Community Guidelines



Thank you for your membership in the Professionals Group. We created this space to provide financial reporting, risk, compliance, and sustainability professionals the opportunity to come together for peer-to-peer support, build up professional networks, learn new skills, and share ideas. The following Community Guidelines are here to ensure our members have a fun, safe, trusted, and professional experience within our forums and at our events. Don’t forget that your use of this community is subject to these guidelines, our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.

 

Together we can make the Professionals Group Community an informative and valuable place. Thank you!





Be respectful

Follow the Golden Rule, treat others how you want to be treated.





Be trustworthy

The Professionals Group is a safe space to share relevant information.





Be professional

Keep communications professional and on topic.





Be respectful

Members are expected to be respectful as they engage with fellow Pro Group members on our forums and at our events.

Do not be hateful: We don’t allow content that attacks, intimidates, or threatens individuals or groups because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or disability status. Do not use racial, religious, or other slurs.

Do not engage in unwanted advances: We don’t allow unwanted expressions of attraction, desire, requests for a romantic relationship, sexual advances or innuendo, or lewd remarks. Do not use Pro Group to pursue romantic connections, ask for romantic dates, or provide sexual commentary on someone’s appearance.

Do not harass or bully: We don’t allow bullying or harassment. This includes abusive language, revealing others’ personal or sensitive information (aka “doxing”).

Do not threaten, incite, or promote violence: We don’t allow threatening or inciting violence of any kind. 

Do not post political propaganda: We don’t allow any political propaganda or extremist political views to be posted on our platform. And we don’t allow any individuals who affiliate with such organizations or groups to promote their activities.

 









Be trustworthy

The Professionals Group is a safe space to share relevant information.

Do not share false or misleading content: Do not share content that you know is, or think may be, misleading or inaccurate, including misinformation or disinformation. Do not share content to interfere with or improperly influence an election or another civic process. Do not share content that directly contradicts guidance from leading global health organizations and public health authorities.

Do not create a fake profile or falsify information about yourself: Membership is reserved exclusively for in-house professionals who are actively involved in financial reporting, external reporting, SEC reporting, technical accounting, risk, compliance, SOX, internal audit, and sustainability reporting. We do not currently accept members who work at auditing or consulting firms, or in academia. Do not create fake profiles to gain access. Do not post misleading or deceptive information about yourself, your organization, qualifications, work experience, affiliations, or achievements. Do not use an image of someone else, or any other image that is not your likeness, for your profile photo.

Do not engage in spam: We don’t allow un-targeted, obviously unwanted, inappropriately commercial or promotional, or repetitive messages or other similar content. Official SEC Pro Group sponsors may reach out to individuals who express interest in their technology and/or services through private chat or off the platform via email or phone. Do not send promotional messages to people you don’t know or to otherwise spam people. If you are experiencing spam, please report it!









Be professional

All content must be professionally relevant and on topic, such as sharing and gaining expertise; hiring and getting hired; acquiring new skills; and engaging in actions that allow you and others to be more productive and successful.

Respect others' privacy: You may not share email addresses or other personal information from members you don't know without authorization; use, disclose or distribute any data obtained in violation of any of our policies or agreements; disclose information that you don’t have the right to disclose. Don’t use others' names, likenesses without their prior consent.

Comply with the law: You must comply with all applicable laws, including, for example, privacy laws, intellectual property laws, anti-spam laws, export control laws, tax laws, and regulatory requirements.

Respect the intellectual property of others and do not violate the intellectual property rights of others: We respect the intellectual property rights of others. Do not violate the intellectual property rights of others, including copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, or other proprietary rights.









See something fishy? Tell us if you see something unsafe, untrustworthy, or unprofessional!

If you see something you believe may violate our policies, whether in profiles, posts, messages, comments, or anywhere else, please report it to us. These reports help us identify and prevent misbehavior. Concerns can be reported by selecting “Mark As Inappropriate” directly on the post or send an email to info@secprofessionals.org.





Violating our community policies can result in action against your account or content

These policies apply to all members. Depending on the severity of violation, we may remove content. If you believe a particular item of content was removed in error, you can appeal by contacting info@secprofessionals.org. Repeated or severe offenses can result in a permanent restriction from the Pro Group. An individual will be notified if actions need to be taken against their account. If you believe action taken on your account was in error, you can request to appeal your case by contacting info@secprofessionals.org.