Terms of Service

Note: The sections below are a structured draft. The plain-language descriptions reflect how Crowdbook actually works, but the formal legal language is placeholder and must be reviewed by counsel before the app is released.

Welcome to Crowdbook. These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) are an agreement between you and Crowdbook (“Crowdbook,” “we,” “us”) governing your access to and use of the Crowdbook applications, website, and sync service (together, the “Service”). By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Definitions

• Service — the Crowdbook mobile apps, website, and the zero-knowledge sync server.
• User (“you”) — the individual who creates an account and uses the Service.
• Group — a set of Users who agree to share certain contact attributes with one another.
• Shared Attributes — the contact details you choose to contribute to a Group, encrypted on your device before upload.
• Content — any data you submit through the Service, which for shared data reaches us only as ciphertext.

2. Account terms

You must provide a valid email address and are responsible for all activity under your account. You must be at least [Placeholder — minimum age, e.g. 13, or 16 where required by GDPR; confirm with counsel] years old to use the Service. You may not create more than one free account per person, and accounts are for a single user.

You are responsible for the security of your account and your password. Because of how Crowdbook is built (see the zero-knowledge section below), we cannot access your password and cannot recover your encrypted contents on your behalf if it is lost.

3. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• use the Service to harass, abuse, threaten, or impersonate others;
• probe, tamper with, disrupt, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, its servers, or other Users' accounts or data;
• use automated means to abuse, overload, or scrape the Service; or
• use the Service in violation of any applicable law.

Because Crowdbook shares real people's contact information, you also agree to the following:

• Only share contact information you are entitled to share. Share your own details, and only add or share another person's details where you have their permission or another lawful basis to do so.
• Don't harvest or scrape shared data. Contact details other members share into a Group are provided for the purpose of that Group. Do not collect, export, or aggregate them beyond that purpose.
• Don't misuse shared contacts. Do not use details you receive through Crowdbook for unsolicited marketing, spam, or any purpose the person sharing them would not reasonably expect.

You are responsible for the accuracy and lawfulness of the Content you contribute, and for respecting the wishes of anyone whose details appear in a Group you belong to.

4. Intellectual property

The Service, including its software, design, and trademarks, is owned by Crowdbook and its licensors and is protected by intellectual-property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Service in accordance with these Terms. You retain your rights in your own Content. [Placeholder — confirm licensing model and any open-source components with counsel.]

5. Fees and paid features

Crowdbook is currently free to use during early access. If we introduce paid features in the future, we will describe the pricing and billing terms and give you notice before they apply to you; you will not be charged for optional paid features without your agreement. [Placeholder — billing cycle, refunds, taxes, and payment terms to be added when a paid tier exists.]

6. Cancellation and termination

You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time from within the app. When you delete your account, your device key material and encrypted blobs are purged, your Group key wrapping is revoked, and your Shared Attributes are tombstoned so other members' devices drop them — as described in our Privacy Policy.

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service if you materially violate these Terms, or as necessary to protect the Service or other Users. [Placeholder — notice, cure period, and effect of termination to be finalized with counsel.]

7. Zero-knowledge service and your responsibility

Crowdbook is designed so that we never hold the keys to read your contacts. Shared Attributes are encrypted on your device before upload, and the server stores only ciphertext. This gives you strong privacy, but it also means important responsibilities are yours:

• We cannot read your encrypted Content, and cannot produce it in plaintext — to you, to a Group, or to a third party — because we do not possess the keys.
• You are responsible for remembering your password and keeping your devices secure. If you lose access to your account credentials, we may be unable to restore access to your encrypted data.
• You understand that data you contribute to a Group will be decryptable by the other members of that Group, and that once shared you cannot control what those members do with it outside the Service.

8. Disclaimer of warranties

[Placeholder — counsel review.] The Service is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, uninterrupted or error-free operation, or security. You use the Service at your own risk.

9. Limitation of liability

[Placeholder — counsel review, including any liability cap.] To the maximum extent permitted by law, Crowdbook will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages, or for any loss of profits, data, goodwill, or use, arising out of or relating to your use of (or inability to use) the Service.

10. Release and indemnification

[Placeholder — counsel review.] You agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless Crowdbook from any claims, liabilities, damages, and expenses arising out of your use of the Service, your Content, or your violation of these Terms, subject to reasonable notice and cooperation.

11. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice (for example, in-app or by email) and update the “Last updated” date above. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

12. Governing law and disputes

[Placeholder — jurisdiction to be confirmed by counsel; seeded with Texas.] Except where applicable law provides otherwise, these Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas and the federal laws of the United States, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles, and any disputes will be subject to the courts located in Texas. [Placeholder — decide whether to include arbitration and/or a class-action waiver.]

13. Miscellaneous

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, are the entire agreement between you and Crowdbook regarding the Service. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. Section headings are for convenience only and are not binding.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Reach us through the contact page.