Last updated: November 8th, 2020

Please read this document carefully before accessing or using this service!

Introduction

Most terms of use and privacy documents are unreadable. They are written by lawyers and for lawyers, and in our opinion are not very effective.

We decided to use plain English as much as possible to make our terms as clear as possible. Some sections still have room for improvement - we plan to tackle these over time.

When you read "the t2bot.io homeserver", "t2bot.io", or "the Service" below, it refers to the services made available at https://t2bot.io and https://t2host.io (and any subdomains of either). These services store your interactions, conversation history, and provide a means of communication via the open Matrix decentralized communication protocol with the public Matrix Network.

When you read "we", "our", or "us" below it refers to t2bot.io's owners and operators - currently this is a role held solely by Travis Ralston (TravisR, @travis:t2l.io).

This agreement does not apply to Matrix servers run by anyone else - Matrix is an open network like the web and this agreement only applies to t2bot.io's services.

If this agreement is not acceptable, please use a service offered by someone else.

Contact information:

For all inquiries, please contact @travis:t2l.io on Matrix or travis@t2bot.io via email.

Use of this service is acceptance of these terms

By accessing or using the Service in any way, whether you are using one of the integrations provided by the Service or accessing content federated from the t2bot.io homeserver to another Matrix homeserver, or are just browsing rooms as an unauthenticated guest, you agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions written in this document.

If you do not agree to all of the terms and conditions contained in this document, please use a Matrix server provided by someone else and refrain from accessing content federated from this server.

This is a living document

This document is constantly evolving, and with your help we can make it the best it can be. If you read something that rubs you the wrong way, or if you think of something that should be added, please let us know - we're all ears!

We don't amend this document for any specific users or use case, but if your proposed changes apply to all of our users, we'll be happy to update it for everyone. Scroll to the bottom to see the history so far.

We will likely improve this document over time. By continuing to use the Service, you will implicitly accept the changes we make. Your access and use of the Service is always subject to the most current version of this document.

Breach of terms

If you breach any of the terms and conditions in this document, your authorization to access or use the Service automatically terminates.

We may block, restrict, disable, suspend, or terminate your access to all or part of the Service at any time in our sole discretion, without prior notice or liability to you.

If you think we removed your access by mistake, contact us and we will respond with our reasoning.

Support

Support for the Service is provided on a best effort basis by us, however our wider community is able to help in #help:t2bot.io on Matrix.

We do not offer email or phone support. Any queries sent directly to us will be addressed on a best effort basis.

We love our community as well as the wider Matrix community and will support them as best as we can, but we are also a small team and value our work/life balance. This means that although we'll try our best, we do not provide 24/7 support.

Intellectual property rights

Note on plain English: This section is a bit too much legalese for our liking. We'll improve this in a later version of this document.

We do not claim intellectual property rights over rooms, message content or files uploaded to the Service.

You acknowledge and agree that we have no liability of any kind should anyone you granted access to your messages or files modify, destroy, corrupt, copy or distribute them, or violate the terms of use or other limitations that you may impose on the use of your shared content.

We may pre-screen user messages or files to prevent spam and other abuse, and we may remove any messages or files (including entire rooms) from the Service for any reason without notice at our sole discretion. By posting or uploading your messages or files, you represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the intellectual property rights and other rights to your user materials as described in these Terms of Use, including all the rights necessary for you to post or upload said messages or files.

You are solely and entirely responsible for all of your messages and files that you post or otherwise submit via the Service. You shall assume all risks associated with the use of said content including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness or usefulness. We do not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of your messages or files.

You acknowledge and agree that by accessing or using the Service, you may be exposed to user materials from others that are offensive, indecent or otherwise objectionable.

Reliability

We do not guarantee that the Service will be accessible at all times. Like all other cloud-based applications, we are vulnerable to the inherent unreliability of the Internet. We do not offer contracted SLA for availability of the Service and your data.

We monitor the Service closely and have automated alarms to be notified when the Service isn't performing its best so we can deal with the issue before it becomes a problem that might impact general access.

You acknowledge and agree that we shall not be liable for any failure to store your materials on the Service at any time.

App developers

We encourage you to write software that uses the Matrix Protocol and interfaces with the Service.

The Matrix Protocol and our implementation will change over time, and we may change or deprecate APIs or behaviour for any feature of the Service from time to time - it is your responsibility to ensure that calls or requests you make to or via our Service are compatible with then-current APIs for the Service. We will always try to inform you of any changes with reasonable notice so you can adjust your Application, but we are under no obligation to do so.

