Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using Zero Node services, including the Privacy Firewall PII Redaction API ("Services"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use our Services.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Zero Node ("Company," "we," "our," or "us").

2. Description of Services

Zero Node provides:

• Privacy Firewall API: A data-minimizing PII detection and redaction service
• Documentation: Technical guides and API references
• Support: Technical assistance based on your service tier

Application code does not log request or response content. Token mode temporarily stores a reversible mapping in memory or Redis until first rehydration or expiry. Non-token modes do not create that mapping.

3. Early-Access Provisioning

3.1 Access

To access our API services, you must:

• Request access and provide accurate contact information
• Be at least 18 years of age or the legal age in your jurisdiction
• Accept the confirmed tier limits and payment terms, if any, before activation
• Accept responsibility for activity performed with your issued API key

3.2 API Keys

Your API keys are confidential. You must:

• Keep API keys secure and not share them publicly
• Rotate keys immediately if you suspect compromise
• Not embed keys in client-side code or public repositories

4. Acceptable Use

4.1 Permitted Uses

You may use our Services to:

• Detect and redact PII from text data
• Integrate our API into your applications
• Process data in compliance with applicable laws

4.2 Prohibited Uses

You may NOT use our Services to:

• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Process illegal content or facilitate illegal activities
• Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or extract our algorithms
• Circumvent rate limits or security measures
• Resell or redistribute our Services without authorization
• Overwhelm our infrastructure with excessive requests (DDoS)
• Use automated systems to exploit vulnerabilities

5. Service Tiers & Pricing

These are manually provisioned beta plans. Activation occurs only after limits and payment terms are confirmed directly.

6. Payment Terms

6.1 Manual Billing

• The MVP has no automated checkout or recurring charge workflow
• Invoice timing, payment method, taxes, cancellation, and refund terms are confirmed before paid activation
• No charge is authorized solely by using the public playground or requesting access

6.2 Overages

If you exceed your plan's request limit:

• Bronze and Silver: Requests are rejected after the enforced UTC-day quota until the counter resets
• Gold: No daily key quota is configured, but abuse and per-IP rate limits still apply

6.3 Taxes

Any applicable tax treatment is included in the manually agreed payment terms.

7. Beta Availability and Performance

7.1 No SLA in the MVP

The early-access service has no uptime, response-time, support-time, or recovery SLA unless a separate written agreement says otherwise.

7.2 Performance

Published staging measurements are observations, not guarantees. Performance varies with input size, replacement policy, local-model use, and load.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Our Property

Zero Node retains all rights to:

• Our APIs, algorithms, and software
• Documentation and training materials
• Trademarks, logos, and branding

8.2 Your Property

You retain all rights to data you submit. We claim no ownership over your content and, per our architecture, do not store it.

8.3 License Grant

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable license to use our Services in accordance with these Terms.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

We do not warrant that:

• Services will be uninterrupted or error-free
• All PII will be detected with 100% accuracy
• Services will meet all your specific requirements

10. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

• Zero Node shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim
• We are not liable for damages resulting from unauthorized access to your data or account

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Zero Node and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from:

• Your use of the Services
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Content you submit through the Services

12. Termination

12.1 By You

You may request API-key revocation by contacting support. Any payment or refund treatment follows the terms agreed at activation and applicable law.

12.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms
• Fail to pay applicable fees
• Engage in fraudulent or illegal activity
• Pose a security risk to our Services

12.3 Effect of Termination

Upon revocation, the affected API key can no longer access authenticated Services. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will survive.

13. Modifications to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will provide notice of material changes via email or prominent website notice at least 30 days before changes take effect. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

14. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction where Zero Node is incorporated. Any disputes shall be resolved through:

1. Good faith negotiation
2. Mediation
3. Binding arbitration (if negotiation fails)

You waive any right to participate in class action lawsuits against Zero Node.

15. General Provisions

• Entire Agreement: These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Zero Node
• Severability: If any provision is unenforceable, other provisions remain in effect
• Waiver: Failure to enforce any right does not waive that right
• Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without our consent