ForumIAS Community ( ForumIAS.com ) was started in 2012 for Civil services Preparation as an open community. It became what it is because of contribution of its members, with no monetary incentives. Moderators of the website, if any are not paid, and are always taken from the community.

ForumIAS also has an Academy ( https://academy.forumias.com )  – both Online and Offline, since 2016.

Between 2016-2019, it has been the stated policy of ForumIAS to avoid any threads written about ForumIAS Academy by way of review or feedback on the website, to avoid any conflict of interest. Similarly, any Support to Academy Students is not provided on the Community Website to avoid any promotional prospects.

However, avoidance of such threads

• created a perception in the minds of students, of ForumIAS Academy being non-responsive
• created a perception of “deleting negative threads and promoting positive threads” by ForumIAS Academy among non-student users of the website. This was far from reality because moderation was done by community members, who were not paid in any way.

Since 2019, to bring more clarity into addressing the conflict of interest at ForumIAS.com, it is stated that

• An actual conflict of interest “exists” between the community website and the academy.  Community participation may bring benefits to the Academy, by way of increased visibility or advertisement value.
• ForumIAS , ForumIAS.com and all its domains and sub domains is owned by FNPL (“Flaviant Network Pvt Ltd”) – a “for profit” organisation registered under the Companies Act.
• ForumIAS will reserve rights to edit / amend or delete threads that are malicious, attack the organisation, or individuals associated with it.
• ForumIAS may create threads announcing products of the Academy, and provide support on threads to its students. Some threads could be exclusively visible to students.
• Some of its members including Top Members, Selected Candidates and former students may be personally biased towards Academy and  its products because of this association. This bias may be at a conscious or subconscious level – which they may not aware of. Users of the website are requested to do due diligence before accepting any influence. ForumIAS does not pay for or ask for creation of influence on the community website.
• FNPL does not  encourage or require employees from participation in the Community. They are howsoever free to participate on their own.
• Employees and Staff of FNPL, authorised for support on the Community Website will be marked with a “Red Tick“. Any communication apart from Ted Tick Handles is personal in nature.