Ethics Policy

Our Commitment to Editorial Independence

HogaToga was founded on the principle that readers deserve honest, independent technology coverage. This ethics policy sets out the specific rules our team follows to protect that independence. It covers how we handle commercial relationships, conflicts of interest, gifts, review products, and the content we will and will not publish.

These rules apply to everyone who contributes to HogaToga: staff writers, editors, and any freelance or guest contributors. Violations are taken seriously and addressed as editorial matters, not PR ones.

No Paid Placement

HogaToga does not sell editorial coverage. No company, developer, or individual can pay to have a product reviewed positively, a story published, a score adjusted, or a recommendation issued. This applies regardless of the size of any commercial relationship with HogaToga. A company that runs advertising with us receives advertising — not editorial influence. A developer whose app appears in our affiliate links has no more claim on our editorial process than one that does not.

If a story idea comes to us through a PR contact, it is evaluated on the same editorial merits as any other pitch. The source of a pitch does not determine whether it runs.

Advertising and Affiliate Firewall

Our advertising and affiliate revenue is managed separately from our editorial operation. Editors and writers are not involved in advertising sales negotiations and are not informed of specific commercial arrangements before publication of relevant editorial. Our Affiliate Disclosure page lists the affiliate programmes we participate in. When an article contains affiliate links, this is disclosed at the top of the piece. Affiliate links do not change which products we recommend — we link to products we would recommend regardless.

For full information on how HogaToga is funded, see our Ownership & Funding page.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Any editorial team member who has a personal, financial, or professional relationship with a company or product being covered is required to disclose that relationship to the Editor-in-Chief before the coverage is assigned or published. Depending on the nature of the relationship, the coverage will be reassigned to a writer without the conflict, or the relationship will be disclosed to readers in the article.

We do not cover companies in which HogaToga staff hold equity or have active business relationships without disclosure. If that situation arises, it is disclosed clearly in the article and, where the conflict is significant, the coverage is handled by an unconnected writer.

Review Units and Gifts

Hardware and software review units are sometimes provided to HogaToga by manufacturers and developers for testing. Receiving a review unit does not guarantee coverage, and it absolutely does not guarantee positive coverage. Review units are either returned after testing or, where return is impractical, their receipt is disclosed in the review.

HogaToga editorial staff do not accept personal gifts from companies or individuals seeking coverage. This includes meals, travel, event access, and merchandise above a nominal value. Where attendance at a press event, conference, or product launch is necessary for coverage, any travel or accommodation provided by the organiser is disclosed in the resulting article.

Plagiarism

HogaToga publishes original work. Reproducing another publication’s original reporting, analysis, or prose without attribution and permission is plagiarism, and it is grounds for immediate removal of the content and action against the contributor responsible. We require writers to clearly distinguish between facts in the public domain (which require sourcing but not permission) and original expression or reporting by another outlet (which requires attribution and, where appropriate, a link back to the source).

Fairness

We cover technology and its products, not personalities. When we write critically about an app, a device, or a company’s decision, the criticism is grounded in specific, verifiable evidence and explained so readers understand the basis for it. We give developers and companies a reasonable opportunity to respond to significant factual claims made in our coverage. Where a response is received, it is reflected in the article. Where no response is received within a reasonable timeframe, that is noted.

The No-Scam-Content Commitment

HogaToga will not publish, host, or link to content that promotes scams targeting our readers. This is an absolute rule. It covers articles promoting free in-game currency methods, account-credential harvesting tools, cracked or unofficial APKs, unauthorised game mods that require personal data, and any similar category of content that puts readers at financial or security risk. This commitment extends to sponsored content: no amount of commercial consideration will cause HogaToga to carry scam-adjacent material. See our Editorial Policy for how this rule is applied in practice.