Moderation Policy

Consistent with 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(2) (the "Good Samaritan" provision of the Communications Decency Act), Verified ABA may, at our sole good-faith discretion, take action in respect of Content we consider obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such Content is constitutionally protected. We act in good faith; our decisions are discretionary and are not promissory.

This Policy describes the practice we apply. It is not a contract and does not create a cause of action against Verified ABA for a particular moderation outcome. Section 230(c)(1) further protects the Service from liability for Content submitted by third parties.

1. Every review passes automated credential verification (BACB registry) before it is counted.
2. Automated screens run against submission text for: self-identifying patterns (e.g., exact dates, named individuals, single-role descriptors), protected health information patterns, and trigger phrases indicating factual accusations of illegal conduct.
3. Reviews flagged by automated screens are placed in a human review queue.
4. A human reviewer may publish, request clarification, hold, decline, or remove the review based on this Policy.
5. Reviews that pass both automated and human review are published when the employer crosses the minimum-reviews threshold described in the Terms and the Methodology page.

A review may be declined at submission or removed after publication if, in our good-faith judgment, it:

• contains protected health information or client-identifying detail;
• names or uniquely identifies an individual (coworker, supervisor, executive) in a way that serves no legitimate review purpose;
• includes factual accusations of illegal conduct without an adequate factual basis (noting that opinion about the organization is protected);
• was solicited, compensated, or authored by a party with a conflict of interest;
• appears to be AI-generated or substantially automated without disclosure;
• harasses, threatens, or attempts to dox any individual;
• violates the Terms, applicable law, professional ethics code, or rights of a third party.

Employers may submit a dispute through /employer/dispute. The form asks the employer to identify the review, specify the ground for dispute, and provide a factual basis. We triage each dispute in good faith. Possible outcomes include: no action, request for clarification from the reviewer (through the protected email channel — the employer does not receive the reviewer's identity), hold pending investigation, or removal.

• Use the dispute process to retaliate against reviewers or circumvent reviewer anonymity.
• Submit disputes repeatedly for the same review without new information.
• Post employer responses that attempt to identify or defame the reviewer.
• Solicit reviews in exchange for compensation or employment conditions.

Violating these may result in loss of dispute privileges, suspension of the employer account, or public notation on the employer's profile.

A reviewer whose review is held, declined, or removed may reply to our notice email to appeal. We will re-review in good faith. Our appellate determination is discretionary and final from the Service's perspective. No provision of this Policy waives any statutory right.

The Service is not a venue for settling personal grievances, posting factual accusations of illegal conduct, or retaliating against an employer or colleague. Reviews that appear to serve those purposes, and any account associated with those reviews, will be moderated accordingly.

Nothing in this Policy creates a promise by Verified ABA to publish any specific review, remove any specific review, or moderate in any particular way. Moderation is a good-faith exercise of editorial discretion protected by Section 230(c)(2). Verified ABA reserves the right to update this Policy at any time.