Acceptable Use Policy

1Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to everyone who uses PickleBoard, in every module. That includes players, spectators, club members, coaches, referees, scorers, crew, Organisation Admins and Community members. It covers the website and web app, the mobile apps, the scoring kiosk, broadcast overlays, the API, the Pickle Engine and PB Tracker. It forms part of our Terms of Service. Words with capitals have the meaning given there.

Organisations can set stricter rules for their own events and clubs, and enforce them within their Organisation, as long as those rules don't conflict with this policy.

2Illegal content and activity

Don't use PickleBoard to create, share or promote anything illegal. In particular, we do not tolerate:

• child sexual abuse material, or any sexualisation, grooming or exploitation of children. We report this to law enforcement and the relevant authorities;
• terrorist content, threats of violence, or encouraging or assisting serious self-harm or suicide;
• intimate images shared without consent, harassment, stalking, controlling or coercive behaviour;
• hate offences, including content that stirs up hatred based on race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity;
• fraud, scams, selling illegal or restricted goods and services, and money laundering;
• infringing copyright, trade marks or other intellectual property;
• anything else that breaks the law of the United Kingdom or the country you are in.

3Fair play: results, ratings and rankings

Match Data feeds public scoreboards, broadcasts, player ratings and the platform-wide PickleBoard rankings. Other players depend on it being honest. You must not:

• enter, confirm or change a score you know to be false, or confirm an opponent’s score at the kiosk without checking it;
• create tournaments, matches or entries that weren't really played, or set up events to boost or lower anyone’s rating or ranking;
• deliberately lose, collude with opponents or fix any part of a match, including through betting;
• under-report your ability (“sandbagging”) to enter a lower division or gain seeding, or run more than one identity to compete;
• use someone else’s name, DUPR ID or Account to compete or to enter results;
• use scorer, referee or operator access for anything other than the match you were assigned.

Organisers decide official results for their events. We may correct, discount or recalculate ratings and rankings affected by a breach of this section.

4Respectful conduct

• No abuse, bullying, harassment or intimidation of anyone. This includes referees, line judges, organisers and venue staff, whether in comments, messages, reviews or commentary.
• No hateful, discriminatory or demeaning content, and no unwanted sexual content or advances.
• Don't impersonate another person, club, coach, organiser or PickleBoard. Don't misrepresent your affiliation or qualifications, and don't create accounts to get around a block or suspension.
• Respect blocks. If someone blocks you, don't contact them through other accounts, groups or channels.
• No spam. That means no repetitive or automated posting, unsolicited advertising, chain messages or misleading links. Promoting your own club, event or coaching is fine in places meant for it.
• No graphic violence, gore or shocking content.

5Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults

• Clubs, coaches and organisers working with under-18s or vulnerable adults must follow the safeguarding law and guidance that applies to them. This includes appropriate background checks and adult supervision, and the policies of the national governing body.
• Adults must not use messaging, groups or Find & Play to contact a child they don't know in a coaching or club capacity. Keep communication with junior players transparent and through their parent, guardian or the club.
• Don't share images or videos of children without the permission of their parent or guardian. Organisers must handle filming and streaming of junior events with particular care.
• Under-13s may not have an Account. A junior aged 13 to 17 needs a parent or guardian’s agreement and supervision.

6Respecting privacy, location and image

• Don't share other people’s personal information (addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, documents) without their permission. That includes doxxing someone in a post or message.
• Find & Play shows only an approximate area for each player. Don't try to work out someone’s exact location from it, and don't use it to follow, watch or turn up uninvited to anyone.
• Organisation Admins and staff may see private details, such as emails and DUPR IDs, to run their events and clubs. Use them only for that purpose. Never export or reuse them for unrelated marketing, and remember that viewing protected details is audit-logged.
• If you film, stream or record (for example with OBS, the Pickle Engine, PB Tracker or a phone), give people suitable notice and get any consent the law requires. Respect a request not to be filmed where you reasonably can.

7Content, uploads and reviews

• Only upload logos, sponsor artwork, photos, video, stingers and backing tracks you own or are licensed to use. Background music in broadcasts and highlight reels usually needs a licence.
• Reviews of coaches and venues must be honest and based on your own experience. Don't post fake reviews, or reviews you were paid or rewarded for without saying so. Don't review yourself, your own business or a competitor. Fake or concealed-incentive reviews are banned under UK consumer law, and we remove them.
• Knowledge Base articles and Academy materials must be accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge. Don't present yourself as a qualified medical or physiotherapy professional unless you are one.
• Don't upload malware, or files designed to disrupt or exploit the Platform or other users’ devices.

8Payments

• Clubs must only charge members for genuine memberships, sessions and fees, at the price shown, and must handle refunds and complaints fairly.
• Don't use club payments to sell anything unrelated to the club’s pickleball activities. Don't sell anything Stripe prohibits, and don't move money for a third party.
• Don't make fraudulent payments or abuse chargebacks, credits or complimentary places.

9Security, the API and our software

• Don't try to access accounts, Organisations, tournaments or data you aren't authorised to see. Don't probe, scan or test the Platform’s security without our written permission.
• Don't scrape the Platform or copy it at scale. Don't use bots or automated tools, except our published API used with your own key within the rate limits.
• Don't overload, disrupt or interfere with the Platform. This includes live scoring and broadcast connections during events.
• Keep API keys, service-account keys, Stream Deck credentials, scoring-tablet pairings and Pickle Engine or PB Tracker tokens secret. Use them only for the Organisation, tournament and courts they were issued for. Revoke them when they're no longer needed or may have been exposed.
• Don't tamper with, reverse engineer or redistribute the Software except as the licence allows.
• Found a vulnerability? Please report it privately to privacy@pickleboard.app with “Security” in the subject. Don't access other users’ data or disrupt the service while doing so. We won't pursue good-faith research that follows these rules.

10Reporting a problem

• In the Community: use Report on any post, comment, profile or message. You can also block the person.
• About a club, coach or event: tell the Organisation running it first. They can act within their Organisation.
• Anything else, or if you'd rather contact us directly: email privacy@pickleboard.app with what happened, where (a link or screenshot helps) and when. You don't need an Account to report illegal content.
• Immediate danger: contact the emergency services (999 in the UK) before reporting to us.

We review reports as quickly as we can, and prioritise illegal content and risks to children. We tell the person who reported what we decided, where we can. We don't use automated moderation: reports are reviewed by people. Community moderation is handled by our Trust & Safety team, and club and tournament hubs are also moderated by their own admins.

11What we may do

If we believe this policy or the law has been broken, we may take action in proportion to the seriousness and to any previous breaches. We may:

• remove or hide Content, or limit who can see it;
• give a warning;
• restrict features, for example posting, messaging, Find & Play or reviews;
• correct affected Match Data, ratings or rankings;
• suspend or close an Account or an Organisation, and revoke API keys or tokens;
• keep relevant records and report the matter to law enforcement or other authorities where the law requires it or it's needed to protect someone.

We will normally tell you what we did and why, unless doing so would put someone at risk, prejudice an investigation or break the law.

12Appeals

If we removed your Content or restricted your Account and you think we got it wrong, reply to our notice or email privacy@pickleboard.app within 30 days. Explain why, and include anything that helps. Someone not involved in the original decision will review it, and we will tell you the outcome. If we find we were wrong, we will reverse the action. This doesn't affect your right to complain to a regulator or to go to court.

13Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the Platform and the law change. We will give notice of material changes as described in the Terms of Service. The version at the top shows the one in force.