Terms of Service

1. Provider and scope

These Terms of Service govern the use of publicego, provided by Kai Wersich c/o GAM, Pappelallee 64, 10437 Berlin, Germany ("publicego", "we"). Contact: info@publicego.com.

A free-of-charge service contract is formed when registration is completed. Different terms apply only if we expressly agree to them.

2. Eligibility and account

You may use publicego if you are legally able to enter into this agreement. Where consent from a parent or guardian is required, you may register only with that consent.

Your information must be accurate. You must protect credentials, devices, and recovery keys from third-party access and notify us promptly of suspected unauthorised access. Your account is personal and may not be sold or transferred without our consent.

3. publicego features

publicego lets you create different egos and social contexts, organise contacts in circles, and share content, chats, moments, media, calendar events, polls, reactions, and invitations with selected people. Features and presentation may change as the service evolves.

Visibility depends on your selected circles, memberships, and permissions. Check these settings before sharing. Invitations and Apple Wallet passes may contain access information and should be shared only with their intended recipients.

4. End-to-end encryption and keys

Supported content is end-to-end encrypted on your device. publicego cannot decrypt that content during ordinary operation. Metadata required for delivery, permissions, synchronisation, and security remains processable by the server.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures taking into account the state of the art. However, encryption that is entirely error-free or secure against attack under all circumstances cannot be guaranteed according to the current state of the art. Mandatory statutory warranty, data protection, and liability rights remain unaffected.

You are responsible for storing recovery keys safely and approving new devices only after verification. Lost keys may make content permanently inaccessible. Removed circle members do not receive new keys, but content they previously decrypted or stored cannot technically be recalled from their devices.

5. Your content and rights

You retain your rights in content you submit. You represent that you have the necessary rights and that your use does not infringe third-party rights.

For the term and purpose of the service, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide right to technically store, reproduce, transmit, encrypt, and make your content available to recipients you select. This right is limited to operating publicego and generally ends when the content or account is deleted, subject to technically necessary backups and legal obligations.

We may use feedback about the app without compensation to improve the service, without affecting confidential information or your moral rights.

6. Prohibited use

• illegal, threatening, abusive, discriminatory, or defamatory content, or content that violates privacy, copyright, trade mark, or other third-party rights
• sexual exploitation of minors, non-consensual intimate content, targeted harassment, impersonation, fraud, or incitement to violence
• spam, unsolicited bulk invitations, automated scraping, vote manipulation, or misuse of reporting, contact, and communication features
• malware, bypassing access controls, unauthorised security testing, availability attacks, or attempts to obtain another user’s private keys or data
• advertising or commercial use of the service without our prior consent

7. Reports, moderation, and action

You may report egos, circles, and content. A report sends a separate snapshot of the reported content encrypted for the moderation team. Abusive or knowingly false reports are prohibited.

Where there are specific indications of illegality, material breach, or security risk, we may, after appropriate review, remove or block content, restrict features, limit reach or invitations, or temporarily suspend or terminate accounts. We consider severity, frequency, fault, and the legitimate interests of those involved. Where possible and reasonable, we will explain the reason and available remedies. Immediate action required by law remains unaffected.

8. Availability and changes

We aim to provide a reliable service but do not promise uninterrupted or error-free availability. Maintenance, security action, force majeure, and failures of networks or third-party providers may temporarily restrict the service.

We may change features for an objective reason, including security, legal compliance, technical development, or user needs, provided continued use remains reasonable overall. We will give advance notice of material adverse changes.

9. Term, termination, and deletion

The agreement continues indefinitely. You may terminate it at any time through confirmed account deletion in the app or by emailing info@publicego.com. Removing an individual ego does not automatically delete the entire account.

We may terminate on reasonable notice. Our right to suspend or terminate immediately for good cause remains, especially for serious or repeated breaches. After termination, access ends and data is deleted as described in the Privacy Policy. Export any information you need and secure recovery keys in good time.

10. Liability

We are liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, injury to life, body, or health, under the German Product Liability Act, and to the extent of any express guarantee.

For a slightly negligent breach of an essential contractual obligation, liability is limited to the loss typical for this agreement and foreseeable when it was formed. Essential obligations are those whose performance is necessary for proper execution of the agreement and on which you may ordinarily rely. Liability for other slight negligence is excluded. These limitations also benefit our legal representatives and agents.

For user-provided content, external services, and data loss caused by lost keys or insecure devices, we are liable only under the rules above. Mandatory statutory claims remain unaffected.

11. Changes to these Terms

We may amend these Terms for objective reasons with future effect, including new features or changed legal requirements. We will notify you of material changes in text form or in the app. If a change materially affects your contractual position, we will request renewed acceptance or provide a reasonable right to terminate.

12. Governing law and final provisions

German law applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. For consumers, mandatory protections of the country of habitual residence remain unaffected. Statutory rules on jurisdiction apply.

If a provision is invalid, the remaining provisions remain effective and statutory law applies in its place. The German and English versions are intended to have the same effect; where interpretation differs, the German version prevails to the extent permitted by law.