Helios Help Center
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
At Helios, responsible use helps maintain a safe, trusted, and professional environment for companies, experts, vendors, partners, students, and other participants across manufacturing and related industries.
This Acceptable Use Policy explains what users may and may not do when using Helios. It applies to Platform activities including marketplace interactions, communications, payments, content sharing, Gigs, Quick Tasks, and other Platform functionality.
This policy should be read together with the Helios Terms of Service and other applicable Helios policies.
01 Purpose Scope, ecosystem protection, and incorporation into Terms of Service.
This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) governs how users may access and use the Helios platform, including all services, features, content, and payment systems. It is designed to protect the integrity of the Helios ecosystem and ensure safe, lawful, and professional interactions between companies, experts, vendors, and other participants.
This AUP is incorporated into and forms part of the Helios Terms of Service.
Practical guidance
Use Helios for legitimate business, professional, educational, and manufacturing-related purposes. When an activity is also governed by another Helios policy, review that policy as well.
02 Scope Who and what platform activities this AUP applies to.
This AUP applies to all users of Helios, including but not limited to:
- Companies and SMEs
- Independent experts and consultants
- Vendors, partners, and associations
- Students and emerging talent
It applies to all activities conducted on or through the platform, including gigs, quick tasks, messaging, payments, and content sharing.
Examples
- A company posting a Gig is subject to this AUP.
- An expert communicating with a customer through Helios is subject to this AUP.
- A user uploading a technical document or sharing information through Helios is subject to this AUP.
Practical guidance
Consider the AUP whenever you use Helios, whether you are posting content, communicating with another user, participating in a transaction, receiving payment, or using Platform features.
03 Prohibited Activities Restricted practices, circumvention, security, and IP violations.
You may not use Helios to engage in, promote, or facilitate any of the following:
3.1 Fraud and Deceptive Practices
- Misrepresenting your identity, credentials, certifications, or experience
- Submitting false proposals, deliverables, or claims
- Engaging in scams, phishing, or deceptive financial practices
3.2 Circumvention of the Platform
- Attempting to bypass Helios fees or payment systems
- Soliciting or accepting off-platform payments for services initiated on Helios
- Redirecting users to external channels to avoid platform transactions
3.3 Payment Abuse and Financial Misconduct
- Using unauthorized or stolen payment methods
- Initiating fraudulent chargebacks or disputes
- Manipulating billing flows, milestone approvals, or refunds
- Exploiting stored payment methods or off-session charging mechanisms without authorization
3.4 Intellectual Property Violations
- Uploading, sharing, or using content without proper rights or licenses
- Disclosing proprietary manufacturing processes, trade secrets, or confidential information without authorization
- Infringing on patents, trademarks, copyrights, or trade secrets
3.5 Platform Manipulation and Abuse
- Creating fake accounts or multiple accounts for deceptive purposes
- Manipulating ratings, reviews, search rankings, or engagement metrics
- Spamming messages, proposals, or listings
- Scraping, harvesting, or extracting data without permission
3.6 Security Violations
- Attempting to hack, disrupt, or compromise Helios systems
- Introducing malware, viruses, or malicious code
- Interfering with platform performance or availability
- Accessing or attempting to access another Business's Workspace folder or another user's Private folder in Helios Drive without authorization
Examples
- Claiming to hold a certification that you do not hold
- Asking a customer to move a Helios transaction to an external payment service to avoid applicable fees
- Uploading confidential CAD files without authorization
- Creating multiple accounts to artificially increase visibility or reviews
- Attempting to access another Business's Workspace folder without authorization
Practical guidance
Keep your identity, credentials, transactions, content, communications, and Platform activity accurate and authorized. Do not attempt to bypass Platform controls, manipulate marketplace activity, misuse payment systems, or access information you are not authorized to access.
04 Marketplace Integrity (Gigs and Quick Tasks) Proper structural use of Gigs versus Quick Tasks.
4.1 Proper Use of Gigs vs. Quick Tasks
- Gigs must be used for complex, multi-step, or longer-term engagements
- Quick Tasks must be used for short, simple, and clearly scoped work
You may not:
- Misclassify work to manipulate pricing or avoid appropriate engagement structures
- Fragment larger projects into multiple quick tasks to bypass fees or oversight
Examples
A multi-stage CNC fixture design and development project may be appropriate for a Gig, while a short request to review a single drawing may be appropriate for a Quick Task. Dividing one larger project into numerous Quick Tasks solely to avoid fees or oversight would not be permitted.
Practical guidance
Choose the engagement structure that accurately reflects the scope and nature of the work. Do not use Gigs or Quick Tasks to manipulate pricing or bypass applicable fees, oversight, or Platform requirements.
05 Payments, Billing, and Stripe Compliance Approved transactions, stored methods, and transaction integrity.
5.1 Authorized Use of Payment Systems
You must use Helios-approved payment systems for all transactions initiated on the platform. You agree not to:
- Circumvent Helios payment processing (including Stripe)
- Request or accept direct payments outside the platform
- Interfere with or misuse payment authorization flows
5.2 Stored Payment Methods and Consent
You may only use saved payment methods in accordance with user consent and Helios Terms. You may not:
- Charge a payment method without proper authorization
- Misrepresent the purpose, timing, or amount of charges
- Exploit off-session payment mechanisms
5.3 Transaction Integrity
All payments must reflect legitimate, agreed-upon services. You may not:
- Create fake transactions to inflate reputation or earnings
- Approve or dispute payments in bad faith
- Collude with other users to manipulate financial activity
Examples
- A customer hires an expert through Helios for a $2,000 engineering project. The expert asks the customer to send the $2,000 directly to the expert's bank account instead of using Helios payment processing.