Provided that you comply with teh terms of this document and our policies and procedures, you may use the Service to execute applications owned by you. You are solely responsible for your applications, including any data, text, images, or content they contain.

Play nice clauses

Note on plain English: This section is a bit too much legalese for our liking. We'll improve this in a later version of this document.

You agree that you shall not:

• Use or attempt to gain unauthorised access to or use another's account, password, data, or computer systems or networks connected to the Service, whether through malicious attacks, password mining or any other means.
• Access or attempt to access any material that you are not authorized to access.
• Submit or transmit any material that violates or infringes upon the rights of others, including, without limitation, patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, publicity, or other proprietary rights. Please see our Copyright Policy for more details.
• Disrupt or interfere with the security of, or otherwise cause harm to, the Service, systems resources, accounts, passwords, servers, or networks connected to or accessible through the Service or any affiliated or linked sites.
• Use the Service to transmit unsolicited or bulk communications to anyone at all, be they users of the Service, federated Matrix homeservers, or connected on a bridged network.
• Post or otherwise submit any software, programs, or files in a manner that is intended to cause harm or distruption of another's equipment, software, or other property including any corrupted files, time bombs, Trojan horses, viruses, and worms.
• Disrupt, interfere, or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying the Service.
• Access or use the Service in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair any server we run or the network(s) connected to the Service.
• Violate any applicable laws or regulations related to the access to or use of the Service, or engage in any activity prohibited by the Terms of Use.
• Use the Service for any unlawful purposes or in support of illegal activities under UK, EU, or Canadian law. By using the Service, you agree to comply with all applicable laws governing your online conduct and content.
• Act in a way that is in violation of our Code of Conduct in rooms that are part of our community.
• Violate the rights of us or any third party (including rights of privacy and publicity) or abuse, defame, harass, stalk, or threaten another.

Materials and Services provided by third parties are governed by separate agreements accompanying such materials and services. We offer no guarantees and assume no responsibility or liability of any type with respect to the third party services, including any liability resulting from incompatibility between a third party service, our Service, or another third party service. You agree that you will not hold us responsible or liable with respect to the third party services.

Room aliases

Though t2bot.io does not offer customized room aliases currently, outside organizations can claim ownership of a room aliase bearing that organization's name or identifiers. If you represent an organization, and would like to make a claim, please contact us.

We want users of the Service to be able to engage in a healthy, approachable, community. To maintain a good user experience, we reserve the right to remove or modify any room aliases under our implicit control.

Illegal content

Any content containing or promoting indecent images/depictions of children is illegal and utterly prohibited on the Service. When we become aware of such content, we refer the details to the relevant authorities. If you've found an account, room, or group being used for the distribution or promotion of child sexual exploitation, please share the details by contacting @travis:t2l.io on Matrix or travis@t2bot.io via email.

Screenshots of the content are not needed to file a report. Identifiers (room IDs, aliases, usernames, etc) will be asked for.

Restriction and termination of use

We may block, restrict, disable, suspend, or terminate your access to all or part of the Service at any time in our sole discretion, without prior notice or liability to you.

Encryption

The Service may allow you to encrypt your communications end-to-end between devices. There may be restrictions and limitations on the import, possession, use, transfer, and/or export of string encryption technology under the laws of the country in which you intend to use the Service. It is your sole obligation and responsibility to check such restrictions and limitations before using the Service and to comply with them. We reserve the right to suspend the Service immediately and without notice if we determine, in our sole judgement, that the Service is being used in violation of local regulations governing the use of cryptographic technologies (even though we have no responsibility to make such determination).

Links to third party sites

The Service may include links that will take you to other sites outside of the Service. The linked sites are provided as a convience and the inclusion of the links do not imply any endorsement by us of any linked site. We have no control of the linked sites and you therefore acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible for the contents of any linked site, any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to a linked site. You further acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible for any form of transmission (e.g. webcasting) received from any linked site.

Warranties and disclaimers

We provide this service under these terms "as-is" without warranty of any kind, either express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of title, non-infringement, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. Without limiting the following, we make no warranty that:

• the Service will meet your requirements;
• the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free;
• the quality of the Service will meet your expectations; and
• any errors or defects in the Service will be corrected.

You acknowledge and agree that:

• we do not control, endorse, or accept responsibility for any materials or services offered by third parties (except where stated otherwise), including third party vendors and third parties accessible through linked sites;
• we make no representations or warranties whatsoever about any such third parties, their materials, or services;
• any dealings you may have with such third parties are at your own risk; and
• we shall not be liable or responsible for any materials or services offered by third parties.

