Terms of Use

1. Operator and contact information

OpenTribes is operated by Hei Long Chan, a sole proprietor carrying on business as OpenTribes, at 23 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario M2N 0C8, Canada. Legal and support email: opentribes.app@gmail.com.

2. Eligibility and Canada-only launch

You must be at least 18 years old, legally able to enter into a contract, and located in Canada to create an account or use OpenTribes. You may not use the service if we previously suspended or terminated you for violating these Terms.

If you act for a store, event organizer, business, or other organization, you confirm that you have authority to bind it to these Terms. In that case, “you” includes both you and that organization.

3. Accounts and account security

• Provide accurate, current information and keep it updated.
• Keep your password and device secure, and promptly tell us about suspected unauthorized access.
• Do not impersonate another person, create deceptive accounts, transfer an account, or use another person's account without permission.
• You are responsible for activity through your account unless it results from a failure for which OpenTribes is legally responsible.

4. The OpenTribes service

OpenTribes provides tools for collectors to build binders and wishlists, publish listings, discover possible matches, communicate, arrange in-person exchanges, and discover or participate in events. The launch service is free. No paid plan, payment processing, shipping, authentication, insurance, or escrow is offered at launch.

Features may change as the service develops. We will give reasonable notice of material changes when practical. Any future paid feature will have separate price and purchase disclosures before you are charged.

5. User-to-user trades

OpenTribes provides communication and discovery tools. We are not a buyer, seller, dealer, auctioneer, broker, agent, payment processor, authenticator, insurer, shipping provider, or party to any user-to-user exchange.

You decide whether, where, and how to trade. Before exchanging an item, independently check its identity, authenticity, condition, value, ownership, and suitability. OpenTribes does not guarantee any user, item, listing, message, match, or completed trade.

• At launch, use OpenTribes only for free, in-person item-for-item exchanges. Do not request or send payment through the service.
• Meet in a well-lit public place, consider bringing another adult, inspect items before exchanging, and leave if you feel unsafe.
• Do not post or send a home address, financial credentials, government identification number, or other unnecessary sensitive information.
• Report suspected scams, counterfeits, threats, or unsafe behaviour and contact emergency services when there is an immediate danger.

6. Events, organizers, and community groups

Events may be submitted or operated by independent organizers. Unless we clearly say that an event is operated by OpenTribes, we do not organize, endorse, supervise, insure, or guarantee it. Confirm the date, location, accessibility, admission rules, cancellations, and safety information with the organizer.

An organizer must have authority to publish the event and all related names, logos, posters, photos, venue details, and other materials. The organizer is responsible for accurate information, timely updates, lawful operation, required permits and insurance, attendee safety, and compliance with venue rules and applicable law.

Community groups and their posts, comments, replies, reactions, and live chats are independently created by members. A public-group review checks whether a group may appear in discovery; it is not an endorsement. Group owners and moderators must respond to reports, remove prohibited content, restrict abusive members, avoid misleading “official” claims, and respect blocks and privacy choices. OpenTribes may remove content or suspend any group or member.

7. Your content and permissions

You keep ownership of photos, listings, messages, profile information, event materials, submissions, and other content you provide (“User Content”). You give OpenTribes a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, format, transmit, display, and moderate User Content only as reasonably needed to operate, secure, improve, and enforce the service. This licence includes allowing our service providers to process the content for those purposes.

The licence ends when the content is deleted from our active systems, subject to reasonable backup cycles, legal obligations, safety records, and content another user independently copied or re-shared. We will not use your User Content in advertising or public marketing without separate permission.

You confirm that you own your User Content or have all permissions needed to provide it and grant this licence. For images, recordings, contact details, or other information about another person, you must have that person's permission and respect their privacy and publicity rights.

8. Prohibited content and conduct

• Fraud, scams, counterfeits, stolen property, deceptive descriptions, or manipulation of trust or reputation features.
• Harassment, hate, threats, stalking, sexual exploitation, graphic violence, doxxing, or encouraging self-harm or illegal activity.
• Impersonation, unauthorized use of another person's image or information, or infringement of copyright, trademark, privacy, or other rights.
• Selling or requesting illegal or regulated goods, money transfers, payment credentials, or off-platform schemes that create material safety or fraud risk.
• Spam, unauthorized commercial messages, scraping, bots, malware, reverse engineering where prohibited by law, security testing without written permission, or interference with the service.
• Evading a block, suspension, safety control, age rule, or geographic restriction.

