Trust & Safety Policy

BranStory — a product of Brandmerce, LLC

Effective Date: April 2026 Last Updated: April 2026

BranStory is infrastructure for local community trust. Every network powered by BranStory depends on the quality and integrity of the people and businesses inside it. This policy establishes the baseline standards that apply across all networks on the platform — whether operated by a third-party operator or directly by BranStory.

Individual operators may publish supplemental community standards for their own networks. Those supplemental standards may be stricter than this baseline but may not be more permissive.

1. Our Commitment

BranStory is a verified, private network platform. We have designed systems for business verification, review moderation, admin oversight, and community reporting specifically to protect the quality and trust of every network operating on our infrastructure. We take platform integrity seriously and act on reports promptly.

2. Prohibited Conduct — All Users

The following is prohibited across all BranStory-powered networks:

Identity & Authenticity

• Creating a false, misleading, or deceptive account or business profile
• Impersonating another person, business, or organization
• Using another person’s credentials to access the Platform

Harmful Behavior

• Harassing, threatening, intimidating, or targeting any other user
• Publishing private information about another person without their consent (doxxing)
• Any content that constitutes unlawful discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or national origin
• Content that incites, glorifies, or facilitates violence or illegal activity

Platform Integrity

• Using automated tools, bots, or scrapers to access the Platform without written authorization from Brandmerce
• Attempting to bypass, disable, or circumvent any security or access control measure
• Probing or testing the vulnerability of Platform infrastructure without written authorization
• Reverse-engineering, decompiling, or disassembling any part of the Platform

Fraud & Deception

• Posting false or misleading information about a business, product, service, or event
• Creating, soliciting, or incentivizing fake reviews or endorsements
• Posting deals or offers that cannot be legitimately redeemed

Spam & Unsolicited Content

• Sending unsolicited commercial messages to other members
• Posting repetitive, off-topic, or bulk promotional content not relevant to the community

3. Prohibited Conduct — Operators

Operators bear responsibility for the conduct of their Networks and agree to the following additional standards:

• Do not misrepresent your Network as affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by BranStory or Brandmerce, LLC
• Do not use the Platform to operate a network in a regulated industry (financial services, healthcare, legal services) without confirming applicable regulatory compliance
• Do not knowingly onboard businesses engaged in fraudulent, deceptive, or illegal practices
• Do not collect fees from members without a legitimate service agreement and clear, published cancellation terms
• Do not use the Platform in any way that violates applicable federal, state, or local law in your jurisdiction

4. Business Verification Standards

The Verified badge is a community trust signal, not a warranty or ongoing endorsement. It means a business has passed an identity and document review — confirming their business license, tax identification, and address — at the time of their submission.

What verification confirms: The business submitted documents that were reviewed and found consistent with a legitimate local business at the time of review.

What verification does not guarantee: The ongoing quality, safety, legal compliance, or performance of any business’s products or services.

Operators administer verification reviews for businesses in their network. BranStory provides the infrastructure and review workflow; the Operator is responsible for the quality and thoroughness of their own review process.

Businesses found to have submitted fraudulent verification documents will have their accounts permanently terminated. Brandmerce reserves the right to refer confirmed cases of document fraud to relevant authorities.

5. Review & Content Moderation Standards

Reviews posted on any BranStory-powered network must meet the following standards:

• Based on a genuine, first-hand experience with the business
• Not submitted in exchange for compensation, discounts, free products, or any other incentive
• Not part of a coordinated or inauthentic campaign intended to harm a competitor’s reputation
• Not personal attacks on individuals that are unrelated to the business experience being reviewed
• Free from any content prohibited under Section 2 of this policy

Operators may moderate reviews within their Networks before or after publication. Brandmerce reserves the right to remove content that violates this policy across any Network on the platform.

6. Sponsor & Advertiser Standards

Sponsors and advertisers on BranStory-powered networks — including sponsors with network naming rights, featured placement sponsors, and deal promotion advertisers — must:

• Accurately represent their organization, products, and services in all sponsored content
• Not use sponsored placement to make claims that are false, misleading, or unsubstantiated
• Comply with applicable advertising laws and standards, including FTC endorsement and disclosure guidelines where applicable
• Not use sponsored placement to distribute content unrelated to the purpose and audience of the network
• Honor any commitment made through sponsored deal placements or featured promotions

Sponsors found to be in violation of these standards may have their placement removed and their sponsorship agreement terminated.

7. Reporting Violations

Within a Network: Use the in-app “Report” button on any content or profile to notify the network operator directly. Operators review and act on member reports within their community.

Platform-Level Issues: For conduct that threatens the integrity of the Platform itself — including fraud, impersonation of BranStory or Brandmerce, or coordinated abuse across multiple networks — contact us directly:

• Trust & Safety: safety@brandmerce.com
• Security vulnerabilities: security@brandmerce.com (see Section 9)

All platform-level reports are reviewed by the Brandmerce team. We aim to acknowledge reports within 1 business day.

8. Enforcement

Operator-Level Enforcement

Operators manage day-to-day moderation within their Networks. They may warn, suspend, or remove members from their Network at their discretion, subject to their own published community policies and applicable law.

Platform-Level Enforcement

Brandmerce may take direct action against any account or Network that violates this policy:

All platform-level enforcement actions are logged internally for accountability and consistency.

Appeals

Operators may appeal a platform-level enforcement action by emailing legal@brandmerce.com within 14 days of the action. Include your account information, the specific action taken, and a description of why you believe it was made in error. Appeals are reviewed by a member of the Brandmerce team who was not involved in the original decision.

9. Responsible Security Disclosure

If you discover a security vulnerability in the BranStory platform, we ask that you disclose it responsibly by emailing security@brandmerce.com before making any public disclosure. Please include a description of the vulnerability and steps to reproduce it if possible.

We will:

• Acknowledge receipt within 2 business days
• Investigate and confirm the vulnerability
• Work with you to resolve confirmed issues before public disclosure
• Credit researchers who report valid vulnerabilities (unless you prefer to remain anonymous)

We do not pursue legal action against researchers who act in good faith under this policy.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Trust & Safety Policy as the platform and community evolve. Material changes will be communicated to operators via email or in-Platform notice with reasonable advance notice. The current version is always available at branstory.com/trust-and-safety.

11. Contact

BranStory is a product of Brandmerce, LLC. © 2026 Brandmerce, LLC. All Rights Reserved.