Handshake is committed to ensuring the safety of its users. Any content that falls into the categories below is strictly prohibited and subject to disciplinary action.
This policy applies to text, images, audio, and video content posted on Handshake. It also applies to user profiles, job postings, video descriptions, comments, peer messages, reviews, and external links. External links may include clickable URLs and verbally direct users to other sites in video.
Prohibited Content
If you're posting content, do not post content on Handshake if it could be considered: (1) violent or having the ability or purpose to incite violence; (2) harassment and bullying; (3) hate speech; (4) self-harm; (5) sexually explicit; (6) toxicity; (7) illegal and regulated activities; (8) misinformation; or (9) fraud, scams, and spam.
Any content that falls into these categories is strictly prohibited and subject to enforcement.
- Violent content: Any material that depicts or promotes physical harm, injury, or the threat of violence against individuals, groups, or animals.
- Harassment and bullying: Any repeated, harmful, and intentional behavior intended to intimidate, harass, or cause emotional distress to another user.
- Hate speech: Any form of communication, content, or expression that discriminates, degrades, or incites violence or prejudice against individuals or groups based on attributes such as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
- Self harm: Any harmful behavior that poses a risk to an individual’s physical or mental well-being.
- Sexually explicit content: Any material that explicitly depicts or describes sexual activities, genitalia, or other intimate content.
- Toxicity: Any harmful or potentially harmful behaviors that create a negative environment for users and undermines healthy discourse and community interactions.
- Illegal and regulated activities: The promotion, engagement, or facilitation of actions that violate applicable laws or regulations.
- Misinformation: The dissemination or spread, whether intentional or unintentional, of false or inaccurate information.
- Fraud, scams, and spam: Any unwanted, repetitive, or irrelevant content posted primarily for advertising, phishing, spreading malware, or other similar purposes.
To ensure Handshake remains a place for career-focused conversation, we also currently prohibit discussion of political and social issues. Job postings or other discussion of jobs relating to political campaigns, elections, or candidates are permissible and won’t be subject to enforcement.
Handshake strictly prohibits threats on the platform and will treat any implied calls for violence or other harmful conduct towards a person or group as real threats.
Content not considered prohibited, as defined above, is not subject to enforcement.
If you come across any content that violates this policy, report it to our team at trust-and-safety@joinhandshake.com.
What happens if I violate this policy?
If your content violates this policy or our Terms of Service, we will remove it and send you an email to let you know. In some cases, our Education and Employer partners may also be notified of any such violations. Any violation of this policy can also result in a warning, an account limitation, suspension, or permanent removal from the platform.
For more information on how content is moderated, refer to How Handshake Moderates Content on the Home Feed.