9. Moderation, reporting, and blocking

We may investigate reports; preserve relevant evidence; limit distribution; remove content; restrict features; suspend or terminate accounts; warn other users when appropriate; and make disclosures permitted or required by law. We may act immediately where we reasonably believe there is fraud, illegality, danger, or a serious breach of these Terms.

Reports are not guaranteed to be anonymous, and we do not promise a specific review time. We limit disclosure of a reporter's identity where reasonably possible, but may disclose information when needed to investigate, protect a person, respond to legal process, or comply with law. Blocking and reporting tools reduce contact but cannot guarantee that a person will not encounter you elsewhere.

You may ask us to review a moderation decision by emailing opentribes.app@gmail.com with your username and relevant details. We may decline repeated, abusive, or clearly unsupported requests.

10. OpenTribes intellectual property

OpenTribes and its original software, branding, designs, and content are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by applicable law. These Terms give you a limited, personal, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the service for its intended purpose. They do not transfer our intellectual property to you.

To report copyright, trademark, impersonation, or unauthorized-photo concerns, follow our Copyright & Takedown process or email opentribes.app@gmail.com. We may request additional verification.

11. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information. It forms part of your use of OpenTribes but does not reduce any rights you have under applicable privacy law.

12. Third-party services and app stores

OpenTribes relies on third-party services such as Apple, Google, Firebase, Google Maps, Gmail, and Expo. Their services and content may be governed by their own terms and privacy policies. OpenTribes is not responsible for an independent third party's service, outage, or content except to the extent required by law.

If you download the iOS app from Apple, Apple's Standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement applies to the licence for the app unless a valid custom EULA is provided in App Store Connect. These Terms govern the OpenTribes account and service. Apple is not responsible for providing OpenTribes support or operating the service.

13. Suspension, termination, and account deletion

You may stop using OpenTribes at any time and may request account deletion through the in-app control or by emailing us. We may suspend or terminate access, with or without advance notice as reasonably appropriate, if you breach these Terms, create risk or legal exposure, or if the service is discontinued.

On account deletion, the licence to use the service ends. We will delete or de-identify associated personal information and User Content according to the Privacy Policy, subject to information we must retain for legal, fraud-prevention, dispute, security, or safety purposes and content another user independently holds.

14. Availability and disclaimers

To the maximum extent permitted by law, OpenTribes is provided “as is” and “as available.” We do not promise uninterrupted or error-free operation, permanent storage, a particular match or audience, the accuracy of user or organizer content, or that a user, item, venue, or event is safe, authentic, lawful, or suitable.

Use reasonable judgment and keep independent copies of important information. Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty, condition, remedy, or other right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

15. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, OpenTribes will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or loss of profits, goodwill, opportunity, data, or property arising from the service, an event, another user, or a user-to-user exchange.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability for claims connected with the service will not exceed the greater of CAD $100 and the amount you paid directly to OpenTribes for the service during the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim.

These limits do not apply to fraud, wilful misconduct, gross negligence, personal injury or death caused by negligence, or any liability or consumer right that applicable law does not allow us to limit.

16. Responsibility for claims

If you use OpenTribes for a business or as an event organizer, you will defend and indemnify OpenTribes and Hei Long Chan against third-party claims, losses, and reasonable costs arising from your event, business activity, User Content, infringement of another person's rights, or violation of law or these Terms, except to the extent caused by our own breach, negligence, or wilful misconduct. This section does not limit non-waivable consumer rights.

17. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable there, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Subject to any mandatory right to bring a claim elsewhere, disputes must be brought in the courts located in Ontario.

Before filing a claim, please email us and give both sides a reasonable opportunity to resolve it informally. These Terms do not require arbitration, waive class-proceeding rights, or waive rights that cannot be waived under applicable consumer law.

18. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. We will post the updated version and effective date and provide reasonable advance notice of material changes, normally at least 30 days when practical. We will request renewed acceptance if required by law or if a change materially expands your obligations. Changes apply prospectively unless law requires otherwise.

19. General terms

If a provision is unenforceable, it will be limited or removed only as much as necessary and the remaining provisions will continue. Our delay in enforcing a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them as part of a reorganization, sale, or transfer of the service, subject to applicable privacy law. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and any additional terms presented for a specific feature form the agreement between you and OpenTribes about the service.