Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using MiutChat, whether via the web application, progressive web application, API, or any other interface, you unconditionally accept and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"), our Privacy Policy, and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with any provision herein, you must immediately cease all use of the Service.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User") and the MiutChat project operators ("Operator," "we," "us," "our"). Use of the Service through any means constitutes acceptance.

2. Service Description

MiutChat is a browser-based, ephemeral, anonymous group chat application employing client-side end-to-end encryption (AES-256-GCM), ECDSA message signing, and Firebase Firestore as a transient data relay. The Service is designed to facilitate private communication without persistent identity records.

The Service operates on a zero-knowledge architecture: messages are encrypted before reaching our infrastructure. The Operator cannot read, decode, or reconstruct any message content. All room data is permanently deleted when the last participant departs.

3. Eligibility

The Service is intended for users aged 13 and over. By using the Service you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 13 years of age, or 16 years of age in jurisdictions requiring a higher minimum age for digital services consent;
• You have full legal capacity to enter into this agreement;
• You are not prohibited by any applicable law from receiving or using the Service;
• Your use does not violate any export control regulation, sanction program, or applicable law of your jurisdiction.

4. Acceptable Use Policy

The Service is provided for lawful private communication. Permitted uses include personal correspondence, business collaboration, journalism, research, and any other lawful communicative purpose. You are solely and entirely responsible for all content transmitted through the Service.

5. Prohibited Conduct

The following conduct is strictly prohibited and may result in immediate termination of access and referral to relevant law enforcement authorities:

• Child Exploitation: Any transmission, storage, or distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or any content that sexualizes, exploits, or harms minors in any manner whatsoever;
• Terrorism and Incitement: Facilitating, planning, or promoting acts of terrorism, genocide, war crimes, or mass violence;
• Unauthorized Access: Attempting to circumvent, exploit, or reverse-engineer the Service's security mechanisms, encryption, or authentication systems;
• Automated Abuse: Deploying bots, scrapers, or automated tools that bypass rate limits or impose disproportionate load on Service infrastructure;
• Fraud and Impersonation: Misrepresenting identity, defrauding other users, or conducting phishing, social engineering, or scam operations;
• Intellectual Property Violations: Transmitting material in infringement of copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property rights;
• Sanctions Violations: Using the Service to evade economic sanctions, embargoes, or financial restrictions imposed by competent authorities;
• Interference: Disrupting the availability, integrity, or performance of the Service or its underlying infrastructure.

6. Encryption and Data Handling

All message content is encrypted using AES-256-GCM entirely within your browser prior to transmission. The Operator does not possess, and cannot derive, any key capable of decrypting message content. The following technical limitations apply:

• The Operator cannot assist law enforcement in decrypting message content, as no decryption capability exists;
• Room data is automatically and irrevocably deleted upon room closure; no backup, archive, or recovery mechanism exists;
• Encryption provides no guarantee of absolute confidentiality; endpoint compromise, keyloggers, screen capture, or physical access to devices may defeat encryption;
• The Service should not be used for communications where professional-grade operational security is required (e.g., journalism in high-risk environments — use Signal).

7. Third-Party Services

The Service relies on Firebase (Google LLC) for backend infrastructure, Cloudflare for content delivery and edge computing, and Google Fonts for typography. These third parties operate under their own terms of service and privacy policies. The Operator does not control these services and accepts no liability for their conduct, availability, or data practices.

Firebase Anonymous Authentication assigns a random, non-identifying session token. Google may process anonymized authentication signals per its own policies.

8. Disclaimers of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE OPERATOR EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION:

• Implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement;
• Any warranty that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free of viruses or harmful components;
• Any warranty regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided through the Service;
• Any warranty that defects will be corrected or that the Service will meet any specific requirements.

Some jurisdictions do not permit exclusion of implied warranties; the above exclusion may not apply to you to the extent prohibited by applicable law.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE OPERATOR, ITS CONTRIBUTORS, MAINTAINERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, PARTNERS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY:

• INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES;
• LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, BUSINESS, GOODWILL, OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS;
• COST OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES;
• PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR ANY HARM RESULTING FROM UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA;

ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THE OPERATOR FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE UNITED STATES DOLLAR (USD $1.00). THIS LIMITATION REFLECTS A REASONABLE ALLOCATION OF RISK GIVEN THAT NO FEES ARE CHARGED FOR THE SERVICE.

CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS DO NOT PERMIT LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL INJURY, DEATH, FRAUD, OR GROSS NEGLIGENCE. NOTHING IN THESE TERMS SHALL LIMIT LIABILITY WHERE SUCH LIMITATION IS PROHIBITED BY MANDATORY APPLICABLE LAW.

10. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Operator and its contributors, maintainers, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any applicable law; (d) content transmitted by you through the Service; or (e) any third-party claim related to your conduct on the Service.

11. Intellectual Property

The MiutChat source code is released under the MIT License and is available at github.com/debguin1-alt/MiutChat. The MIT License governs your rights to copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell copies of the software. These Terms govern your use of the hosted Service, not the underlying open-source code.

You retain all rights in content you transmit through the Service. By transmitting content, you grant no license to the Operator, as the Operator cannot access such content.

12. Termination

The Operator reserves the right to restrict, suspend, or terminate access to the Service at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to violation of these Terms, suspected abuse, technical necessity, or discontinuation of the Service. Upon termination, all associated Firestore data will be deleted in accordance with the automatic ephemeral deletion mechanisms of the Service.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are drafted to comply with applicable law in a jurisdiction-neutral manner. Given the global nature of the Service and the absence of a registered corporate entity, these Terms shall be interpreted in accordance with the following hierarchy:

• Primary: The law of the jurisdiction in which you primarily reside and use the Service shall govern disputes concerning your use;
• Secondary: Where the primary jurisdiction cannot be determined or is inapplicable, the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce shall serve as interpretive guidance;
• Mandatory provisions: Nothing herein displaces mandatory consumer protection, data protection, or other non-waivable statutory rights you possess under the law of your jurisdiction.

The Operator makes no representation that the Service is appropriate or available in all jurisdictions. Access from jurisdictions where such access is prohibited is at your sole risk and responsibility.

14. Dispute Resolution

The Operator operates without a registered legal entity and therefore cannot be subject to formal legal process in a single jurisdiction. If you have a dispute:

• You may open a GitHub Issue at github.com/debguin1-alt/MiutChat/issues;
• For security disclosures, use the Security Advisory mechanism on GitHub (confidential);
• The Operator makes no agreement to arbitration, class-action participation, or any formal dispute resolution mechanism.

Given that the Service is provided free of charge and processes no identifiable personal data, the practical scope for legal disputes is narrow. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year of the event giving rise to the claim, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

15. Modifications

The Operator reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material modifications will be communicated via the GitHub repository. Continued use of the Service following publication of modified Terms constitutes acceptance of those modifications. If you do not agree to modified Terms, your sole remedy is to cease using the Service.

16. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, such provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable. All remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The failure of the Operator to enforce any right or provision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

17. Contact

For questions, concerns, or legal notices, open an issue at: github.com/debguin1-alt/MiutChat/issues