Terms of service

1. Who we are

2. What the service is

The app runs on your device. Our relay nodes pass encrypted packets between people who hold each other's keys, and our file store keeps encrypted files for about 5 minutes so the recipient can fetch them. We cannot read messages or files, we do not monitor them, and there is no account to sign up for. Using the app means accepting these terms; if you do not, do not use our nodes — the code is yours to run with your own (section 9).

3. Your identity is yours

Your identity is a key pair on your device or in a HEM device, protected by your password. We never have it. We cannot recover a lost key or reset a forgotten password — keep the export of your profile somewhere safe. You are responsible for the device and the password that protect it.

4. What you must not do

• send or store anything illegal, above all material depicting the sexual abuse of children;
• use the file store to distribute malware, phishing pages or other files meant to harm people who did not ask for them;
• threaten, harass or send unsolicited bulk messages;
• attack, overload or probe the relay nodes or the file store, or work around their rate limits;
• infringe other people's rights, including copyright.

We may block an address that abuses the infrastructure, to keep it working for everybody else.

5. Reporting illegal content and abuse

Write to office@rkv.pl with “abuse” in the subject. Say what you are reporting and why you believe it is illegal, and include whatever identifies it — for a file, its link or CID. You may report anonymously, but we can only tell you the outcome if you leave an address. We act on reports without undue delay and tell the reporter what we did.

Be aware of what we can do: files leave the store on their own after about 5 minutes, and we cannot read or remove messages, which never pass through us unencrypted and are not stored. If a report gives us reason to believe a person's life or safety is at risk, we inform the competent authorities.

6. Contact point for authorities and users

Our single point of contact under the EU Digital Services Act (Articles 11 and 12), for authorities, the European Commission and users, is office@rkv.pl. We correspond in Polish and English. Orders and requests for data are answered with what we hold, which is described in the privacy policy: web server logs for 14 days and aggregate traffic counters, never message content.

7. Availability

The service is provided free of charge and as it is. We work to keep it running but do not promise any particular availability, and we may change the nodes, limits or features, or stop the service, at any time. The app can use other nodes than ours.

8. Liability

To the extent the law allows, we give no warranties and are not liable for losses arising from the use of the service or from its unavailability. Nothing here limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including liability for intent or gross negligence, or the rights you have as a consumer.

9. Open source

The app and the relay are published under the MIT licence at github.com/encedo/encedo-chat. The licence governs the code; these terms govern only the nodes and the store we operate. You can run your own and point the app at them.

10. Where the service is provided

Because of international sanctions, the service is not provided in North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Russia, Belarus or Syria, and our servers refuse connections from addresses located there (HTTP 451). The service may not be used by persons or entities on EU sanctions lists. If you are blocked by mistake, write to office@rkv.pl.

11. Age

The service is not intended for anyone under 16.

12. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by Polish law. If you are a consumer, you keep the protection of the mandatory law of the country where you live, and you may bring a claim before its courts.

13. Changes

Changes to these terms will be announced on this page with a new effective date.