TERMS OF USE -- meshbay.org Last updated: 8 September 2026 1. PURPOSE These terms govern the use of MeshBay, private-group software available from meshbay.org and the applications derived from it. The service is made available free of charge by a private individual, personally and on a non-professional basis, with no commercial purpose. Creating an account or installing a node constitutes acceptance of these terms. 2. HOW IT WORKS -- AND WHY IT DECIDES YOUR OBLIGATIONS 2.1 The meshbay.org server handles accounts, the group directory and the technical introduction between participants. It keeps none of the data exchanged within groups. 2.2 A "node" is software you install on your own machine. Data exchanged within a group is kept on the machine of the participant hosting that group. 2.3 Whoever hosts a group chooses the features active within it and the people who take part. This division is not theoretical: it determines who is able to delete a piece of data, and who answers for it. 3. ACCOUNT 3.1 You provide a valid email address and choose a passphrase. It protects your keys: no copy of it is held, and it cannot be reset on your behalf. 3.2 You are responsible for keeping your credentials confidential and for activity carried out from your account. 3.3 The service is not intended for people under 15 years of age. 3.4 An account can be deleted from the settings. Deletion is refused while the account still owns groups: transfer or delete them first. What survives deletion is described in 6.4. 4. USER UNDERTAKINGS 4.1 You undertake not to use the service to upload, exchange or make available unlawful data, including: data infringing copyright or related rights, illegal pornography, incitement to hatred or violence, terrorist content, or invasions of privacy or image rights. 4.2 You undertake not to harass others, impersonate anyone, distribute malware, or attempt to reach a group you were not invited to. 4.3 You undertake not to attack the infrastructure: intrusion, denial of service, circumvention of limits, or exploitation of a vulnerability for any purpose other than responsible disclosure. 4.4 End-to-end encryption makes exchanges technically inaccessible to the person responsible for the site. It relieves you of no legal obligation. 5. IF YOU HOST A GROUP This section applies only to users who install a node. It states obligations that fall on you directly, and which you should be aware of before you start. 5.1 Data uploaded to a group you host is kept on your machine. You answer for it, including data coming from participants you invited. 5.2 You must promptly remove any manifestly unlawful data reported to you. Nobody else can: your machine is accessible only to you. 5.3 Your node keeps an access log (IP address and action) retained for 365 days. That log contains personal data; you are its data controller under the GDPR, with the corresponding obligations. 5.4 You choose which folders on your machine are made available to the group. Check them before sharing them. 5.5 The availability of your node depends on your hardware and your connection. No guarantee is given in that respect. 6. PERSONAL DATA 6.1 What the server keeps: username, email address (encrypted at rest), account status and role, group membership, node registrations, session tokens, notifications, blocklist. 6.2 What the server does not keep: the data exchanged within groups, its names, its content, nor any private key. 6.3 What the server nonetheless knows, and which must be stated plainly: who takes part in which group, when nodes connect, and that a message was posted in a group, at what time and by which account -- without knowing its content. This is inherent to how notifications work. 6.4 Account deletion: the username is released, the email address and password hash are erased, memberships, notifications and tokens are removed. Two things survive: the connection IP log, retained for one year under statutory retention obligations, and the data held on other participants' machines, which is not under the control of the person responsible for the site. Deleting your account is not an erasure request to the participants hosting the groups you took part in: it must be addressed to them directly. 6.5 Legal bases: performance of the contract for account management; legal obligation for the IP log; legitimate interest for service security. 6.6 Your rights of access, rectification, erasure, objection, restriction and portability may be exercised at contact@meshbay.org. You may lodge a complaint with the CNIL. 7. REPORTING AND MEASURES 7.1 Manifestly unlawful data may be reported to abuse@meshbay.org. 7.2 An account may be suspended or deleted, and a group removed from the directory, in the event of a breach of these terms. 7.3 Data held on a participant's machine cannot be deleted by the person responsible for the site. The report is passed to that participant, who alone is able to act. 7.4 Measures taken may be contested at meshbay.project@gmail.com. 8. NO WARRANTY 8.1 The service is provided "as is", free of charge, without warranty of availability, continuity or freedom from error. 8.2 The service is under active development. Interruptions, format changes and data loss are possible. Keep your own copies of anything you care about. 8.3 No backup is performed: data resides on participants' machines. 8.4 To the extent permitted by law, the person responsible for the site is not liable for indirect damage, loss of data or unavailability of the service. Nothing here limits liability for gross negligence or wilful misconduct. 9. WHAT IS PROTECTED, AND WHAT IS NOT 9.1 Exchanges within a group are encrypted. The keys are not held by the person responsible for the site. 9.2 That encryption protects against access to a node's storage by a third party not holding the keys. It does not protect against the participants in the group themselves, nor against whoever hosts that group: they hold the key, by construction. 9.3 The server knows the information described in 6.3. These limits are stated because they are real. A broader promise would be inaccurate. 10. CHANGES These terms may be amended. Substantial changes are signalled in the application. Continued use constitutes acceptance. 11. GOVERNING LAW French law. In the event of a disagreement, an amicable solution will be sought at contact@meshbay.org. Failing that, the French courts have jurisdiction.