OpenAI · Terms of Use (ROW) · View original document ↗

Prohibition on Illegal Harmful or Abusive Activity

High severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Common · 285 of 352 platforms
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Recent governance activity OpenAI recorded 14 documented changes in the last 30 days.
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This analysis describes what OpenAI's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The prohibition is broad, covering not only illegal conduct but also harmful or abusive activity, which extends the restriction beyond what the law itself would require.

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
4
Months Monitored
Jul 10, 2026
First Seen
Jul 10, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 4369 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Users are prohibited from using OpenAI's Services for any activity that is illegal, harmful, or abusive.

How other platforms handle this

Snapchat Ads Medium

Ads should not encourage or enlist participation in dangerous or harmful activities. For example, ads should not encourage Snapping while driving.

NVIDIA NIM Medium

Customer may not indicate that a product or service developed with the Software is sponsored or endorsed by NVIDIA unless expressly authorized in writing by NVIDIA.

Glassdoor Medium

Send messages in violation of the USA CAN-SPAM Act or any other applicable anti-spam law.

See all platforms with this clause type →

Monitoring

OpenAI has changed this document before.

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
You may not use our Services for any illegal, harmful, or abusive activity.

— Excerpt from OpenAI's Terms of Use (ROW)

Applicable regulations

CFAA
United States Federal
DMCA
United States Federal
DSA
European Union
Trump Executive Order on AI Policy Framework
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
Terms of Use (ROW)
Entity
OpenAI
Document last updated
March 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 10, 2026
Last verified
July 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-017123
Document ID
CA-D-00007
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
https://openai.com/policies/row-terms-of-use
Wayback Machine
View archived versions →
Content hash (SHA-256)
88564a001002409ff9f42239d9e83c4f7b937a25bcff5d916fcd2bf3d538a58e
Analysis generated
March 10, 2026 03:31 UTC
Methodology
summarize_document-v8
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: OpenAI
Document: Terms of Use (ROW)
Record ID: CA-P-017123
Captured: 2026-03-10 03:31:52 UTC
SHA-256: 88564a001002409f…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/openai/terms-of-use-row/provision/CA-P-017123/prohibition-on-illegal-harmful-or-abusive-activity/
Accessed: July 13, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories
Acceptable use

Other risks in this policy

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does OpenAI's Prohibition on Illegal Harmful or Abusive Activity clause do?

The prohibition is broad, covering not only illegal conduct but also harmful or abusive activity, which extends the restriction beyond what the law itself would require.

How does this clause affect you?

Users are prohibited from using OpenAI's Services for any activity that is illegal, harmful, or abusive.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 285 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with OpenAI?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OpenAI.