📜 Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction

Welcome to Chheila ("Chheila", "we", "us", "our"). Chheila is a social community platform that enables users to share thoughts, connect with communities, post content (text, images, video), interact via direct messaging, participate in discussions, create blogs, share short videos, and build meaningful connections. These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") constitute a binding legal agreement between you ("User", "you", "your") and Chheila regarding your access to and use of the Chheila website, mobile applications (iOS/Android), APIs, and all associated services (collectively, the "Platform").

These Terms incorporate by reference our Privacy Policy, Community Guidelines, and any additional policies or guidelines posted on the Platform. Together, these documents form the complete agreement between you and Chheila. If there is any conflict between these Terms and other policies, these Terms shall prevail unless expressly stated otherwise. By using Chheila, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must refrain from using the Platform.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Chheila in any manner (including browsing, registering an account, posting content, or merely viewing the Platform), you signify your unconditional acceptance of these Terms. If you are using the Platform on behalf of an organization, company, or other entity, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms, and "you" refers to the entity. These Terms apply to all users, including guests, registered members, content creators, community moderators, and administrators.

Chheila may revise these Terms at any time without prior notice. The most current version will always be posted on this page, with the "Last Updated" date indicated. Material changes (e.g., significant modifications to user rights, data practices, or dispute resolution) will be communicated via email to registered users or through prominent in-app notifications at least 30 days in advance. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, your sole remedy is to stop using the Platform and delete your account.

3. Eligibility

You must meet the following criteria to use Chheila:

• Age Requirement: You must be at least 13 years old (or the age of digital consent in your country of residence, whichever is higher). In the European Union, the minimum age is 16 unless parental authorization is obtained. Users under 18 must have permission from a parent or legal guardian. We reserve the right to request age verification documents.
• Legal Capacity: You must not be prohibited from using the Platform under applicable laws (e.g., sanctions lists, sex offender registries).
• Previous Account Actions: You must not have had your account previously terminated by Chheila for violations unless we have given explicit written permission to rejoin.
• No Competitors: You may not access the Platform for the purpose of scraping, copying, or creating a competing service without our prior written consent.

By creating an account, you represent and warrant that all information you provide is accurate, truthful, and current. You agree to update your information promptly if it changes. Chheila may suspend or terminate accounts with false or misleading information.

4. User Accounts

To access certain features, you must create an account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials (username and password) and for all activities that occur under your account, whether authorized by you or not. You agree to:

• Use a strong, unique password not used on other services.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for additional security.
• Notify Chheila immediately of any unauthorized access or security breach by emailing security@chheila.com.
• Log out of your account after each session, especially on shared devices.

You may not create multiple accounts for deceptive purposes, evade suspensions, or artificially inflate engagement. Chheila reserves the right to limit the number of accounts per person or IP address. Accounts that are inactive for more than 24 months may be permanently deleted after notification. You may delete your account at any time via Settings → Account → Delete Account. Upon deletion, your content may be removed from public view, but residual data may persist in backups for up to 90 days as described in our Privacy Policy.

5. Limited License

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, Chheila grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Platform for your personal, non-commercial use. This license does not include:

• Any right to copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works of the Platform's software, design, or content (except your own User Content).
• Any right to use automated scripts, bots, crawlers, scrapers, or similar technologies to extract data from the Platform without our express written permission.
• Any right to reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code of any part of the Platform.
• Any right to resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Platform or any portion thereof.

Any unauthorized use terminates the license granted herein and may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws. Chheila reserves all rights not expressly granted.

6. User Conduct and Prohibited Activities

You agree to use Chheila in a manner consistent with all applicable laws, regulations, and community standards. The following activities are strictly prohibited:

Chheila employs automated moderation (AI) and human review to enforce these rules. Violations may result in content removal, account warnings, temporary restrictions, permanent suspension, or referral to law enforcement. We reserve the right to investigate suspected violations and cooperate with legal authorities.

7. User Content Ownership and License

You retain full ownership of all content you create, post, or share on Chheila ("User Content"). However, by posting User Content, you grant Chheila a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify (for formatting, thumbnails, excerpts), create derivative works (e.g., compilations, highlights), publicly perform, publicly display, and distribute your User Content in connection with operating, improving, promoting, and protecting the Platform. This license continues even after you stop using Chheila, but only to the extent necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our Terms (e.g., retaining flagged content for moderation records).

You represent and warrant that: (a) you own your User Content or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to publish it; (b) your User Content does not infringe any third-party intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights; (c) your User Content complies with these Terms and all applicable laws. You are solely responsible for any legal claims arising from your User Content.

