Terms of Service

Welcome to CUEBES. These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "you") and vaicat B.V., a company incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands, with its registered office at Noordeinde 99B, 2514 GD The Hague, registered with the Dutch Trade Register (KvK) under number 89360672 ("vaicat", "we", "us", "our"). By accessing or using the CUEBES platform ("Platform", "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, accessing, or using CUEBES, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service, our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Platform.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Section 22 explains how changed Terms reach you, with or without an account.

2. Definitions

"Platform" means the CUEBES website at cuebes.com, including all features, applications, services, and APIs.
"Content" means any text, code, images, videos, audio, data, files, or other material uploaded to or generated on the Platform.
"User Content" means Content that you create, upload, post, or transmit through the Platform.
"Codicle" means a Git repository hosted on the Platform.
"CUE" means a discussion post, poll, question, or announcement created within a Cube.
"Cube" means a community group on the Platform.
"Wave" means the video hosting and streaming functionality of the Platform.
"Gist" means a code snippet shared on the Platform.
"E2EE" means end-to-end encryption, where content is encrypted on the client and only decryptable by authorized key holders.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age to use the Platform, and a CUEBES account is only for people aged 18 or older. One exception: mEUvy, and other CUEBES apps used without a CUEBES account, may be used from age 16. By using the Platform, you represent and warrant that you meet the age that applies to how you use it (18, or 16 for those apps without an account) and these eligibility requirements.

We may apply proportionate age-assurance or feature-gating measures to higher-risk features such as direct messaging, group interaction, creator tools, or video uploads. You may not misrepresent your age or attempt to bypass those checks. We will not use age-assurance data for advertising or unrelated profiling.

If you are using the Platform on behalf of an organization, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms, and "you" and "your" will refer to that organization.

4. Your Account

To access most features of the Platform, you must create an account. When you create an account, you agree to:

Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration.
Maintain the security of your account credentials, including any Personal Access Tokens.
Promptly notify us of any unauthorized use of your account.
Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account.

You may not transfer your account to another person without our prior written consent. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that are inactive for an extended period, subject to prior notice.

Your username forms part of your profile URL and repository URLs. Usernames are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis and may not infringe on any trademark or impersonate another person or entity.

5. Platform Services

CUEBES provides a developer-focused platform that includes, without limitation:

Git-based code hosting with multiple privacy tiers (Codicles)
Social features including feeds, profiles, and connections
Community groups (Cubes) with discussions (CUES) and real-time messaging
Video hosting and streaming (Wave)
Academic research tools including publication management, ORCID integration, and peer review
Code snippet sharing (Gists)
Company pages and talent recruitment tools
Integrated apps (EUnify, mEUvy, EUorigin)

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Platform at any time, with reasonable notice where practicable. We will make commercially reasonable efforts to provide advance notice for material changes that affect your stored Content.

6. Codicles (Code Hosting)

Codicles are Git repositories hosted on CUEBES. By using the code hosting functionality, you agree to the following terms:

6.1 Privacy Tiers

You may choose from the following privacy levels for each Codicle:

Public: Visible to all users and indexable by search engines. You grant the Platform a license to display this content publicly.
Private: Accessible only to you and explicitly invited collaborators.

6.2 Personal Access Tokens

Access to Codicles via Git clients requires Personal Access Tokens (PATs). You are responsible for safeguarding your tokens. Treat them as you would passwords. Tokens may be configured with read-only or read-write permissions and optional expiration dates.

6.3 Collaborators

You may invite collaborators to your Codicles. You are responsible for managing collaborator access and ensuring that collaborators comply with these Terms.

7. CUES & Cubes

7.1 Cubes

Cubes are community groups that you may create, join, or administer. Cube creators and administrators are responsible for moderating content within their Cubes in accordance with these Terms and applicable law. We reserve the right to intervene in Cube moderation when necessary to enforce these Terms or comply with legal obligations.

7.2 CUES

CUES are user-generated posts within Cubes, including discussions, questions, polls, and announcements. By posting a CUE, you grant the Platform a license to display and distribute it within the Cube and, where applicable, in feeds of Cube members. CUES may be subject to moderation by Cube administrators and Platform administrators.

7.3 Group Chat

Cubes may include group messaging functionality. Messages sent in group chats are visible to all members of the Cube or designated chat channel. You are responsible for the content of your messages.

