Terms of Service

This is a plain-language draft. Have a lawyer review it against the laws you ship under before you rely on it. Bracketed items are placeholders.

These terms cover your use of the Ghost app and this website. By using Ghost you agree to them. If you do not agree, do not use the app.

What Ghost is

Ghost is peer-to-peer messaging software. Messages route directly between devices over an encrypted mesh. We do not operate servers that carry or store your conversations, and there is no account tied to your identity — your identity is a cryptographic key generated on your device.

Eligibility

You must be old enough to form a binding contract where you live (and at least [13 / the local age of digital consent]) to use Ghost.

Your responsibilities

• You control your device and your keys. Because we hold nothing, we cannot reset a lost key or recover lost history — keeping a backup is up to you.
• You are responsible for how you use Ghost and for the content you send.
• Keep your device secured; anyone with access to it can read messages stored on it.

Acceptable use

You agree not to use Ghost to:

• break the law or send content you have no right to send;
• harass, threaten, or harm others;
• attack, overload, or abuse the mesh, relaying peers, or other users' devices;
• attempt to deanonymize, track, or interfere with other people using the network.

Because Ghost is decentralized, enforcement is mostly technical and social rather than something we can do from a server. Misuse may still breach these terms and the law.

Open source and trademarks

The Ghost client is released under the [GPL-3.0] license; your rights to the code are governed by that license. The Ghost name and logo are not covered by the code license — please do not use them in a way that implies endorsement.

No warranty

Ghost is provided “as is,” without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee that messages will always be delivered, that the network will always be available, or that the software is free of defects. Strong privacy is a goal we engineer toward, not a promise against every possible adversary — see the Security page for what that means in practice.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Ghost maintainers are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the app, including lost data or lost messages.

Ending your use

You can stop using Ghost at any time by deleting the app, which erases your local data on that device. These terms stop applying to future use once you do.

Changes and governing law

We may update these terms; the date above shows the latest version. These terms are governed by the laws of [your jurisdiction], without regard to conflict-of-laws rules.

Contact

Questions about these terms? Email [legal@ghost.example].