- A user adds another person's credit card as a saved payment method and attempts to use it for a Helios purchase without that person's authorization.
- A customer approves payment for a machining project even though the agreed deliverables were never completed, and the parties coordinate the transaction solely to create artificial earnings and transaction history.
Practical guidance
Use Helios-approved payment systems and only use payment methods you are authorized to use. Ensure charges, approvals, refunds, disputes, and other transaction activity accurately reflect legitimate services and agreed-upon terms.
06 Content and Communication Standards Professionalism, accuracy, and lawful conduct standards.
You agree to maintain professional and lawful conduct in all interactions. You may not:
- Harass, threaten, or abuse other users
- Share illegal, harmful, or misleading content
- Post content that is defamatory, obscene, or discriminatory
- Mislead users regarding services, pricing, or outcomes
Examples
- After a customer questions an expert's work, the expert sends repeated messages threatening to damage the customer's business.
- A business posts a review falsely claiming that a competitor delivered defective parts even though the business never purchased from that competitor.
- An expert advertises that a service will reduce manufacturing costs by 50% without a reasonable basis for the claim.
- A user sends discriminatory or abusive comments to another participant during a project discussion.
Practical guidance
Communicate professionally and accurately. Describe services, qualifications, pricing, capabilities, and expected outcomes honestly, and treat other users respectfully even when disagreements arise.
07 Compliance with Laws and Regulations Adherence to legal, financial, trade, and privacy requirements.
You are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to:
- Anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws
- Anti-fraud and financial regulations
- Intellectual property laws
- Data protection and privacy laws
- Export control and trade compliance laws
Examples
- A user offers an improper payment to influence a purchasing decision connected to a Helios transaction.
- A company uploads controlled technical drawings and shares them with a person or organization without obtaining any required authorization.
- A user copies a manufacturer's copyrighted technical documentation and uploads it to Helios without permission.
- A user obtains another person's personal information through Helios and uses it in a manner prohibited by applicable privacy requirements.
Practical guidance
Determine which laws and regulatory requirements apply to your activities before using Helios for a transaction, project, or other activity. Obtain any required licenses, approvals, permissions, or authorizations.
08 Data Use and Confidentiality Protecting user data, trade secrets, and proprietary details.
You may not:
- Collect or use user data without proper authorization
- Share confidential or proprietary information obtained through Helios
- Use platform data for unauthorized competitive or commercial purposes
Examples
- A user downloads contact information from Helios and adds those people to an unrelated marketing list without authorization.
- An expert receives a customer's confidential CAD files for a project and then shares those files with another company that is not involved in the project.
- A company systematically collects information about Helios businesses and uses it to create a competing commercial directory without authorization.
Practical guidance
Only collect, access, use, retain, and share information for authorized purposes. Protect personal, confidential, proprietary, and technical information obtained through Helios.
09 Enforcement and Remedies Helios investigation rights, restrictions, and account actions.
Helios reserves the right to investigate and take action against violations of this AUP, including:
- Removal of content or listings
- Suspension or termination of accounts
- Freezing or reversing transactions
- Withholding payouts where appropriate
- Reporting to law enforcement or regulatory authorities
Enforcement actions may be taken at Helios’ sole discretion and without prior notice where necessary to protect the platform.
Examples
- Helios discovers that an expert repeatedly creates misleading service listings and removes the listings and restricts the expert's account.
- A transaction is placed on hold while Helios reviews evidence of suspected payment fraud.
- Helios receives credible information that an account is being used to distribute prohibited content and suspends the account while the matter is reviewed.
- Helios identifies activity that may violate applicable law and reports the matter to an appropriate regulatory or law enforcement authority where appropriate.
Practical guidance
If Helios contacts you regarding a potential violation, provide accurate information and cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification or documentation. Review the applicable enforcement and appeals procedures if an account action is taken.
10 Reporting Violations Submitting reports for suspected policy infractions.
Users are encouraged to report suspected violations of this AUP. Helios may review reports and take appropriate action.
Examples
- A customer notices that an expert is claiming a certification that the customer believes the expert does not hold and reports the listing.
- A Business discovers an unauthorized attempt to access its Helios Drive Workspace and reports the activity.
- A user receives a message asking them to move a Helios transaction to an external payment service and reports the request.
- A user sees a listing that appears to offer prohibited or unlawful goods or services and submits a report to Helios.
Practical guidance
When reporting a suspected violation, provide relevant information that may help Helios understand and review the concern, such as the relevant account, listing, transaction, message, date, or other available evidence.
11 Updates to this Policy How policy modifications and user notices are handled.
Helios may update this AUP from time to time. Continued use of the platform constitutes acceptance of any updated terms.
Examples
- Helios introduces a new payment feature and updates the AUP to address prohibited uses of that feature.
- A new form of marketplace abuse emerges and Helios updates the AUP to address the conduct.
- A change in applicable regulatory requirements results in an update to the AUP.
Practical guidance
Review the current version of this AUP periodically, particularly when using new Platform features or participating in new types of transactions.
12 Relationship to Other Policies How the AUP interacts with other governing documents.
This AUP should be read alongside:
- Helios Terms of Service
- Helios Privacy Policy
- Helios Code of Conduct
- Helios Payment, Billing, Payout, Refund and Dispute Policy
In the event of conflict, the Terms of Service will prevail.
Examples
- A user improperly shares another person's personal information. The conduct may be subject to this AUP and the Helios Privacy Policy.
- A user attempts to move a Helios transaction off-platform to avoid applicable fees. The conduct may be addressed under this AUP and the Helios Terms of Service.
Practical guidance
Use this AUP to understand acceptable and prohibited use of Helios. Review the related policy when additional requirements or procedures apply to a specific activity.