8. Wave (Video Platform)

8.1 Creator Requirements

To upload videos to Wave, you must apply for and be approved as a Wave Creator. Creator applications are reviewed at our discretion. We reserve the right to revoke creator status at any time for violation of these Terms.

8.2 Video Content

By uploading videos, you represent that: (a) you own or have all necessary rights to the content; (b) the content does not infringe any third-party rights; (c) the content complies with our Acceptable Use Policy. We may transcode, resize, or adapt your videos for playback optimization.

8.3 Video Privacy

You may set your videos as public, unlisted, or private. Public videos may appear in feeds and search results. You may change your video's visibility settings at any time.

9. Research Platform

9.1 Academic Content

CUEBES Research allows you to upload, share, and manage academic publications, datasets, and research outputs. By uploading research content, you represent that: (a) you have the right to share the material; (b) it does not violate any publisher embargo or exclusive license; (c) author attributions are accurate.

9.2 ORCID Integration

You may connect your ORCID iD to verify your researcher identity. We will access only the ORCID data you explicitly authorize. You may disconnect your ORCID at any time.

9.3 Peer Review

CUEBES supports open peer review. Reviews submitted through the Platform are subject to these Terms and must be constructive, evidence-based, and free from personal attacks. We may remove reviews that violate these standards.

9.4 Research Metrics

We provide research analytics (views, downloads, citations) on a best-effort basis. These metrics are indicative and should not be relied upon as the sole measure of research impact.

10. Gists & Code Snippets

Gists are code snippets shared on the Platform. Public Gists are visible to all users. You retain ownership of your Gists but grant the Platform a license to display and distribute public Gists. You may delete your Gists at any time.

11. Messaging & End-to-End Encryption

11.1 Direct Messages

CUEBES provides end-to-end encrypted direct messaging using a Signal Protocol-inspired implementation (X25519 key exchange with XChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption). Messages are encrypted on your device and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient.

11.2 Encryption Limitations

Because messages are end-to-end encrypted:

We cannot read, access, or recover the content of your encrypted messages.
If you lose your encryption keys (e.g., by clearing browser data without backup), messages cannot be recovered.
We cannot comply with requests to disclose the content of E2EE messages, as we do not possess the decryption keys — the only exception is a specific message a participant has reported to us (see 11.3).
Metadata (sender, recipient, timestamp) is stored server-side and may be disclosed in response to valid legal process.

11.3 Abuse Reporting

Recipients of unwanted or abusive messages may report such messages. When you report a message, your own device submits the decrypted content of that message — which you can already read — to our moderation team for review. We do not (and cannot) decrypt messages ourselves; reported content reaches us only because you, as a participant, choose to share it. The sender's account may be subject to enforcement action.

12. Integrated Apps

CUEBES includes integrated applications developed by vaicat B.V.:

EUnify: A European civic engagement and information tool. Content provided through EUnify is sourced from public EU institutions and is presented for informational purposes only.
mEUvy: A European places, mobility, and work-discovery app. City/country reference data is presented for informational relocation research; any news displayed in mEUvy is sourced from third-party publisher feeds and remains subject to those publishers' terms and copyright; any jobs or recruitment features are adult-only and governed by the applicable recruiter and job-advertising terms.
EUorigin: A European product origin tracker. Product data is provided for informational purposes and may not be fully accurate or up to date.

These integrated apps are governed by these Terms. Additional terms specific to each app may apply and will be presented within the app where applicable.

13. Content & Intellectual Property

13.1 Your Content

You retain all ownership rights in your User Content. By uploading or posting Content to the Platform, you grant vaicat B.V. a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, transmit, display, and distribute your Content solely in connection with operating and providing the Platform. This license is limited to the purposes of delivering the Service and does not grant us the right to sell your Content or distribute it outside of the Platform.

13.2 License Scope

For public Content (public Codicles, public CUEs, public Gists, public Wave videos), the license includes the right to display the Content publicly and make it available to other users. For private Content, the license is limited to storage, backup, and delivery to authorized users only.

13.3 Removal

When you delete your Content, we will remove it from the Platform within a reasonable time. Cached copies, backups, and forks of public Codicles may persist beyond deletion. We are not obligated to return Content to you; you are responsible for maintaining your own backups.

13.4 Platform IP

The Platform, including its design, features, and underlying technology, is owned by vaicat B.V. and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or reverse-engineer any part of the Platform without our express written permission.

