Acceptable Use Policy

Grate exists so that recognition means something. Everything in this draft policy follows from one rule:

This Acceptable Use Policy sets out conduct prohibited on the Grate platform, website, applications, and physical Artifacts because it undermines Recognition integrity, harms users, or is unlawful. Capitalized terms have the meanings given in the Terms of Service. Breach of this AUP is a material breach of the Terms.

You must not give Recognition for an interaction you did not personally experience or for ordinary service rather than truly exceptional service.

You must not give, offer, request, or accept payment, discounts, gifts, employment benefits, or another inducement in exchange for Recognition; recognize yourself; coordinate Recognition among related parties without disclosure; operate or join an exchange or inflation scheme; submit false, misleading, defamatory, or knowingly inaccurate Recognition; or attempt to influence Badge eligibility through anything other than genuinely good service.

You must not create an account with false information or another person’s identity; hold more than one account of the same type without written approval; impersonate a Customer, Provider, Organization, or Grate; share, sell, transfer, or lend credentials; claim another person’s Provider profile; or claim an Organization you are not authorized to represent.

You must not display or imply that you hold an unearned or revoked Badge; alter a Badge, its artwork, or linked record; reproduce Badge artwork outside Grate’s sharing tools; sell, transfer, or license a Badge; or present a Badge as Grate’s endorsement of you, your organization, or another product or service.

You must not manufacture, commission, purchase, or display an imitation Grate Artifact or an item bearing Grate Marks that Grate did not issue.

You must not alter, cover, obscure, replace, or re-encode a Grate QR code; add a sticker or overlay; create or distribute an imitation QR code, link, or NFC tag; direct users from an Artifact to a page, download, app, form, or payment step outside the Service; display an Artifact tied to revoked Recognition or issued to someone else; or transfer or lend an Artifact except as Grate permits.

You must not access or attempt to access a Service, account, or system without authorization; use bots, scrapers, crawlers, or automated means to collect data; reverse engineer or probe source code, models, eligibility criteria, or weighting methodology; introduce malicious code; interfere with operation, security, or availability; circumvent access controls, rate limits, or security measures; or republish, resell, or disclose Grate data or analytics except as permitted.

You must not use the GRATE name, logo, Badge designs, or confusingly similar marks in domains, business or product names, social handles, advertising, or signage without written permission.

You must not operate or promote an imitation service; remove or alter proprietary notices; or use Grate Marks to suggest sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation that does not exist.

You must not use the Service to harass, threaten, defame, or discriminate; disclose another person’s private information without consent; or retaliate against someone for giving, withholding, or reporting Recognition.

Organizations must not use Grate data to take adverse action against a Provider in violation of applicable labor or employment law.

Report suspected violations to trust@alwaysgrate.com or through the “Something wrong with this sign?” action on a Grate page. Grate protects the identity of people who report in good faith. Knowingly false, malicious, or retaliatory reports violate this AUP.

Grate investigates reports and monitoring signals and decides whether a violation occurred. Depending on severity, history, and harm, Grate may issue a warning; remove or annotate Recognition; revoke Badges; require return or destruction of Artifacts; suspend or permanently terminate accounts; notify affected Providers and Organizations; and preserve relevant records.

Where conduct appears unlawful, including fraud, identity theft, phishing, malicious-code distribution, unauthorized access, counterfeiting, or intellectual-property infringement, AIDE Global LLC may pursue civil remedies, refer matters to law enforcement and regulators, and cooperate with resulting proceedings consistent with privacy and applicable law.

Grate does not disclose its detection methods. Enforcement decisions are final except where law requires otherwise.

The source draft permits Grate to amend the AUP by posting a new version with a new effective date and states that continued use after that date constitutes acceptance. No effective date has yet been approved for this draft.