Prohibited Items

TakeoverWork is for finishing and rescuing legitimate software projects. The projects and activities below are never allowed, in listings, profiles, interest notes, questions or messages. This list forms part of our Terms of Use. We may remove content and restrict or close accounts that break it, and we may report illegal activity to the authorities.

Never allowed

Academic work

Assignments, coursework, theses, dissertations, exams, online tests or any other academic work that someone else would complete for a student to submit as their own. Teaching tools, school management systems and edtech products are fine.

Account takeover and credential access

Getting into an account, device, email, social media profile or system that you do not own or are not authorised to access, including "recovering" someone else's account, buying or selling logins, or collecting credentials. A "takeover" on TakeoverWork always means taking over unfinished work, never taking over someone's account.

If you have lost access to your own accounts after a developer left, contact the provider of that service through its official account recovery process.

Hacking and security bypass

Unauthorised access, exploiting systems you have no permission to test, malware, spyware, stalkerware, phishing kits, DDoS tools, cracking licences or DRM, bypassing paywalls, CAPTCHAs or rate limits on other people's services, or scraping that breaks a site's terms or the law. Fixing and hardening your own project is welcome.

Fake reviews and engagement

Bots or services that create fake reviews, ratings, followers, likes, views, installs, sign-ups or clicks, including click fraud on ads, and tools for running large numbers of fake accounts.

Adult content

Pornography, sexual services, sexually explicit content or platforms built mainly for it.

Gambling

Real-money betting, casinos, lotteries, fantasy games with cash prizes or similar products, whether or not they are legal where you live.

Weapons and drugs

Selling or facilitating the sale of weapons, ammunition, explosives, illegal drugs, controlled substances without the required licences, or instructions for making any of these.

Crypto schemes and multi-level marketing

Token launches, pump-and-dump schemes, investment platforms that promise fixed or risk-free returns, Ponzi or pyramid schemes, and multi-level marketing apps. Legitimate software that only happens to use blockchain technology may be considered case by case; contact support before posting.

Clones designed to infringe trademarks

Copies of another product's brand, name, logo or look that are designed to confuse users or pass off as the original. Building a product with similar features under your own brand is fine.

Anything illegal or harmful

Anything else that is illegal where you or the other user is, infringes someone's intellectual property or privacy, promotes hatred or violence, exploits children, or harms users. This includes content that India's Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 require platforms to keep off their services.

Not a takeover: from-scratch builds

"Build me an app from scratch" is not something we can list, even when the idea is detailed and the budget is real. It is not prohibited because it is wrong, only because it does not fit what TakeoverWork is for.

Every listing here must describe a project that has already started: existing code, a no-code build, a live or partly built site, a mobile app in progress, or an automation that partly works. That focus helps project owners find developers who are comfortable picking up someone else's work, and helps those developers find it.

If you only have an idea, a brief or a design file, a general freelance marketplace is a better place to start. Once something has been built and needs finishing, fixing or hardening, you are welcome to post your takeover.

Reporting

If you see something on this list, use the Report button and choose "Prohibited". For legal complaints, contact the Grievance Officer.