Market Integrity: Our Rules, Our Standards, Our Commitment

Hashmarket is a web interface that allows participants to interact with prediction-style markets implemented as smart contracts on the public Ethereum blockchain. Through the Interface, users may take positions on the outcomes of future events — from elections, geopolitics, and macro topics to sports and entertainment — in a self-directed manner. Hashmarket is not the counterparty to your trades and does not operate as a traditional "house"; where markets are peer-sourced, trades are a matter of protocol design and on-chain execution, not of Hashmarket taking the other side.

This system depends on participants trading on information and judgment they are entitled to use — and on confidence that outcomes are not distorted by deception, misuse of non-public information, or undue influence over resolution.

We maintain and enforce rules under the Hashmarket Terms of Service that are intended to protect the integrity of those outcomes and to discourage deceptive, manipulative, and unfair practices connected to use of the Services. Nothing on this page limits or expands the Terms; in case of conflict, the Terms control.

It is a violation of Hashmarket's Terms to:

• Trade on stolen or misused confidential information. You may not use the Interface to trade on any contract if you possess confidential information about the outcome or likely outcome of the underlying event when using that information would violate a pre-existing duty or obligation of trust or confidence you owe to another person or entity.
• Trade on improper tips receiving confidential information. You may not trade on confidential information that was passed to you by someone who owed a pre-existing duty of trust or confidence to someone else — if you know or have reason to know that the person who shared the information would be prohibited from trading on it themselves.
• Trade if you can improperly influence the outcome. You may not trade on any contract if you hold a position of authority or influence sufficient to affect the outcome of the underlying event in a way that the Terms treat as prohibited. You also may not trade at the direction of someone who holds such a position when that would violate the Terms.

These hypotheticals illustrate the concepts above; they are not legal advice and do not cover every fact pattern.

• Sports — undisclosed injury. You are an assistant coach and learn that a star player has an injury not yet disclosed publicly; team confidentiality rules apply to you. Trading on that information before it is public would generally be prohibited — the information is not yours to exploit if you owe a duty to the team.
• Tip from a friend. Your friend in the same situation tells you the injury news, says they cannot trade, but encourages you to. You may not trade on that tip if you know or have reason to know your friend is bound by confidentiality and could not trade themselves.
• NDA / rehearsals. You are part of a halftime show, signed an NDA, and learn the exact set list in rehearsal. You may not trade on that advance knowledge while the duty of confidentiality applies.
• Publicly audible information. From a public park you lawfully hear a rehearsal and learn how long a pregame anthem will run, and you owe no duty of confidentiality. You may be permitted to trade on that information if you obtained it lawfully and do not violate other rules — others may not have the same access, but that alone does not make the information "confidential" in the sense above.
• Military / classified context. You have access to confidential information about upcoming operations subject to duties of confidentiality. You may not trade on markets tied to that advance knowledge.
• Independent model. You build a weather or event forecast from public data; the model is your work product and you owe no duty to a third party that forbids using it. Trading on your own model may be permitted if no other rule is violated.
• "Mentions"-style market — CEO. A market asks whether you, as CEO, will say a specific word on an earnings call. You may not trade; you can control the outcome.
• Directed by influencer. You work for that CEO; they tell you to buy "Yes" on the mentions market. You may not trade at their direction when they can determine the outcome.

In addition to misuse of confidential information or undue influence, the Hashmarket Terms of Service prohibit fraud, market manipulation (including spoofing, wash trading, and fictitious transactions where applicable), self-dealing, front-running, information misuse, attempted manipulation, and disruptive practices that undermine orderly use of the Interface and related markets.

Full details are in the Terms of Service.

All users must comply with the Hashmarket Terms of Use. We may use technical and operational measures described in the Terms — including review of account activity, cooperation with vendors, and restriction of access — to address suspected violations. We do not guarantee real-time surveillance or detection of every prohibited act.

Because settlement and trading patterns tied to public smart contracts on Ethereum are often observable on-chain, transparency is inherent to the architecture users choose when they transact. Explorers, indexers, and the Interface may surface data about contracts and holders; accuracy and availability depend on third-party infrastructure outside our control.

When we or others identify unusual or potentially prohibited activity, we may review the matter and, if warranted, take steps described in the Terms (for example, suspending access, freezing certain features, or referring matters to authorities where appropriate). Nothing in this section obligates us to investigate any particular report.

If you believe you have witnessed conduct that may violate the Hashmarket Terms or harm market integrity, contact us at support@hashmarket.app. You may also reach out through official Hashmarket community channels listed on the Site. We may not respond to every report.