Acceptable Use Policy

This AUP applies to all use of the Platform, including browsing, account registration, listing submission, image uploads, messaging, API access where available, and any interaction with Platform staff or moderators.

You may not use the Platform to promote, coordinate, or facilitate illegal activity, including unlawful sales, unlicensed gambling, unauthorized raffles where prohibited, stolen property, controlled substances, weapons sales where unlawful, or any activity violating federal, state, or local law.

Fraudulent conduct is strictly prohibited, including fake events, bait-and-switch promotions, impersonation, phishing, payment scams, identity misrepresentation, and listings designed to mislead users for financial gain.

You may not use the Platform to send spam, bulk unsolicited messages, chain letters, pyramid schemes, or repetitive promotional content unrelated to legitimate community listings. Contact information displayed in listings must not be harvested for unsolicited marketing.

Harassment, bullying, stalking, threats of violence, intimidation, or targeted abuse toward users, organizers, vendors, staff, or community members is prohibited.

Content that promotes hatred, violence, or discrimination against individuals or groups based on protected characteristics—such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age—is prohibited, except where permitted for legitimate educational or historical discussion clearly contextualized and lawful.

Listings must accurately describe real events or activities. You may not publish fictitious events, duplicate deceptive listings, conceal cancellation of events, misstate venue or host identity, or use misleading titles, images, or pricing to attract clicks.

Promotions, giveaways, contests, and sponsorship claims must comply with applicable law and must not misrepresent odds, prizes, sponsors, eligibility, or affiliation with Hometown Events.

Uploading or listing content that infringes copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, publicity rights, or other intellectual property rights is prohibited. See our Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy and DMCA Policy for reporting procedures.

You may not upload files containing viruses, malware, ransomware, spyware, or code designed to disrupt the Platform, compromise user devices, or exfiltrate data.

You may not use bots, scripts, crawlers, or automated tools to create accounts, submit listings, bypass approval workflows, brute-force credentials, or impose unreasonable load on Platform infrastructure except with our prior written authorization.

Systematic scraping, harvesting, or bulk collection of listings, user profiles, contact information, or other Platform data for commercial use, republishing, or competitive services is prohibited without express written permission from Hometown Events.

You may not attempt to circumvent account suspensions, listing rejection, geographic restrictions, security controls, rate limits, moderation decisions, or payment requirements. Creating duplicate accounts to evade enforcement is prohibited.

We may investigate suspected violations and take action at our discretion, including warnings, content removal, listing rejection, feature restrictions, account suspension, termination, and cooperation with law enforcement.

Report violations to info@hometownevents.org with sufficient detail for investigation, including URLs, screenshots, and descriptions of the concern.