Helios Policy Center
Misconduct Policy, Violence and Anti-Discrimination
Helios is committed to fostering a professional, respectful, and safe environment for all members of the manufacturing community.
This policy explains the conduct Helios does not allow, including violence, threats, harassment, discrimination against protected categories, disruptive behavior, misuse of platform trust, and behavior that may endanger users or the integrity of the platform.
Purpose of this policy
This policy helps protect Helios users from violence, threats, harassment, discrimination, abusive behavior, platform disruption, deception, and other conduct that can undermine a professional manufacturing community.
Who this policy protects
This policy is designed to protect users, experts, companies, vendors, partners, customers, guests, and other participants who interact through Helios or through activity connected to Helios. It specifically prohibits discriminatory conduct or exclusion based on protected categories or legally protected characteristics.
How to use this page
Open each section to review the rule, examples of possible violations, and practical guidance for users. The examples are fictional and are provided to help users understand how the policy may apply.
Policy Overview
Violence, Threats, Harassment & Discrimination
01Zero Tolerance for ViolenceThreats, intimidation, physical harm, weapons, explosives, and violent extremist support are prohibited.
Helios strictly prohibits content, behavior, or communication that glorifies, incites, or directly or indirectly threatens physical harm, violence, or property damage. This includes promoting self-harm or suicide.
Helios also prohibits content or conduct that depicts or promotes the use of weapons or explosives with the intent to intimidate, harm, or threaten others, or that supports, celebrates, or associates with terrorist organizations or violent extremist groups.
Violation examples
- A user messages an expert, “If you do not refund me today, I will come to your shop and break your equipment.”
- A user posts a comment encouraging others to damage a vendor’s facility because of a delayed order.
- A user shares content praising a violent extremist group in a professional discussion thread.
- A user uploads an image of weapons with language intended to intimidate another Helios member.
02Prohibited Threatening or Aggressive BehaviorDirect or implied threats, bullying, intimidation, harassment, coercion, stalking, and discriminatory targeting are prohibited.
The following behaviors are strictly prohibited and may result in immediate action:
- Direct or implied threats of physical violence, verbal abuse, or harm against any individual or group.
- Bullying, intimidation, harassment, or coercion.
- Sexual harassment or unwanted sexual advances.
- Stalking or repeatedly targeting specific individuals or groups.
- Discriminatory behavior, exclusion, harassment, or targeting based on protected categories or any characteristic protected by applicable law.
- Inciting others to harass, bully, or target a person or group.
Violation examples
- A company contact repeatedly sends hostile messages to an expert after the expert declines a project.
- A user makes unwanted sexual comments during a professional consultation.
- A user repeatedly posts insulting comments on another user’s profile to pressure them into responding.
- A user tells others to target a vendor’s listing with abusive comments because of a private dispute.
- A user refuses to work with someone and uses discriminatory language tied to a protected characteristic.
- A user posts that only people from a certain national origin or age group should respond to a legitimate Helios opportunity.
03Protected Categories and Anti-DiscriminationDiscrimination, exclusion, harassment, slurs, stereotypes, or unequal treatment based on protected categories are prohibited.
Helios is open to professionals and organizations across the manufacturing community. Users may not discriminate against, exclude, harass, shame, threaten, or unfairly target another person or group based on protected categories or any characteristic protected by applicable law.
Protected categories may include, depending on applicable law and context:
- Race, color, ethnicity, caste, or similar inherited status.
- National origin, ancestry, citizenship, immigration status, language, or accent.
- Religion, creed, faith, or sincerely held belief.
- Sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
- Age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, or family medical history.
- Marital status, family status, parental status, veteran status, military status, or any other legally protected status.
Prohibited discriminatory conduct may include refusing to engage with a user because of a protected category, using slurs or demeaning stereotypes, posting exclusionary requirements unrelated to legitimate qualifications, targeting users with abusive content, or applying different standards to similar users because of a protected characteristic.
Legitimate, job-related, safety-related, compliance-related, certification-related, or legally required qualifications may be allowed when they are applied fairly, consistently, and not used as a pretext for discrimination.
Violation examples
- A company states that it will not hire or communicate with an expert because of the expert’s race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age.
- A user posts a gig saying that applicants from a certain country, religion, or age group should not apply, even though the restriction is not legally required or tied to a legitimate project requirement.
- A user repeatedly targets another user with insults, stereotypes, or degrading comments about their accent, disability, pregnancy, gender identity, or family status.
- A reviewer leaves negative feedback based on a protected characteristic instead of the quality, timeliness, communication, or outcome of the work.
- A user attempts to organize others to avoid, shame, or harass a person or business because of a protected category.
