1. Acceptance of These Terms

By creating an account, posting, or using VocalWitness, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

2. Our Role – A Neutral Public Square

VocalWitness is a neutral platform. We give people tools to publish reports and protect evidence. We are not a news publisher, we do not decide what is true, and we are not a court of law.

3. Verification Levels (How Trust Works)

To keep the square safe from bots and spam, we use simple levels of verification:

• Open Talk — Open to everyone who signs up. Basic public discussion.
• Citizen Circle — Unlocked with a temporary phone check (used only to stop spam). Your phone number is never saved publicly.
• Higher Trust / Verified Reports — Highest level. Your media gets a digital fingerprint on your device, private details are removed, and stronger protection is applied.

4. Your Rights and Responsibilities

You stay in control of your voice. Here are the clear rules:

• ✅ Your Choice: You decide whether to speak publicly or stay more private.
• ✅ Be Honest: Only post reports and evidence you genuinely believe are true.
• ❌ No Doxxing or Harassment: Do not share other people’s private details. Targeted harassment is not allowed.
• ❌ No Fake or Harmful Content: Creating deepfakes to harm someone is strictly forbidden.

5. Who Owns Your Content

You keep full ownership of everything you post. By publishing, you give VocalWitness permission to store and display your content. Once locked, it becomes part of a permanent record.

6. Technology We Use

We use trusted global services for secure storage and protection against attacks. The platform is provided “as is”.

7. How VocalWitness Stays Free

The platform is supported by voluntary donations. Donations do not give anyone special control or ownership.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent allowed by law, VocalWitness is not responsible for indirect damages arising from use of the platform or content posted by users.

9. Your Responsibility for What You Post

You are responsible for what you publish. If someone has a problem with content, they should use our reporting process.

10. Intellectual Property

All rights in the VocalWitness platform, including its software, design, name, and logo, remain the exclusive property of VocalWitness. You may not copy, modify, or commercially exploit any part of the platform without written permission.