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 Public Square Infrastructure

VocalWitness provides a structured interface for public reporting. We offer tools to publish reports and manage community interaction, operating on cloud infrastructure (Firebase) with moderation capabilities managed by operators and platform systems. We do not act as an editorial publisher of user content.

3. Verification Levels (How Trust Works)

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

• Citizen Talk — Open to everyone who signs up for basic public discussion.
• Citizen Circle — Unlocked with a phone verification workflow to help prevent spam and bot accounts.
• Witness Voice / Higher Trust — Advanced tiers incorporating client-side media hashing, metadata processing, and optional zero-knowledge proofs.

Trust tiers and reputation are never for sale.

4. Your Rights and Responsibilities

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

• ✅ Your Choice: You decide what content to publish within the public square.
• ✅ Be Honest: Only post reports and evidence you genuinely believe are accurate.
• ❌ No Doxxing or Harassment: Do not share other people’s private details. Targeted harassment is strictly prohibited.
• ❌ No Harmful Content: Creating deceptive or malicious media to harm others is forbidden.

5. Content Ownership & Visibility

You retain ownership of the content you post. By publishing, you grant VocalWitness the necessary license to store, process, and display your contributions across feeds and ledgers. Sealed reports are designed so ordinary users cannot quietly edit or delete them. Operators retain the ability to moderate for safety and legal compliance.

6. Technology and Hosting

The platform relies on trusted cloud infrastructure (including Google Firebase and Cloudflare) to deliver secure hosting and database services. The platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

7. Support, Credentials and Contributions

The platform can be supported through voluntary contributions. An optional Independent Citizen Press Credential (Standard free / Official paid) is available for professionals who need a formal document. Financial support or purchase of a credential does not grant special administrative control, ownership, higher truth rank, or exemption from platform rules.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, VocalWitness and its operators are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform or content posted by community members.

9. User Accountability

You are solely responsible for the content you publish. If you encounter content that violates these terms, please use the platform's reporting channels for review by moderators.

10. Intellectual Property

All rights in the VocalWitness platform, including software code, design, interface elements, branding, logos, and repository structures, remain the exclusive property of VocalWitness. Unauthorized copying, reverse-engineering, or commercial exploitation is prohibited.

11. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless VocalWitness and its operators from any claims, liabilities, or expenses arising from your violation of these Terms or your use of the platform.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.