Acceptable Use Policy

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1. Overview

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs your use of the TradeProof platform and API. It supplements our Terms of Service. Violation of this AUP may result in suspension or termination of your account.

2. Prohibited Activities

You may not use the Service to:

2.1 Unlawful Conduct

• Violate any applicable federal, state, or local law or regulation
• Discriminate against contractors based on protected characteristics using license data
• Stalk, harass, or threaten any individual using information obtained through the Service
• Facilitate fraud, identity theft, or impersonation

2.2 System Abuse

• Exceed your plan's rate limits or attempt to circumvent usage restrictions
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated tools to extract bulk data from the Service beyond API access
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other accounts, systems, or networks
• Introduce malware, viruses, or other harmful code
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure
• Use the Service to conduct denial-of-service attacks against any target

2.3 Data Misuse

• Resell, redistribute, or sublicense raw license data obtained through the Service without written authorization
• Use license data to build a competing product or service
• Combine license data with other data sources to create dossiers on individuals for non-business purposes
• Store or process license data in violation of applicable privacy laws

2.4 FCRA-Prohibited Uses

• Using TradeProof data for employment screening, hiring decisions, or personnel selection involving individuals
• Using TradeProof data for credit eligibility determinations or lending decisions
• Using TradeProof data for tenant screening or residential rental eligibility decisions
• Using TradeProof data for insurance underwriting or individual insurance pricing decisions
• Combining license data with personal identifiers (SSN, date of birth, home address) to create individual consumer profiles
• Representing to any third party that TradeProof data constitutes a "consumer report" or "background check"
• Using the Compliance Index as the sole or primary basis for denying an individual a contract, employment, or business opportunity

TradeProof is designed exclusively for B2B commercial use -- checking publicly available contractor license and insurance records in connection with business-to-business contracting. If you are unsure whether your intended use is permitted, contact [email protected] before proceeding.

2.5 API Misuse

• Share, publish, or embed API keys in client-side code, public repositories, or insecure locations
• Use a single account or API key to provide service to multiple unrelated organizations
• Misrepresent your identity or affiliation when using the API

3. Rate Limits and Fair Use

Each plan includes specific API rate limits and feature quotas. We reserve the right to throttle or suspend access for usage patterns that negatively impact other users, including but not limited to:

• Sustained API calls at maximum rate for extended periods
• Bulk operations designed to download entire state databases
• Automated account creation

4. Reporting Violations

If you become aware of any violation of this AUP, please report it to [email protected].

5. Enforcement

We may investigate suspected violations and take appropriate action including:

• Issuing a warning
• Temporary suspension of access
• Permanent termination of your account
• Reporting to law enforcement if warranted

We will make reasonable efforts to notify you before taking enforcement action, except where immediate action is necessary to protect the Service or other users.

6. Contact