Terms of Service

Last updated: December 2024

1. About Ephemeral

Ephemeral Social PBC is a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation. Our mission is to build social technology that respects your time, attention, and privacy. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Ephemeral platform, including our mobile application, website, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

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

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use Ephemeral. By using the Service, you represent that you meet this age requirement. If you are under 18, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has reviewed and agreed to these Terms on your behalf.

3. Your Account

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You agree to notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access. We are not liable for any loss arising from unauthorized use of your account.

4. Subscription and Payment

Ephemeral is a paid subscription service. Current pricing:

  • Monthly: $7/month
  • Annual: $70/year
  • Founder rate: $45/year, locked in for as long as you maintain an active subscription

Subscriptions are non-refundable. We will provide at least 30 days' notice before any price changes, which will not affect existing founder-rate subscriptions.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Post or share illegal content
  • Harass, threaten, or bully other users
  • Post child sexual abuse material (CSAM) -- this will result in immediate permanent ban and reporting to authorities
  • Impersonate other individuals or entities
  • Send unsolicited bulk messages (spam)
  • Use bots, scrapers, or automated tools to access the Service
  • Post AI-generated content without clear disclosure
  • Violate intellectual property rights of others

6. Content Policies

  • Ownership: You retain full ownership of all content you create on Ephemeral.
  • License: You grant Ephemeral a limited, non-exclusive license to display your content within the Service as necessary to operate the platform.
  • Auto-deletion: Content is automatically deleted according to our published retention schedules. This is by design and you acknowledge that deleted content cannot be recovered.
  • Human-only: Ephemeral is a platform for human expression. AI-generated content must be clearly disclosed as such.

7. Privacy

Your privacy is fundamental to Ephemeral. Please review our Privacy Policy for detailed information about how we collect, use, and protect your information.

8. Time Windows

Ephemeral uses bounded usage windows to encourage intentional engagement. Access to the social feed is available during designated time windows. Certain features -- including messaging, events, and personal notes -- remain accessible outside of time windows.

9. End-to-End Encryption

Private messages on Ephemeral are protected with end-to-end encryption using the Signal Protocol. This means:

  • Only you and your intended recipients can read your messages
  • Ephemeral cannot decrypt or access message contents, even if compelled by legal process
  • We cannot comply with requests for message content because we do not have the technical ability to access it
  • If you lose access to your device, encrypted messages cannot be recovered by Ephemeral -- you accept this risk

10. Intellectual Property

The Ephemeral platform, including its design, code, features, and branding, is owned by Ephemeral Social PBC. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or reverse-engineer any part of the Service without our written permission.

11. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms. You may delete your account at any time through the app settings. Upon deletion, all your data will be permanently removed in accordance with our data retention policies.

12. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Ephemeral Social PBC shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claim arising from these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the twelve months preceding the claim.

14. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you via email or through an in-app notification. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

15. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved in the courts of Delaware.

16. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at legal@ephemeralsocial.com.