8. Chheila's Intellectual Property

All materials on the Platform that are not User Content are owned by Chheila or its licensors, including but not limited to: the Chheila name, logo, heart-leaf design, graphics, user interface, icons, software code, algorithms, databases, and any text, images, or videos created by Chheila. These materials are protected by copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, reproduce, distribute, display, or create derivative works of Chheila's intellectual property without our prior written consent. The Chheila trademark and logo may not be used in connection with any product or service without permission.

9. Communities, Messaging, and Interactions

Chheila provides community spaces (public groups, private groups, topic-based forums) and direct messaging features. As a user, you acknowledge that:

• Community Moderators: Community leaders may have additional moderation powers (e.g., deleting posts, removing members). Abuse by moderators should be reported to support@chheila.com.
• Private Messages: While we respect privacy, Chheila may scan messages for illegal activity (CSAM, terrorism) using automated systems. End-to-end encryption is available for optional "Secret Chats" but is not enabled by default.
• User Interactions: You are solely responsible for your interactions with other users. We encourage safe practices: meet in public for in-person events, do not share sensitive personal information with strangers, and report harassment immediately.
• No Expectation of Privacy in Public Spaces: Content posted in public communities is visible to anyone, including search engines. Exercise caution.

10. Termination and Suspension

Chheila may, in its sole discretion, suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate your account, with or without notice, for any reason including: (a) violation of these Terms or Community Guidelines; (b) illegal or fraudulent activity; (c) repeated infringement of intellectual property; (d) extended account inactivity; (e) requests by law enforcement; or (f) conduct that poses a security risk or harm to Chheila or its users. You may also terminate your account at any time via account settings. Upon termination, your right to use the Platform ceases immediately. We may retain certain data as required by law or for dispute resolution. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (e.g., indemnification, limitation of liability, governing law) shall survive.

11. Disclaimers of Warranties

YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CHHEILA DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND QUIET ENJOYMENT. CHHEILA DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. ANY CONTENT DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE PLATFORM IS AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED FROM CHHEILA OR THROUGH THE PLATFORM SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN DISCLAIMERS, SO THESE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL CHHEILA, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, PERSONAL INJURY, REPUTATIONAL HARM, OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PLATFORM, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING FROM THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) $100 USD OR (B) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID CHHEILA IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS. CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THESE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Chheila, its affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) your User Content; (b) your violation of these Terms or any applicable law; (c) your violation of any third-party rights, including intellectual property or privacy rights; (d) your use of the Platform in a manner not authorized by these Terms. We reserve the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, and you agree to cooperate with our defense of such claims.

14. Modifications to the Platform

Chheila reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Platform (including features, functionalities, or content) at any time with or without notice. We shall not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Platform. We may also impose limits on certain features or restrict access to parts of the Platform without notice or liability.

15. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. This choice of law does not override any mandatory consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) is expressly excluded.

16. Dispute Resolution and Binding Arbitration

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY – IT AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS. You and Chheila agree to resolve any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform through binding arbitration rather than in court, except that either party may bring individual claims in small claims court if they qualify. Arbitration is conducted on an individual basis; class actions and class arbitrations are not permitted. You waive the right to participate in a class action, class arbitration, or representative action.

The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, in effect at the time of the dispute. The arbitration will take place in Wilmington, Delaware, or via remote means if you request. Each party will bear its own costs, but Chheila will reimburse filing fees up to $300 for claims under $10,000. The arbitrator's decision is binding and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction. To start arbitration, you must send a written notice to legal@chheila.com. For users in the EU, you may also bring claims before local courts under consumer protection laws.

17. Miscellaneous Provisions

• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.
• No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision does not waive that right.
• Assignment: You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our consent. We may assign them without restriction.
• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines, constitute the entire agreement between you and Chheila.
• Force Majeure: We are not liable for delays or failures due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control (e.g., natural disasters, war, internet outages).

18. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, legal notices, or to report violations:

• General Inquiries: support@chheila.com
• Legal Notices: legal@chheila.com
• Abuse Reporting: abuse@chheila.com
• Postal Address: Chheila Legal Department, 123 Digital Harbor, Suite 400, Wilmington, DE 19801, USA

19. DMCA Copyright Policy

Chheila respects intellectual property rights and responds to notices of alleged copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you believe your copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes infringement, please provide our Copyright Agent with:

• A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorized agent.
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed.
• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing (URL or description).
• Your contact information (address, phone, email).
• A statement of good faith belief that use is not authorized.
• A statement that the information is accurate, under penalty of perjury.

Copyright Agent: copyright@chheila.com. Repeat infringers' accounts will be terminated in appropriate circumstances.

20. Survival

Upon termination of these Terms, the following sections shall survive: User Content License (as limited), Chheila's Intellectual Property, Disclaimers, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Governing Law, Arbitration, and Miscellaneous provisions. Any obligations that accrued prior to termination also survive.