Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using The Settlement Project ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2. Description of Service

The Settlement Project is a community-driven archive for documenting historical settlements, residency records, and the connections between ancestors and their neighbours. Users may contribute records, evidence, and biographical information to help build a shared historical resource.

3. User Contributions

By submitting content (records, biographies, evidence, images, or other materials), you confirm that:

• You have the right to share the content.
• The content is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
• You grant The Settlement Project a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display and distribute your contribution as part of the archive.

4. Stewardship Responsibilities

When you create a residency record, you become its Steward. As a Steward you are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of that record, reviewing suggested edits in good faith, and ensuring the record does not contain defamatory or false information.

5. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Post knowingly false, misleading, or defamatory information.
• Upload content that infringes the intellectual property rights of others.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to other users' accounts or the platform's systems.
• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose.

6. Privacy

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

7. Content Removal

We reserve the right to remove any content that violates these Terms or that we reasonably believe is harmful, inaccurate, or inappropriate. Users may request removal of records about themselves by contacting us through the feedback form.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content contributed by users. Historical records are inherently uncertain and should be treated as community-sourced research rather than authoritative fact.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Settlement Project shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service.

10. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

11. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please reach out via the feedback form.