Terms of Service

EBIWAWA — African Family Digital Heritage Platform

Last updated: 1 April 2026 Effective date: [INSERT LAUNCH DATE]

1. Introduction

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the EBIWAWA platform ("Service"), operated by [INSERT LEGAL ENTITY NAME] ("we", "us", "our").

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Eligibility

• You must be at least 16 years old (UK), 14 years old (Quebec), or 13 years old (rest of US/Canada) to create an account
• You must provide accurate registration information
• During our initial launch, access is by invitation only

3. Your Account

3.1 Account Security

• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials
• You must notify us immediately if you believe your account has been compromised
• We use Firebase Authentication to manage your login securely

3.2 Account Information

• You must provide accurate and current information
• You may update your information at any time through your profile settings

3.3 One Account Per Person

• Each person may maintain only one account
• Accounts are non-transferable

4. What You Can Do on EBIWAWA

The Service allows you to:

• Create and manage family trees
• Add family members and relationships
• Upload and share photos, videos, and documents
• Write posts and comments
• Send direct and group messages
• Use AI-powered features (photo analysis, story generation, document OCR, audio transcription)
• Create and manage photo albums
• Verify family member information through the Trust Score system
• Manage calendar events
• Search for and connect with family members

5. Your Content

5.1 Ownership

You retain ownership of all content you create or upload ("Your Content"), including posts, photos, videos, documents, messages, and family tree data.

5.2 Licence to Us

By uploading content to EBIWAWA, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide licence to:

• Store, display, and distribute Your Content to other users according to the privacy settings you choose
• Process Your Content through AI features when you request it
• Create backups of Your Content for service reliability

This licence exists solely to operate the Service and ends when you delete Your Content or your account.

5.3 Privacy Levels

You control who sees your posts through privacy settings:

• Private: Only you
• Family: Members of your family tree
• Public: All EBIWAWA users

5.4 Content Standards

You agree not to upload or share content that:

• Is defamatory, threatening, or harassing
• Infringes on anyone's intellectual property, privacy, or other rights
• Contains malware or harmful code
• Is knowingly false or misleading
• Is illegal under the laws of the United Kingdom, United States, or Canada
• Constitutes spam or unsolicited commercial content
• Contains explicit sexual content or graphic violence
• Promotes hatred or discrimination

We may remove content that violates these standards and may suspend or terminate accounts for repeated violations.

6. Family Tree Data — Special Responsibilities

6.1 Adding Family Members

When you add a person to a family tree, you:

• Confirm you have a genuine familial connection to that person
• Accept responsibility for the accuracy of the information you provide
• Agree to make reasonable efforts to inform living, identifiable individuals that their data is recorded on the platform
• Understand that other family tree members may verify or challenge the data you add

6.2 Editing and Verification

• Any family tree member can edit person records
• Edits clear all existing verifications (the Trust Score system requires re-verification after changes)
• The last_edited_by field records who made the most recent edit

6.3 Disputes About Family Data

If family members disagree about data accuracy:

• Use the Trust Score verification system to record agreement or disagreement
• Contact us if you cannot resolve a dispute
• We reserve the right to mediate or remove disputed data if necessary

6.4 Removal Requests

Any identifiable living person may request that their data be removed from a family tree, whether or not they are a user of the platform. We will honour such requests in compliance with applicable data protection law.

7. AI Features

7.1 Availability and Limits

• AI features are provided using Google Vertex AI (Gemini 2.0 Flash)
• Usage is limited to 50 AI requests per user per day
• AI features may be modified, limited, or discontinued at any time

7.2 AI Output

• AI-generated content (stories, descriptions, captions, transcriptions) is provided as suggestions only
• You are responsible for reviewing AI output before using or sharing it
• AI output may contain errors or inaccuracies
• We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or appropriateness of AI-generated content

7.3 Data Processing

• Data sent to the AI model is processed transiently and not stored by the AI service
• AI processing occurs in the us-central1 (USA) region
• Your use of AI features is subject to our Privacy Policy

8. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Access the Service through any means other than our provided interfaces
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to other users' accounts or data
• Scrape, crawl, or automatically collect data from the Service
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service's infrastructure
• Use the Service for any commercial purpose without our written consent
• Circumvent rate limits or security measures
• Impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity
• Use the Service to stalk, harass, or harm another person

9. User Blocking

• You may block any other user at any time
• Blocking a user removes all shared family tree access and relationships between you
• Blocked users cannot see your content or contact you
• You can unblock a user at any time, but removed connections are not automatically restored

10. Intellectual Property

10.1 Our Property

The EBIWAWA platform, including its design, features, code, and branding, is our intellectual property. These Terms do not grant you any rights to our intellectual property except the right to use the Service as intended.

10.2 Feedback

If you provide suggestions or feedback about the Service, we may use it to improve the platform without obligation to you.

11. Service Availability

• We aim to keep the Service available but do not guarantee uninterrupted access
• We may perform maintenance, updates, or changes that temporarily affect availability
• We will make reasonable efforts to notify you of planned downtime
• We are not liable for any loss or damage resulting from Service unavailability

12. Termination

12.1 By You

• You may delete your account at any time by contacting us at [INSERT EMAIL]
• Upon deletion, we will remove your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy
• Content you added to shared family trees may be retained if other tree members depend on it, but will be anonymised where possible

12.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms
• Use the Service to harm others
• Provide false registration information
• Remain inactive for an extended period (with prior notice)

12.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your right to access the Service ends immediately
• We will retain or delete your data as described in our Privacy Policy
• Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will continue to apply

13. Limitation of Liability

13.1 Service Provided "As Is"

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

13.2 Limitation

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

• We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Our total liability for any claim arising from or relating to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the amount you have paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or GBP 100, whichever is greater
• We are not liable for the accuracy of family tree data entered by users
• We are not liable for the accuracy of AI-generated content

13.3 Exceptions

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for:

• Death or personal injury caused by our negligence
• Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
• Any liability that cannot be excluded by law

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Content you upload or share
• Family tree data you add about third parties
• Your violation of any third party's rights

15. Disputes

15.1 Governing Law

• For UK users: These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
• For Canadian users (outside Quebec): These Terms are governed by the laws of [INSERT PROVINCE] and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.
• For Quebec residents: These Terms are governed by the laws of Quebec and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. Nothing in these Terms limits your rights under Quebec's Consumer Protection Act or Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Law 25).
• For US users: These Terms are governed by the laws of [INSERT STATE], without regard to conflict of law principles.

15.2 Informal Resolution

Before bringing a formal claim, you agree to contact us and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

16. Invite-Only Access

During our initial launch phase:

• Access is by invitation only
• Invitations are personal and non-transferable
• We reserve the right to limit the number of users
• We may revoke access at our discretion
• Features and availability may change as we develop the platform

17. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will:

• Notify you of material changes via the platform or email
• Give you reasonable notice before changes take effect
• If you continue to use the Service after changes take effect, you accept the updated Terms
• If you disagree with changes, you may delete your account

18. General

• Language: These Terms are drafted in English. A French-language version will be made available for Quebec residents. In the event of a discrepancy, the French version prevails for Quebec residents.
• Entire agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service
• Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in effect
• Waiver: Our failure to enforce any provision does not waive our right to enforce it later
• Assignment: We may assign our rights under these Terms. You may not assign yours without our written consent.

19. Contact Us

For questions about these Terms:

Email: [INSERT CONTACT EMAIL] Post: [INSERT POSTAL ADDRESS]

By using EBIWAWA, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms of Service.