Genius Eye News — Classifieds Rules

Draft for attorney review. This document has not been approved by a licensed attorney and is not yet in force.

Effective date: [DATE OF LAUNCH] Last updated: [DATE OF LAUNCH]

These rules apply to every listing in the Genius Eye News classifieds marketplace — For Sale, Housing & Rentals, Jobs, Services, Vehicles, and Events — including Promoted (paid) listings. They are part of our Terms of Use. The marketplace is operated by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME] (d/b/a TRG Tech Link).

1. How the marketplace works — and our role

You write your listing; we host it. Listings are created by users, not by Genius Eye News or our newsroom. We do not own, inspect, verify, or guarantee any item, property, job, service, vehicle, or event, and we are not a party to any transaction between users.
We don't handle money between users. TRGPay processes only payments made to us (for example, promoted-listing fees). Never send payment to another user through a link that claims to be "Genius Eye News escrow" or "Genius Eye Pay" — we offer no such service.
We screen and moderate. Every listing is automatically screened before it goes live for fair-housing and equal-employment violations, prohibited items, and scam patterns. Flagged listings are held for human review. We may edit formatting, recategorize, label, limit, or remove any listing, and suspend any user, at our discretion.
Legal posture. Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1), the person who writes a listing — not the website hosting it — is generally responsible for its content, and § 230(c)(2) protects our good-faith efforts to restrict objectionable material. Our forms are designed not to ask for, require, or suggest any discriminatory preference, so the content of each listing remains the poster's own (see Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley v. Roommates.com, LLC, 521 F.3d 1157 (9th Cir. 2008) (en banc)). Section 230 does not protect anyone from federal criminal law, intellectual-property claims, or sex-trafficking laws (47 U.S.C. § 230(e); 18 U.S.C. § 2421A). You are legally responsible for your listing.

2. Rules for every listing

Be a real offer from a real person or business, for something you have the right to sell, rent, or offer, in the city edition you choose.
Be truthful and complete: accurate description, real photos of the actual item or property (no stock photos for housing or vehicles), and the real price including mandatory fees.
One item or offer per listing; no duplicate postings across editions to game placement.
Use only photos you took or have permission to use (see our Copyright & DMCA Policy).
Don't include other people's personal information without permission, or sensitive information about yourself that you don't want public.
No links to malware, phishing, or sites that collect payment details outside a secure checkout.
No keyword stuffing, misleading categories, or "bait" prices.
Follow every applicable federal, state, and local law, including licensing laws.

3. Housing & Rentals — Fair Housing

The federal Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to make, print, or publish any notice, statement, or advertisement for the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability (handicap), familial status, or national origin (42 U.S.C. § 3604(c); 24 C.F.R. § 100.75). This advertising rule applies even to owners who are otherwise exempt from parts of the Act. Federal agency interpretations of whether "sex" includes sexual orientation and gender identity have changed over time, but many state and local laws protect these classes expressly, and our rules prohibit discrimination on these bases in every listing. State and local laws add more protected classes, including:

Jurisdiction	Additional protected classes (examples)
California (Gov. Code § 12955)	Source of income (including housing vouchers), sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, marital status, ancestry, age, genetic information, military/veteran status, citizenship, immigration status, primary language
Maryland (State Gov't § 20-705)	Source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status
Virginia (Va. Code § 36-96.3)	Source of funds, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, elderliness
Washington, D.C. (D.C. Code § 2-1402.21)	Source of income, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity, family responsibilities, political affiliation, and more
North Carolina (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 41A-4), South Carolina (S.C. Code § 31-21-40), Georgia (O.C.G.A. § 8-3-202), Florida (Fla. Stat. § 760.23)	Generally mirror federal classes; some cities (e.g., Atlanta, Miami-Dade County, Orlando, Tampa) add protections such as sexual orientation, gender identity, or source of income [counsel to confirm local ordinances]

Not allowed (examples): "no kids," "adults only," "perfect for a single professional," "Christian home," "no wheelchairs," "English speakers only," "no Section 8" or "no vouchers" (illegal in California, Maryland, Virginia, D.C., and other places that protect source of income), "exclusive neighborhood," or descriptions of neighbors' race, religion, or ethnicity.

