Account Integrity & Enforcement Evasion

Media.com accounts must be used in a manner consistent with the identity, authority and account status established for them.

Do not use another account, identity, organization, device, service or technical method to evade Media.com's Rules, verification requirements or enforcement decisions.

Media.com may permit users and organizations to operate more than one legitimate account or profile where supported.

Having multiple accounts is not, by itself, a violation.

The relevant question is whether accounts or other methods are being used to deceive Media.com or circumvent restrictions.

These Rules apply to:

• personal profiles;
• organization profiles;
• account administrators;
• verified accounts;
• login credentials;
• account ownership and control;
• multiple accounts;
• account transfers;
• account sales;
• account recovery;
• enforcement restrictions;
• suspensions;
• permanent removals;
• verification;
• monetization restrictions;
• payment restrictions;
• feature restrictions; and
• other account-level Media.com controls.

Do not use another person's personal account as though it were your own.

Do not:

• borrow an account to bypass a restriction;
• allow an ineligible user to operate your personal profile as their own;
• use another person's verified identity;
• take control of an account without authority; or
• misrepresent who is actually operating a personal profile.

Organization accounts may be operated by authorised representatives in accordance with Media.com's organization-management requirements.

Personal profiles must not be sold, purchased or transferred to another person in a way that causes the account to represent a different individual.

Media.com may permit legitimate changes to:

• names;
• professional names;
• contact information;
• account credentials; or
• other profile information

where the verified person behind the account remains the same.

Organizations may change employees, administrators, officers or authorised representatives over time.

A legitimate change in organization administration is not an account transfer violation.

Where supported, organizations should use Media.com's authorised administrator or representative-management tools rather than sharing personal login credentials.

Media.com may require renewed authority verification when organization control changes.

Users should keep personal account credentials secure.

Personal account credentials must not be shared for the purpose of:

• allowing another person to impersonate the account holder;
• bypassing verification;
• avoiding an enforcement restriction;
• providing access to someone who is not eligible to use Media.com; or
• otherwise defeating Media.com's account controls.

Legitimate organization access should use approved administration features where available.

Media.com may permit a person or organization to operate multiple legitimate profiles or accounts where the platform supports them.

Multiple accounts must not be used to:

• evade enforcement;
• manufacture engagement;
• create fake consensus;
• impersonate independent people;
• evade verification;
• bypass age requirements;
• circumvent monetization restrictions;
• avoid messaging or interaction limits; or
• otherwise manipulate Media.com.

Relevant conduct may also violate Media.com's Spam, Fake Engagement & Platform Manipulation Rules.

Do not attempt to bypass a Media.com enforcement decision.

This includes using another account, person, organization or technical method to continue conduct that Media.com has restricted.

Examples may include:

• creating a replacement account after permanent removal;
• using an existing alternate account to continue prohibited activity;
• operating through another person's account;
• asking another person to publish prohibited content on your behalf;
• transferring activity to an organization account you control;
• creating a new profile to bypass a temporary restriction; or
• using technical methods intended to defeat account-level controls.

If Media.com restricts a particular feature, do not use another account or method to obtain substantially the same restricted functionality.

This may include restrictions involving:

• publishing;
• commenting;
• messaging;
• livestreaming;
• advertising;
• monetization;
• payments;
• following;
• recommendations; or
• other platform features.

A feature restriction applies according to the scope stated in the enforcement decision.

Do not repeatedly repost content that Media.com has removed where the purpose is to defeat the removal decision.

This may include:

• uploading the same content again;
• making immaterial edits;
• using another account;
• publishing through another controlled organization;
• changing the file format;
• using alternate links; or
• otherwise attempting to restore substantially the same prohibited content.

This does not prevent a user from:

• successfully appealing the decision;
• publishing materially different compliant content;
• reporting on the enforcement decision where otherwise permitted; or
• discussing the underlying subject without reproducing prohibited material.

Where Media.com permanently removes a person or organization from the platform, they must not create, acquire or control replacement accounts unless Media.com expressly permits their return.

Media.com may also act against accounts knowingly created or operated principally to facilitate another person's permanent-removal evasion.

Do not knowingly provide your account or organization profile to help another person evade Media.com enforcement.

Media.com should distinguish deliberate assistance from ordinary contact, employment, family relationships or association.

A person should not be penalised merely because they know, work with or are related to someone subject to enforcement.

Do not attempt to defeat Media.com's verification requirements.

This includes:

• using another person's identity;
• submitting forged documents;
• manipulating identity evidence;
• falsely claiming organization authority;
• using synthetic evidence;
• transferring a verified profile to another person;
• purchasing Verified Status; or
• otherwise obtaining or retaining verification through deception.

Relevant conduct may also violate Media.com's Verification and Impersonation & Identity Abuse Rules.

Do not use another person's account, false identity information, manipulated evidence or technical methods to evade Media.com's age requirements.

