence or terrorism
Detailed instructions for creating weapons or explosives
Misinformation presented as fact (e.g., false licensing claims, false safety certifications)
Defamatory statements about users, businesses, or services
Spam or repetitive messages

Why: doBid is a professional marketplace.

Consequences:Automatic removal by AI moderation; first human-flagged violation: written warning; repeat violations: 7-day suspension. Child sexual abuse material (CSAM), child sex trafficking, or the enticement of a minor: immediate permanent termination. As a U.S. online service provider, doBid will report the matter to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) via its CyberTipline as required by 18 U.S.C. § 2258A, and preserve related records for at least one year. Incitement to violence or terrorism: immediate permanent termination and referral to law enforcement.

8. Review & Rating Manipulation

What's prohibited:

Posting fake reviews (reviews of work you didn't receive or hire)
Posting reviews for competitors to harm their ratings
Offering payment for positive reviews
Posting retaliation reviews after dispute resolution against you
Brigading (coordinating multiple accounts to post negative reviews)
Threatening poor reviews to extort concessions

Why: Reviews are the trust mechanism of the marketplace. Manipulation destroys marketplace integrity.

Consequences:

Suspected fake review: Removed without notice + warning issued
Coordinated review brigade: All fake reviews deleted + 30-day suspension of all accounts involved
Extortion via review threats: Permanent termination + potential law enforcement referral
Retaliation reviews: Case-by-case review; can result in permanent termination

9. Intellectual Property & Copyright Violations

What's prohibited:

Using others' copyrighted photos, designs, or written content without permission
Misrepresenting work as your own (claiming another contractor's photos as your past work)
Uploading others' private photos without consent
Using doBid's trademarks or branding without authorization
Reverse-engineering or scraping doBid's platform code or data

Why: IP rights are legally protected.

Consequences:

First violation: Content removal + written warning
Second violation: 7-day suspension
Third violation: 30-day suspension
Repeated/egregious: Permanent termination

10. Platform Abuse & System Violations

What's prohibited:

Using automation tools, bots, or scripts to manipulate the platform
Exploiting security vulnerabilities or bugs without reporting to doBid
Attempting to access other users' accounts or private data
DDoS attacks or other system disruption
Abusing customer support (false reports, harassment of support staff, frivolous disputes)

Why:System integrity is essential for all users' security and experience.

Consequences:

First violation: Account suspension pending investigation
Security vulnerability reported responsibly: no penalty + possible bounty. If exploited: permanent ban
DDoS/system attack: Immediate permanent termination + law enforcement referral

Enforcement & Graduated Consequences

Severity Levels

CRITICAL (immediate permanent ban):

Child sexual abuse material
Violent threats or terrorism incitement
Payment fraud or identity theft
Hacking/security exploitation
Performing a license-required trade or other illegal work through the Platform

SERIOUS (30+ day suspension + investigation):

Hate speech or harassment
Repeatedly posting or bidding on out-of-scope (license-required) trades
Deliberate off-platform solicitation
Coordinated review manipulation
Repeated safety violations

MODERATE (7-day to 30-day suspension):

Single harassment incident
First off-platform solicitation
Fake review (uncoordinated)
IP/copyright violation
Contact harvesting

MINOR (warning + 0–7 day suspension):

First-time content moderation flag
First posting/bid on an out-of-scope trade (removed + warning)
Unclear policy violation
Excessive messaging
Accidental off-platform coordination

Appeal Process

A user who receives a suspension or termination may appeal within 10 days to legal@dobid.app (subject line "AUP APPEAL — [ACCOUNT ID]"), including the specific violation disputed, evidence or explanation, and a commitment to future compliance. doBid reviews the appeal — by a reviewer different from the original decision-maker — and issues a written decision within 10 business days. The appeal decision is final within doBid's internal process. For Service Providers, where Pro Agreement § 10 specifies a different process, § 10 controls.

If an appeal succeeds: suspension lifted immediately; record expunged after 1 year of clean conduct.

Monitoring & Reporting

Automated systems monitor for:

Spam keywords and patterns (AI-powered)
Postings or bids that appear to involve out-of-scope (license-required) trades
Suspicious payment patterns (Stripe)
Multiple failed disputes from the same account
Impossible geolocation patterns
Sudden change in account behavior

User reporting:

Anyone can report violations via "Report User" button on a profile or in messages
Reports reviewed within 24 hours
Substantive reports (with evidence) fast-tracked for investigation

Exceptions & Good Faith

doBid recognizes good-faith violations may occur. Considerations for leniency:

First offense + good faith: Written warning instead of suspension
Accidental violation: Education about correct procedure
User cooperates with investigation: May reduce penalties
Quick remediation: Removing violating content quickly may prevent escalation

However, doBid's sole discretion determines whether a violation was good faith.

Jurisdiction & Governing Law

This AUP is governed by Texas law. Violations may result in:

Suspension from the doBid platform
Cooperation with law enforcement
Civil liability (fraud, defamation, IP infringement)
Criminal liability (fraud, identity theft, threats)

Users agree to arbitration (per Terms of Service § 13) for AUP disputes.

Contact & Questions

Report violations: Report button on a user profile / in messages, or email legal@dobid.app
Appeal a suspension: legal@dobid.app with "AUP APPEAL" subject line
General questions: support@dobid.app or legal@dobid.app