Allowed (examples): describing the property ("2BR, 1BA, wheelchair-accessible entrance"), "no smoking," "no pets" (but assistance animals for people with disabilities must be accommodated), income requirements applied equally, and "55+ community" only if the property legally qualifies as housing for older persons under 42 U.S.C. § 3607(b).

Shared living / roommates: Listings for a roommate in a unit where the poster also lives may state a preference for the gender of a roommate. All other preferences must still be neutral. [Counsel to confirm handling under state law.]

Other housing rules: You must own the property or be authorized to rent or sell it. Licensed agents/brokers must include license information where state law requires. Advertised rent and fees must be accurate. Never request deposits or application fees before a renter can see the property or verify your authority.

4. Jobs — Equal Employment Opportunity

Federal law prohibits job notices and advertisements that indicate any preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Title VII § 704(b), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-3(b)) or age (40 and over) (Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. § 623(e)), and discrimination based on disability (ADA, 42 U.S.C. § 12112) and citizenship status (8 U.S.C. § 1324b). The EEOC treats ads seeking "females," "young," or "recent college graduates" as potentially unlawful.

Every job listing must:

Identify the real employer (or the licensed staffing agency and that it is recruiting for a client).
Describe a real position — no "work-from-home" schemes, no listings that are really sales pitches for training, starter kits, or MLM recruitment.
Never charge applicants to apply, interview, train, or be hired.
Use neutral language: no "young and energetic," "digital native," "recent grad only," "native English speaker," "U.S. citizens only" (unless legally required for the specific job — state the legal basis), "must be under 35," or gendered titles ("waitress wanted" → "server").
Include a good-faith pay range where the law requires it, including for jobs located in California (Cal. Lab. Code § 432.3, employers with 15+ employees), Maryland (Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. § 3-304.2), and Washington, D.C. (D.C. Code § 32-1451 et seq.), and for remote jobs that could be performed in states with similar laws. Our job form requires a pay range for all job listings. [Business decision — confirm.]

Prohibited job listings: "Package reshipping," "payment processing," "funds transfer agent," or any job involving receiving and forwarding money or goods (common money-mule scams); jobs requiring applicants to buy equipment or gift cards; adult or sexual services; any job that is unlawful.

5. Services

If your service requires a license (for example contractors, electricians, plumbers, HVAC, real estate, insurance, legal, health care, child care, cosmetology, pest control, home inspection), you must hold it and, where the law requires, include your license number (e.g., California contractors, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7030.5). Unlicensed contractors may not advertise work that requires a license (e.g., North Carolina contracts of $40,000 or more, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-1).
No services that facilitate crime, academic dishonesty (essay mills), fake reviews, or "credit repair" that charges upfront fees (15 U.S.C. § 1679b(b)).
Lending, debt relief, investment, and insurance services may be posted only by licensed providers and must follow our Advertising Policy.

6. Vehicles

Dealers must identify themselves as dealers and include their dealer license number where required. Dealers must comply with the FTC Used Car Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 455), including the Buyers Guide.
Include the year, make, model, and mileage; a VIN is strongly encouraged and may be required. Disclose salvage, rebuilt, flood, lemon-law buyback, or other branded titles.
No odometer tampering or misrepresentation (49 U.S.C. § 32703); no vehicles with open safety recalls described as "no issues."
You must have the title or legal authority to sell.

7. Events

Organizers must be authorized to sell or promote the event.
Ticket listings must show the total price, including all mandatory fees, upfront (FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, 16 C.F.R. Part 464, which covers live-event tickets).
No counterfeit tickets, no resale where prohibited by law or the event's terms, and no speculative listings for tickets you do not have.
Raffles and games of chance must comply with state law (generally limited to qualifying nonprofits).