13.5 Open Source Code

Code in public Codicles may be subject to open source licenses chosen by the repository owner. Such licenses govern use of that code independent of these Terms.

14. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Platform lawfully, authentically, respectfully, and safely. The full standards — what is permitted and what is prohibited (illegal content, harassment, impersonation, privacy violations, platform manipulation, IP infringement, AI misuse) — are set out in our Community Guidelines, which form part of these Terms by reference.

We reserve the right to investigate and take proportionate enforcement action against any violation — content removal, visibility restriction, feature limitation, suspension, or termination — and to report to law enforcement where required. The full enforcement and appeal process lives in the Moderation & Enforcement Policy.

15. Content Moderation & Digital Services Act

15.1 Reporting Mechanism

In compliance with the EU Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065), we provide mechanisms for users and authorities to report illegal content on the Platform. Reports can be submitted through the in-app reporting feature available on all Content, or by contacting us at the address listed in Section 23.

15.2 Notice-and-Action

Upon receiving a valid notice of illegal content, we will act expeditiously to assess the report and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the content. We will notify the content provider of our decision and the reasons therefor, and inform them of their right to appeal.

15.3 Transparency

We publish annual transparency reports detailing our content moderation activities, including the number of reports received, actions taken, and average response times, in accordance with the DSA.

15.4 Trusted Flaggers

We process reports from trusted flaggers designated under the DSA with priority.

16. Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. Please review our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, which describe how we collect, use, and protect your personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.

17. Fees & Payment

CUEBES currently offers its core features free of charge. We may introduce paid features, subscriptions, or premium tiers in the future. If we do, we will clearly communicate the pricing, billing terms, and any applicable trial periods before charging you. Paid features will be subject to separate payment terms presented at the time of purchase.

If we convert an existing free feature to a paid-only feature, we will email account holders at least 30 days before. In mEUvy without an account, such a change reaches you only through an update of the app.

18. Termination

18.1 By You

You may delete your account at any time through your Settings page. Upon deletion, we will remove your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Public Content that has been forked or referenced by other users may persist in those contexts.

18.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if: (a) you materially breach these Terms; (b) your use poses a security risk to the Platform or other users; (c) we are required to do so by law; (d) your account has been inactive for more than 24 months (with prior notice). We will provide reasonable notice before termination, except where immediate action is necessary to prevent harm or comply with legal obligations.

18.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to access the Platform ceases. We will make your data available for export for 30 days following termination, after which it may be permanently deleted. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will continue to apply.

19. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

19.1 "As Is" Basis

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, vaicat B.V. disclaims all warranties, whether express, implied, or statutory, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

19.2 Service Availability

We do not guarantee that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure at all times. We are not responsible for any loss of data, revenue, or profits arising from service interruptions or technical failures.

19.3 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, vaicat B.V.'s total liability to you for any claims arising out of or related to these Terms or the Platform shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the amounts you have paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim; or (b) EUR 100. This limitation applies to all causes of action, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by our negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; (c) any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law, including under mandatory EU consumer protection law.

20. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless vaicat B.V., its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of: (a) your use of the Platform; (b) your User Content; (c) your violation of these Terms; or (d) your violation of any rights of a third party. This indemnification obligation does not apply to the extent that the claim arises from our own negligence or wilful misconduct.

21. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Netherlands, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of The Hague, the Netherlands.

If you are a consumer in the European Union, nothing in these Terms affects your rights under mandatory consumer protection laws in your country of residence. You may also be entitled to use the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

22. Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms from time to time, for example when the law, the Platform, or the way we handle data changes. We will post the revised Terms on the Platform and update the "Last updated" date. How changed Terms reach you depends on whether you have an account:

Without an account, in mEUvy: changed Terms reach you only through an update of the app. The updated app shows them before anything else, and it stays closed on your device until you accept them. What you downloaded stays on your device, and you can delete it there.
With an account: the same applies when you use mEUvy, and we also email you in advance, at least 30 days before material changes take effect.

If you disagree with the revised Terms, you may stop using the app, or close your account, before they take effect. Your continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

23. Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:

vaicat B.V.
Noordeinde 99B, 2514 GD The Hague, Netherlands
KvK (Dutch Trade Register): 89360672
Email: legal@vaicat.com
Help Center: cuebes.eu/help

For DSA-related complaints and notices of illegal content, please use the in-app reporting feature or contact abuse@vaicat.com.