Legal

Verification Policy

What our badges mean — and what they don't.

Draft for review. This is a plain-language draft prepared for design review — it is not legal advice and is not yet in effect. Final policies will be reviewed before launch. Status: Badges are not yet displayed publicly.

Important: verification is not yet live. Any badge shown on the site today is a labeled design sample and does not represent a real verification of any business. Badges will go live only after the complete standards and process are approved.

Our two badges

Black-Owned Verified

The Village Spot reviewed available information confirming that this business identifies as Black-owned. Verification reflects the information available at the time of review and is not a guarantee of an individual customer's experience.

Black-Friendly Verified

The Village Spot reviewed available information and community feedback indicating that this business welcomes and respectfully serves Black customers. This badge reflects the information available at the time of review and does not guarantee every customer's experience.

What a badge is not

It is not a guarantee of any individual's experience.
It is never awarded automatically from a business's own claim.
It does not last forever — verifications can expire.

How verification works

Only an authorized administrator can assign, renew, decline, or remove a badge — never an automated process.
We review available information and, for Black-Friendly, community feedback.
Each decision is recorded, and a badge may show a "last reviewed" date.
Evidence and internal notes are kept private and are never shown publicly.

Expiration and removal

Verifications can expire or be re-checked over time, and can be removed if circumstances change. Renewals are handled by an administrator.

Questions or corrections

If you believe a badge is inaccurate once verification is live, you'll be able to let us know and we'll review it.