Acceptable use policy

Last updated: 21 July 2026

This Acceptable Use Policy explains what you may and may not do on the PokeIndie website and services (the "Service"). It forms part of, and should be read together with, our Terms of Service and our Community Guidelines. If there is a conflict, the specific rule that most directly addresses the conduct at issue controls.

1. Prohibited content

You may not upload, publish, link to, or transmit content that:

  • Is illegal, or promotes or facilitates illegal activity, in any jurisdiction where it is accessed;
  • Infringes or misappropriates another person's copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other intellectual-property or publicity rights (see our Copyright and Takedown Policy);
  • Sexually exploits or endangers minors in any way; we report such content to the relevant authorities and permanently ban the accounts involved;
  • Contains malware, spyware, cryptominers, or other code designed to damage, disable, or covertly access a device or account without the owner's informed consent;
  • Is defamatory, discriminatory, or promotes violence or hatred against people based on race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or other protected characteristic;
  • Constitutes harassment, threats, or targeted abuse of another person; or
  • Is deceptive, including game listings that misrepresent pricing, platform availability, age ratings, or the presence of monetization mechanics such as loot boxes or in-app purchases.

2. Prohibited conduct

Regardless of the content involved, you may not:

  • Manipulate ranking or engagement — use bots, click farms, incentivized exchanges, multiple accounts, or any automated or coordinated means to inflate pokes, reviews, ratings, follower counts, or other engagement signals, or to interfere with another listing's ranking;
  • Post fake or incentivized reviews, including reviews from accounts controlled by the developer, or reviews exchanged for payment, keys, or other consideration without clear disclosure;
  • Scrape or harvest data from the Service using automated means (bots, scrapers, crawlers) except as expressly permitted by our robots.txt or a written agreement with us;
  • Circumvent technical restrictions, including rate limits, access controls, CAPTCHAs, or paywalls, or probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service without our prior written authorization;
  • Interfere with the Service's operation, including by overloading infrastructure, introducing malicious code, or disrupting other users' access;
  • Impersonate any person, developer, publisher, or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with one;
  • Create or use multiple accounts to evade a suspension, ban, or these rules; or
  • Use the Service's messaging, comment, or listing tools to send spam, unsolicited advertising, or phishing links.

3. Listing standards for developers

If you publish a game listing, you additionally agree that:

  • Your listing accurately describes the game, its price, platforms, and any monetization, and does not use misleading screenshots, trailers, or claims;
  • You own the rights to, or are authorized to publish, all media and text in your listing;
  • Download links or store links you provide are safe, functional, and lead to the product described; and
  • You do not use your own or affiliated accounts to poke, review, or otherwise artificially promote your own listings, or to poke or review competitors' listings.

4. Responsible security research

We welcome good-faith reports of security vulnerabilities. If you discover one, report it to [email protected] before disclosing it publicly, and do not access, modify, or delete data beyond what is necessary to demonstrate the issue. We will not pursue legal action against good-faith, non-disruptive security research conducted consistently with this section.

5. Enforcement

Depending on the severity and history of a violation, we may remove or restrict content, issue a warning, temporarily suspend features (such as posting, messaging, or ranking eligibility), suspend or terminate an account, and, where legally required, report conduct to law enforcement. We may act without prior notice where necessary to prevent harm or comply with law. Automated ranking or engagement manipulation may result in the affected pokes, reviews, or metrics being discounted or removed in addition to any account action.

6. Reporting a violation

Use the report a listing tool, or email [email protected], to flag content or behavior that violates this Policy.

7. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy as new risks or abuse patterns emerge. Material changes will be reflected by updating the date above.

8. Contact

Questions about this Policy: [email protected].