Terms of Service

By creating an account or using Kernel of Truth ("the service"), you agree to these terms. Read them. They are short.

What the service does

Kernel of Truth records cryptographic hashes of content alongside a timestamp and your claimed identity. It does not store your content, verify authorship, or confer legal ownership of anything. A claim is a timestamped assertion made by you, nothing more.

Your account

You must provide accurate registration information. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account. Do not share your credentials. You must be 13 or older to create an account.

Your claims

You are solely responsible for the claims you submit. By submitting a claim, you assert that you have the right to make it. You may not use this service to:

• Claim provenance over content you did not create or do not have rights to
• Attempt to backdate or falsify records
• Submit hashes of content that is illegal, defamatory, or violates the rights of others
• Harass, impersonate, or defraud other users
• Interfere with the service through automated abuse, scraping at scale, or attacks

Claim permanence

Claims are designed to be permanent. Once submitted, a claim record cannot be altered or deleted. This is a feature, not a limitation. The value of a provenance record is that it cannot be revised after the fact. Do not submit a claim unless you intend it to stand.

We reserve the right to deactivate claims that violate these terms, which hides them from public view while retaining the underlying record. We do not retroactively alter timestamps or claim data.

No verification

We do not verify that you authored, own, or have any legal rights over the content whose hash you submit. A claim is your assertion. Anyone can assert anything. The service establishes when a claim was made, not whether it is true.

The API

API access is provided for legitimate integration purposes: embedding provenance records in your own tools, workflows, and applications. Automated bulk claiming, competitive scraping, or using the API to harass or impersonate others is prohibited. We reserve the right to revoke API access without notice.

Availability

We aim to keep the service running continuously, but we make no uptime guarantees. The service is provided as-is. We are not liable for downtime, data loss, or any damages arising from use of the service.

Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms. You may request account deactivation at any time by contacting us. Deactivation hides your profile and claims from public view but does not delete underlying records (see claim permanence above).

Limitation of liability

The service is provided without warranty. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the service. Our total liability for any claim is limited to zero dollars, as the service is free.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the United States. Disputes will be resolved in the jurisdiction where the operator resides.

Changes

We may update these terms. Material changes will be noted at the top of this page with a revised date. Continued use of the service after changes are posted means you accept the updated terms.

Contact

Questions? Email [email protected].