We do not control or endorse the materials or message content found in any rooms or communities. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we will have no liability related to user materials arising under intellectual property rights, libel, privacy, publicity, obscenity, or other laws. We also disclaim all liability with respect to the misuse, loss, modification, or unavailability of any user messages or files.

The use of teh Service is done at your own discretion and risk and with your agreement that you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system, loss of data, or other harm that results from such activities. We assume no liability for any computer virus or other similar software code that is downloaded to your computer from the Service or in connection with any services or materials. No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you from us or via the Service, services, or materials shall create any warranty not expressly stated in the terms of use. We will not be liable for any loss that you may incur as a result of someone else using your password or account with respect to the Service or any services or materials, either with or without your knowledge.

Some states or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or limitations on how long an implied warranty may last, so the above limitations may not apply to you. To the extent permissible, any implied warranties are limited to ninety calendar days.

Indemnity and liability

Note on plain English: This section is a bit too much legalese for our liking. We'll improve this in a later version of this document.

You agree and indemnify and hold us and our officers, co-branders, other partners, and employees harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of:

• your user materials and any other content that you may submit, post to, or transmit through the Service, including a third party's use of such user materials or content;
• your access to or use of the Service (including any use by your employees, contractors, or agents and all uses of your usernames and passwords, whether or not actually or expressly authorized by you, in connection with the Service);
• your connection to the Service;
• your violation of the Terms of Use;
• your infringement of any third party's intellectual property rights when using any of the software made available on the Service;
• your violation of any rights of any third party;
• your access to or use of linked sites and your connections thereto; or
• any dealings between you and any third parties advertising or promoting via the Service.

Emergency service calls

The Service does not and is not intended to support or carry emergency calls to any emergency services. We are not liable for any claims, damages, or loss which arise from this limitation.

Limitation of liability

Note on plain English: This section is a bit too much legalese for our liking. We'll improve this in a later version of this document.

In no event shall we, our officers, directors, employees, partners, or suppliers be liable to you or any third party for any special, punitive, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages or losses of any kind, or any damages or losses whatsoever, including those resulting from loss of use, data, or profits, whether or not forseeable or if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages or losses, and on any theory of liability, including breach of contract or warranty, negligence, or other tortious action, or any other claim arising out of or in connection with:

• the access or use of or the inability to access to use the Service;
• the statements or actions of any third party on or via the Service, services, or materials;
• any dealings with vendors or other third parties;
• any unauthorized access to or alteration of your transmissions, user materials, or other data;
• any information that is sent or received, or not sent or received;
• any failure to store or loss of data, files, materials, or other content;
• any services available that are delayed or interrupted;
• any web site referenced or linked to from this Service; or
• your access to or use of or inability to access or use any linked site.

Some jursidictions prohibit the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages. Accordingly, the limitations and exclusions set forth above may not apply to you.

Governing law and jurisdiction

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Canada, exclusing its conflict of law provisions. Unless contrary to the law where you reside, all disputes relating to this Agreement are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Canada and you expressly consent to the exercise of personal jurisdiction in the courts of Canada in connection with any such dispute. This Agreement shall not be governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for teh Internaltional Sale of Goods.

General

The Service is licensed, not sold, to you by us for use strictly in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Ownership of teh Service shall at all times remain with us. Access to the Service is provided to you only to allow you to exercise your rights under this Agreement.

Subject to your acceptance of, and compliance with, this Agreement and any payment requirements for the Service (if applicable), we hereby grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable, non-sublicensable licence, in and under our intellectual property rights, to access and use the Service, solely in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any new features provided by us that augment or enhance the current Service shall also consitute "Service" and shall be subject to these terms and conditions. ALl rights not expressly granted under this Agreement are retained by us.

You may also be subject to additional terms and conditions that may apply when you use other services from us, third party content, or third party software. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of the Terms of Use, or any portion thereof, to be unenforceable, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissable so as to effect the intent of the parties as reflected by that provision, and the remainder of the Terms of Use shall continue in full force and effect. Any failure by us to enforce or exercise any provision of the Terms of Use or related right shall not consitute a waiver of that right or provision. The section titles used in this Agreement are purely for convenience and carry with them no legal or contractual effect.

Document history

• November 2020: created.

A note to other startups: this document was heavily inspired by Balsamiq's plain English ToS document. We were impressed by their championing of plain English, and wanted to reproduce that as much as possible in our own legal documentation. Feel free to draw similar inspiration from this document, though be sure to get any documents you produce checked over by a lawyer. Good luck!

This document is heavily inspired by matrix.org's terms and conditions.