Disallowed Bid Request Posting Policy

Disallowed Programs:

• Spam (e)Mailer/ Spamming program
  Any programs used to send unsolicited email are not allowed.
   
• Chat spammer/bulk messager
  Any program used to send unsolicted messages in chat rooms are not allowed
   
• Spam Harvester
  Any program used to gather mass # of email addresses, IM addresses, etc. from web sites, newsgroups or other public information sources.
   
• Scumware/malware/stealthware
  Any programs that hide on the user's machine without their knowledge are not allowed. Typical product of this kind secretly monitor actions and report them to a central server, or pop up intrusive ads over a web browser (or at any time).
   
• Virus
  Any program that infects machines and can spread from machine to machine are not allowed. This range from just taking up space (harmless) to deleting files and wiping out computer systems (dangerous). Persons requesting virus bid requests will be reported to the proper law enforcement authorities.
   
• Trojan:
  Any program that disguises itself as something else (it may act like a game or other program), but underneath it is really a virus, key-logger, or other similar sort of program, is not allowed.  Persons requesting a trojan will be reported to the proper law enforcement authorities.
   
• Key-logger:
  Any program that logs all keys the user is typing without their knowledge is not allowed.  These can be used to steal a person's password or other private information and usually form the basis for one of the other types of 'bad' programs.
   
• Cracker:
  Any program that tries different combinations of letters and #s (or other algorithm) to "crack" a password is not allowed. Additionally, any program that attempts to break any copyright protection is against the Digital Millenium copyright Act and not allowed
   
• Exploit/Hack:
  Any project that encourages discovery or use of an exploit or hack to gain unauthorized access to another system is against United States law and not allowed.
   
• Proxy abusers:
  Programs that attempt to cloak their true identities using proxies and attempt to fool another site or program into thinking that the program's outputs (HTTP, Chat, IM, etc.) are coming from multiple real legitimate users, when in fact they actually come from a single user.
   
• Clones of this site:
  We realize imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but this type of flattery is not allowed.  This includes clones of sites that are competitors.
   
• Non specific bid requests:
  Any project that isn't specific as to what it is asking for. This includes bid requests that say essentially "I will buy any software that you've created", or bid requests that are so vague or open-ended that a coder cannot place a bid on them.  In addition to frustrating coders who find it difficult or impossible to bid, these potentially expose at least one of the parties (either yourself, the coder or us) to a liability problem should arbitration be required, as there is no way to compare what was actually asked for with what was delivered.
  
  Note: we now have a new type of bid request that allows this type of posting. Please see the Bulletin Board Auction Info page for more details.

Disallowed Other

• Asking for work in advance from all coders before escrowing any funds to a "chosen" coder
  This is not allowed as it does not guarantee that all coders who do the work will be paid.  In a logo design situation, mockups of the final logo are not allowed, because that is essentially asking for the work in advance.
   
• Non work related
  Any non project specific related bid request, such as just attempting to contact someone, test bids, etc.
   
• Profit Sharing "Opportunities" and Pro-Bono work
  Rent a coder is a marketplace, not a discussion board. Bid requests that do not include monetary compensation are not allowed. 
   
• Copyright and other legal violations
  Any project that violates copyright or other law is not allowed.  This includes posting a bid request asking a coder to "Please send me the code for the project you just did for person XYZ".  This is a violation of the copyright the original buyer purchased and is not allowed.
   
• Postings in non-English
  While we have plans to expand Rent A Coder to other langauges in the future, we currently do not have the expertise to be able to handle disputes and arbitrations over projects in non-English langauges. For this reason, only English projects are currently allowed.
   
• Job postings for permanent positions / hourly work
  These types of postings are not allowed as normal bid request postings. However, they can be posted as a Bulletin Board Auction for a small charge to the Buyer. Please see the above link for more dteails.