Acceptable use policy
Version 0.1 — 12 August 2026. Status: draft pending review by a Swiss lawyer.
The French version prevails: usage acceptable.
This policy forms an integral part of the terms of service. It states what we refuse. It is deliberately short and concrete: a rule nobody understands protects nobody.
1. The principle
ClaimTrace reads public sources to report a fact together with its evidence. It must not be used to obtain indirectly what it would be unlawful to obtain directly.
2. What is prohibited
2.1 Circumventing a third party's rules
- Using the Service to circumvent the terms of use, technical restrictions or expressed wishes of a third-party site.
- Asking us to reach content protected by authentication, a paywall, a captcha or any other technical measure. The Service does not do this and will not.
- Massively reconstituting, through repeated requests, the contents of a third-party database or platform.
2.2 Monitoring people
- Searching, cross-referencing or tracking information about an identified or identifiable natural person: home, movements, habits, social circle, personal situation.
- Building profiles of natural persons.
- Collecting sensitive data within the meaning of art. 5 let. c nFADP: religious, philosophical, political or trade-union views, health, intimate sphere, racial or ethnic origin, genetic or biometric data, prosecutions or sanctions, social assistance measures.
The Service is designed for professional entities. A request manifestly aimed at a private individual is refused.
2.3 Diverting the Service from its value
- Reselling raw access to the Service, or re-exposing it as is under another brand, without adding value of your own. You may integrate our results into your product; you may not resell us unchanged.
- Misrepresenting the origin of a fact: removing provenance, altering a verbatim excerpt, attributing to a source statements it has not published.
- Using verbatim excerpts to reconstitute protected content — full articles, photographs — beyond short evidentiary quotation.
- Removing mandatory attributions, in particular "© OpenStreetMap contributors" for geographic data under the ODbL licence.
2.4 Harming the Service or others
- Circumventing quotas, in particular by creating multiple accounts to accumulate trial credits.
- Sharing, reselling or publishing an API key.
- Running load, penetration or vulnerability testing without our prior written agreement. We welcome responsible security reports: write to us first.
- Using the Service for unsolicited canvassing, harassment, defamation, or any unlawful activity.
- Harming the integrity, availability or security of the Service.
2.5 What we will not have the Service made to say
The Service reports sourced facts. It must not be presented to your users as delivering a certification, an official validation, legal, medical or financial advice, or a guarantee of a third party's accuracy. Our guarantee covers traceability, not the truthfulness of the source (see Terms of Service, art. 4).
3. Reporting
To report abuse, data that should not be served, or a security issue: write to the address in the legal notice. Reports from the businesses concerned are handled as a priority.
4. Consequences
Depending on severity and repetition:
| Measure | When |
|---|---|
| Warning, request for explanation | Isolated lapse, no harm |
| Immediate suspension of the key or keys | Clear breach, risk to a third party or to the Service |
| Termination of the contract | Serious or persistent breach |
| Report to the authorities | Where the law requires it |
Where termination follows a breach of this policy, no refund is due (see sales terms, art. 6). You indemnify us against third-party claims arising from use contrary to this policy.
We apply these measures in good faith and proportionately. Where the situation allows, we contact you before suspending.
5. Changes
This policy may evolve with the Service and with the abuse we observe. Any material change is announced by email at least 30 days before it takes effect.
Related documents: terms of service · sales terms · privacy policy