Upwork's TOS is the foundation for safe and ethical interactions on the platform. It outlines the rights and responsibilities of freelancers and clients, ensuring a fair and secure environment for everyone.
How Upwork's TOS keep you safe
- Protects you from scams and unfair treatment.
- Ensures clear expectations for both you and your clients.
- Helps maintain a professional and trustworthy platform.
Key points from the TOS
- Account management: You can only have one freelancer account on Upwork. It is crucial to maintain accurate information and keep your password secure.
- Communication: You must keep all pre-contract communication about projects with clients on Upwork. Sharing contact information (phone, email, etc.) prior to the start of a contract is against our Terms of Service and could result in permanent loss of access to your account. There are exceptions for Enterprise clients with Upwork's approval.
- Payments: You must keep all payments on Upwork. This helps prevent scams, ensures eligibility for our payment protection services, and keeps your personal information safe in our secure payment system. Off-platform payments are strictly prohibited and can result in the loss of your account.
- Project work: It is vital to deliver high-quality work according to agreed-upon contracts. Upwork also outlines prohibited activities like academic cheating to maintain a professional environment.
While the Upwork marketplace is a great place for a variety of global job opportunities, here are some specific examples of jobs not allowed on Upwork:
- Academic dishonesty: Providing assistance with essays, dissertations, or other academic assignments that violate academic integrity policies.
- Adult content: Creating or sharing sexually explicit/pornographic content.
- Child exploitation: Activities that exploit, abuse, or endanger children.
- Data misconduct: Data scraping or mining information you don't have the right to collect, including from Upwork.
- Deceptive marketing: Creating fake content or identities to boost a product, individual, company, etc. (like creating fake social media followers or writing fake product reviews).
- Self-harm content: Creating or sharing content that encourages or promotes self-harm.
- Spam jobs: Posting the same job multiple times or creating multiple versions of the same job posting. Irrelevant job postings or those promoting services outside Upwork are also prohibited.
Real-life example
Let's explore a real-life example to see how the TOS applies.
After submitting your proposal, a client sends you a message saying they'd like to talk over the phone before they start a contract with you and asks you to share your phone number with them.
This is an example of sharing contact information; responding with your phone number and handling the conversation off Upwork would violate our TOS.
Click here to explore Upwork's Terms of Service.