Acceptable qualification examples
- A company requires an expert to hold a specific safety certification because the project involves regulated equipment.
- A project requires documented experience with AS9100, ISO 9001, CNC programming, or export-control compliance because the work requires that expertise.
- A requester limits access to a controlled technical file because legal, security, customer, or export-control requirements apply.
Misbehavior & Disruptive Conduct
04Misbehavior and Disruptive ConductInappropriate content, spam, trolling, deception, fake reviews, unauthorized access, and doxing are prohibited.
Helios is a platform for opportunity, learning, and collaboration. Helios may take decisive action against users who engage in disruptive or inappropriate conduct.
Prohibited conduct includes:
- Uploading hateful, obscene, sexually explicit, gratuitously shocking, or otherwise inappropriate content for a professional community.
- Spamming, trolling, or purposefully disrupting discussions, content threads, or platform functionality.
- Using impersonation, manipulation, or deception to mislead, defraud, or gain unauthorized access.
- Posting misleading, malicious, or fabricated ratings or reviews intended to harm an individual, company, or the platform’s reputation.
- Unauthorized access or attempts to access other users’ accounts or sensitive platform data.
- Sharing private or confidential information of others without explicit consent, also known as doxing.
Violation examples
- A user floods multiple listings with repeated promotional comments unrelated to the listing.
- A user creates a fake account pretending to be an established machine shop to collect leads.
- A user posts a fabricated one-star review to damage a competitor after losing a bid.
- A user shares another person’s phone number, personal email, or private address in a public comment thread.
- A user attempts to guess or reuse credentials to access another user’s account.
- A user uploads graphic or sexually explicit material in a professional manufacturing discussion.
Reporting, Review & Incident Handling
05Reporting Procedures and Incident HandlingHow users should report violent, threatening, or disruptive behavior and how Helios may investigate.
If users encounter or witness violent, threatening, or disruptive behavior, they should use the platform’s report function for the specific content or user when available. This is the fastest way for Helios to investigate.
If a user feels personally threatened, they should disengage from the interaction immediately and contact the Helios Safety & Trust Team through the appropriate support channel. For urgent matters involving immediate danger, users should consider contacting local law enforcement.
Helios may promptly and impartially investigate reported incidents. During an investigation, Helios may gather evidence, review platform activity, contact involved parties, and consult relevant experts. Helios will strive to maintain confidentiality to the extent possible while ensuring a thorough investigation.
Report examples
- A user reports a message containing a threat and includes screenshots, dates, the profile link, and transaction context.
- An expert reports repeated harassment after a consultation and provides the related thread and timeline.
- A company reports that someone is impersonating its procurement team and includes the fake profile link.
- A user disengages from a threatening exchange and files a report instead of escalating the conversation.
06Enforcement Actions and PenaltiesPossible actions Helios may take for policy violations.
Violations of this policy may result in proportionate and consistent enforcement actions. Possible actions may include:
- Content removal.
- Formal warnings.
- Temporary account suspension.
- Permanent account bans from the Helios platform.
- Revocation of platform privileges.
- Legal action against individuals who violate platform safety standards or applicable laws.
Enforcement examples
- A user posts abusive comments repeatedly and receives content removal plus a formal warning.
- A user threatens another user and is temporarily suspended while the issue is reviewed.
- A user repeatedly creates fake profiles after prior warnings and is permanently banned.
- A user’s conduct appears to involve unlawful threats, and Helios preserves records for appropriate escalation.
Legal Cooperation & Appeals
07Legal Cooperation and Evidence PreservationWhen Helios may cooperate with authorities or preserve evidence related to illegal conduct.
Where applicable, Helios may cooperate with law enforcement or regulatory authorities in investigations of illegal activities.
Helios may also preserve and provide evidence related to reported violence, misbehavior, or illegal conduct to authorities when appropriate.
Evidence preservation examples
- Helios preserves messages, profile records, and timestamps after a user reports a credible threat.
- Helios retains relevant content and account activity when conduct may involve illegal harassment or unauthorized access.
- Helios cooperates with an appropriate legal request involving a safety incident connected to platform use.
08Appeals ProcessHow users may appeal enforcement actions taken under this policy.
Users may appeal enforcement actions taken under this policy by contacting Helios support within the stated appeal window in the enforcement notification.
Appeals will be reviewed by the Trust & Safety team, and a decision will be communicated within a reasonable timeframe. The decision on appeal may be final.
Appeal examples
- A user appeals a suspension and provides missing context showing that a reported statement was misinterpreted.
- A user requests reconsideration after removing inappropriate content and explaining corrective steps.
- A user submits an appeal without evidence and repeats abusive language, which may reduce the likelihood of reconsideration.