8. Prohibited items (all categories)

You may not list:

Firearms, ammunition, firearm parts or accessories (including frames/receivers, unfinished or 3D-printed "ghost gun" kits, magazines, silencers, bump stocks), explosives, fireworks, and weapons designed to injure (including switchblades and brass knuckles where illegal).
Drugs: illegal drugs, cannabis, THC and hemp-derived intoxicants, kratom, drug paraphernalia, and prescription drugs or prescription-only medical devices.
Alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, and vaping products.
Recalled products (it is illegal to sell products subject to a mandatory recall, 15 U.S.C. § 2068), and infant products banned from sale such as inclined infant sleepers and crib bumpers (Safe Sleep for Babies Act, 15 U.S.C. § 2057d).
Counterfeit, replica, or stolen goods, and anything that infringes another's intellectual property.
Government documents and identity items: IDs, passports, licenses, badges, uniforms meant to impersonate officials, license plates, and personal data or account credentials.
Financial instruments and schemes: gift cards (resale), prepaid debit cards, cryptocurrency investment offers, loans between individuals, "get rich quick" or pyramid schemes, lottery tickets.
Adult content and services, escort services, or anything that facilitates prostitution or human trafficking (18 U.S.C. §§ 1591, 2421A). We report suspected child exploitation to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Animals: sale of wildlife, endangered species or their parts, and exotic animals; dogs, cats, and other pets may be listed only for rehoming by individuals with a reasonable rehoming fee [confirm cap] — no breeders or puppy-mill sales.
Human remains, body parts, or bodily fluids; organs.
Hazardous materials, pesticides restricted by the EPA, and items for illegal surveillance (devices designed to secretly intercept communications).
Academic and professional fraud — fake degrees, test answers, fake reviews or followers.
Anything else illegal where the seller or buyer is located.

9. Scams — what we screen for and how to protect yourself

Our system screens for common scam signals (for example, prices far below market, requests to move to text or a private email immediately, overseas sellers, wire/gift-card payment requests, copied photos, and known scam phrases). Listings that match are held for human review or removed.

Protect yourself:

Never pay with wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or peer-to-peer payment apps to someone you haven't met. P2P payments generally cannot be reversed.
Never accept a check for more than the price and refund the "overpayment."
Rentals: never pay a deposit or application fee before you see the home in person and confirm the person is the owner or authorized agent. Check property records.
Jobs: real employers don't make you pay to work, buy equipment upfront, or forward packages or money.
Meet in public, well-lit places — many police departments offer "safe exchange zones."
Genius Eye News will never ask you to pay a user, verify your account with a code sent by text, or pay us anywhere other than our own checkout on geniuseyenews.com.

Report scams to us (Section 11), to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

10. Promoted listings

Promoted listings appear higher in results or in featured slots for a fee. They are labeled "Promoted," follow all of these rules, and receive the same screening. Paying for promotion does not exempt a listing from removal. Promotion fees are subject to our Terms of Use refund terms; no refund is owed for a promoted listing removed for violating these rules.

11. Reporting, takedown, and appeals

Report a listing with the "Report" button on any listing or by emailing news@geniuseyenews.com with the listing URL. Reports of discrimination, scams, unsafe products, or exploitation are prioritized and reviewed by a person, generally within [24 hours].
Takedown. We remove listings that violate these rules or the law. When we remove or hold a listing, we tell the poster why (unless doing so would compromise safety or an investigation).
Appeals. If you think your listing was removed or held by mistake (including by our automated screening), reply to the notice to request human review. We'll respond within [3 business days].
Repeat violators — including repeat copyright infringers — will have their accounts terminated.
Law enforcement. We cooperate with valid legal process and may preserve and disclose information about listings involving fraud, threats to safety, or exploitation, consistent with our Privacy Policy.

12. Copyright in listings

Only post photos and text you created or have permission to use. Copyright owners can submit takedown notices to our designated agent under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512(c)) — see our Copyright & DMCA Policy, which also explains how to send a counter-notice. [Our DMCA designated agent must be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office before launch.]

13. Privacy in listings

Listings are public and may be indexed by search engines and included in city-edition newsletters. We remove location metadata (EXIF/GPS) from uploaded photos [CONFIRM], and our contact relay lets buyers reach you without seeing your email address [CONFIRM]. Don't post your home address for a sale; meet somewhere public.

14. Contact

Classifieds support and reports: news@geniuseyenews.com · Legal: admin@trgtechlink.com [LEGAL ENTITY NAME], [MAILING ADDRESS]