Age-related circumvention is governed principally by the Age Requirements & Age Assurance Rules.

Do not use another account, organization or payment relationship to bypass a monetization restriction imposed by Media.com.

This may include attempts to:

• receive creator payouts through another controlled account;
• redirect earnings to evade suspension;
• create a replacement monetised profile;
• conceal common account control; or
• otherwise defeat a monetization restriction.

Creator Monetization Standards may also apply.

Advertisers must not create replacement advertiser accounts, use another organization or materially disguise the same advertiser in order to bypass an advertising restriction.

Advertising Standards and Commercial Integrity requirements may apply concurrently.

Do not use alternate accounts, identities or organizations to circumvent a payment restriction where Media.com has applied the restriction to the underlying person, organization or activity.

A payment restriction does not necessarily mean that the user has violated Media.com's Rules.

Payments & Restricted Activity may govern the underlying restriction.

Do not buy or sell personal Media.com accounts.

Do not buy or sell accounts for the purpose of obtaining:

• Verified Status;
• followers;
• account age;
• reputation;
• monetization eligibility;
• advertising access;
• enforcement history; or
• another Media.com privilege.

Legitimate corporate transactions involving ownership of an organization do not automatically constitute prohibited account sales, but Media.com may require verification of the new controlling representatives.

A compromised account is not the same as enforcement evasion.

If another person gains unauthorised access to an account, Media.com may:

• restrict access;
• terminate active sessions;
• require password changes;
• require security checks;
• require re-verification; or
• restore the account to its legitimate owner.

Media.com should consider whether prohibited activity was performed by the genuine account holder or an unauthorised actor.

Users may use Media.com's authorised recovery processes to regain access to their accounts.

Do not use account recovery systems to:

• take control of another person's account;
• submit false ownership claims;
• impersonate an organization representative; or
• otherwise obtain unauthorised access.

Media.com does not prohibit people merely because they:

• share a household;
• use the same device;
• use the same workplace network;
• attend the same school;
• use public Wi-Fi; or
• otherwise share technical infrastructure.

Technical association alone does not establish that accounts are commonly controlled or being used for enforcement evasion.

Organizations may use legitimate:

• employees;
• agencies;
• account managers;
• contractors;
• social-media teams; or
• other authorised service providers

to assist with account operation where permitted by Media.com.

These relationships must not be used to conceal who controls an account or evade enforcement.

Former employees, officers, contractors or representatives must not continue controlling or representing an organization after their authority has ended.

Media.com may require organization-control review where authority is disputed.

Deleting an account does not necessarily erase prior enforcement history or permit a user to recreate an account for the purpose of avoiding an existing restriction.

A person who voluntarily deletes an account without an enforcement restriction may create another account where Media.com's ordinary Rules permit.

Challenging an enforcement decision through Media.com's appeal process is not enforcement evasion.

Users may:

• appeal;
• provide additional information;
• request review;
• correct verification information; or
• comply with remediation requirements.

Users must not bypass the decision while an appeal is pending unless Media.com restores the relevant access.

Media.com does not prohibit people from:

• communicating with;
• employing;
• representing;
• reporting on;
• criticising;
• supporting; or
• associating with

someone whose account has been restricted.

A violation arises where a person knowingly uses their own access to materially facilitate evasion of the restriction.

Media.com may use reasonable account, security and technical signals to identify possible common control or enforcement evasion.

No single technical signal should automatically establish that two accounts belong to the same person.

Context and available evidence should be considered.

Where Media.com determines that these Rules have been violated, action may include:

• requiring identity or authority verification;
• requiring account-security measures;
• restricting specific features;
• removing Verified Status;
• disabling monetization;
• restricting advertising or payments;
• removing prohibited content;
• linking related enforcement cases internally;
• temporarily suspending an account;
• permanently removing an account; or
• taking coordinated action against accounts materially involved in evasion.

Media.com is not required to apply these measures sequentially.

Deliberate permanent-ban evasion, fraudulent verification or coordinated use of multiple accounts to defeat enforcement may result in immediate account-level action.

Users may report suspected account impersonation, account compromise or enforcement evasion through Media.com's reporting tools.

A report does not itself establish that accounts are commonly controlled or that evasion occurred.

Users may appeal eligible enforcement decisions where they believe Media.com incorrectly determined that they:

• control another account;
• engaged in enforcement evasion;
• transferred an account;
• assisted another person to evade enforcement; or
• otherwise violated these Rules.

Media.com may require identity, authority, ownership or account-security information as part of the review.

For more information, see Appealing a Media.com Decision.

These Rules should be read together with:

• Verification;
• Impersonation & Identity Abuse;
• Spam, Fake Engagement & Platform Manipulation;
• Fraud & Criminal Activity;
• Age Requirements & Age Assurance;
• Content & Conduct Standards;
• Creator Monetization Standards;
• Advertising Standards;
• Payments & Restricted Activity; and
• other applicable Media.com Rules and Policies.