Terms of Service

By accessing or using Xylomark, you confirm that you are at least 16 years old, that you have read and understood these Terms and our Privacy Policy, and that you agree to be bound by them. If you are using Xylomark on behalf of an employer or organisation, you confirm that you have authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email with at least 30 days' notice. Continued use of the Platform after that period constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials.
• You must provide accurate information when creating your account. Impersonating another person or organisation is prohibited.
• You may only hold one personal member account. Multiple accounts may be suspended.
• Accounts are personal and non-transferable.
• You must notify us immediately at security@xylomark.com if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.
• Founding Member badges are issued to the first 1,000 members and are non-transferable. They are tied permanently to the account that received them and cannot be purchased, sold, or transferred.

This licence ends when you delete your content or close your account. We do not claim ownership over your work, your models, your code, your designs, or any other artifact you post.

Challenge submissions

Work submitted to employer challenges remains your property. Employers receive no rights over your submission beyond the right to review it during the challenge period. Any use of your submission beyond evaluation requires a separate, paid agreement with you.

Content standards

• You must have the right to post any content you upload. Do not post work that belongs to others without permission.
• Redacted content must clearly indicate what has been removed and why. Misleading redactions are a policy violation.
• You are responsible for ensuring that posting your work does not breach any NDA, employment agreement, or intellectual property agreement you are party to.

All challenges posted on Xylomark must be scoped to a maximum of 4 hours of unpaid work. This is a non-negotiable platform requirement that applies to all employers without exception.

• Employers must self-certify during challenge creation that their challenge can be completed in 4 hours or fewer.
• Xylomark reviews all challenges before publication. Challenges that appear to exceed the limit will be returned to the employer for revision.
• If a challenge genuinely requires more than 4 hours of work to evaluate a candidate, it must be structured as a paid contract engagement. Xylomark can facilitate this arrangement.
• Members who believe a challenge exceeded 4 hours may report it using the in-challenge report function. Substantiated reports will be investigated and may result in the employer's challenge posting being suspended.

Employers are required to provide a decision to every candidate who submits to their challenge within 14 days of the challenge closing. This decision must be communicated through the Xylomark platform.

• A decision may be: acceptance for further consideration, rejection, or a request for more information.
• First offence: A formal warning and a public note on the employer's Culture Score.
• Second offence: A 30-day suspension of challenge posting privileges and a 10-point Culture Score reduction.
• Third offence: Permanent suspension of employer posting access.

Culture Score reductions from ghosting violations are permanent and visible to all members. They cannot be purchased away or removed through any other means.

In addition to the rules above, employers posting challenges on Xylomark must:

• Include a real salary range. Salary ranges must be specific (e.g. "$80,000–$100,000") and reflect the actual compensation on offer. Ranges wider than $30,000 or vague descriptions like "competitive" will be rejected during review.
• Enable blind review. Blind review is on by default and cannot be disabled. Employer accounts found attempting to circumvent blind review will be suspended.
• Be a verified employer. Employers must complete our verification process (registered business, valid contact, Culture Score established) before posting challenges.
• Not repost without changes. The same challenge may not be reposted within 60 days of its closing date without substantive changes to the brief.
• Not solicit work beyond the challenge. Using the challenge mechanism to obtain free work on an ongoing project is prohibited and will result in permanent employer suspension.

The following are prohibited on Xylomark for all users:

• Posting work that is not your own and presenting it as your work.
• Creating fake verifications, sock puppet accounts, or otherwise gaming the Proof Score system.
• Harassing, threatening, or abusing other members through messages or comments.
• Scraping or bulk-downloading member data without express written permission from Xylomark.
• Attempting to reverse-engineer the Proof Score algorithm or exploit platform mechanics.
• Posting work that contains malware, malicious code, or content designed to cause harm.
• Misrepresenting your credentials, identity, or professional background on your profile.
• Using the platform to recruit for roles that are not real or that involve unpaid work beyond the 4-hour challenge limit.
• Violating any applicable law, including data protection, intellectual property, and employment law.

Violations may result in content removal, account suspension, or permanent banning, at Xylomark's sole discretion.

The Proof Score is a proprietary metric calculated by Xylomark to reflect the quality and verifiability of a member's artifact portfolio. It is intended as a signal, not a guarantee of ability.

• Xylomark does not guarantee the accuracy of Proof Scores.
• Employers should not use Proof Score as the sole basis for hiring decisions.
• The algorithm is not publicly disclosed in full and may change over time.
• Attempting to manipulate the Proof Score through inauthentic activity (fake verifications, coordinated forking, etc.) is a prohibited conduct violation.

You may close your account at any time via Settings → Danger Zone. We will process deletion within 30 days.

Xylomark may suspend or terminate your account if we determine you have materially violated these Terms. For serious violations (fraud, harassment, illegal content), termination may be immediate and without prior notice.

For lesser violations, we will generally give you notice and an opportunity to remedy the issue before taking action. Upon termination, your public artifacts will be removed from the discovery feed. Your messages will be retained for a limited period to allow the other party to retrieve their own messages.

Founding Member badges are forfeited upon account deletion. They cannot be reinstated on a new account.

Xylomark is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any particular result will be achieved from using it.

We are not responsible for the content of user-posted artifacts or the conduct of employers. Xylomark does not guarantee that using the platform will result in employment, hires, or any other specific outcome.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Xylomark's total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the Platform shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the amount you paid Xylomark in the 12 months prior to the claim, or (b) £100 GBP.

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, unless mandatory consumer protection law in your country of residence requires otherwise.

For users in the European Union, nothing in these Terms affects your rights under applicable EU consumer protection legislation.