Terms of Service

Welcome to JARanks and JARanks Pulse ("we," "our," or "us"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of our websites, applications, and services (collectively, the "Services"). By accessing or using our Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using JARanks or JARanks Pulse, you agree to these Terms. If you disagree with any part of these terms, you may not access our Services. We may update these Terms at any time, and your continued use constitutes acceptance of changes.

2. Service Description

2.1 JARanks Core Services

JARanks provides a platform for:

• Creating, sharing, and voting on ranked lists
• Category-based content organization
• Community-driven rankings and reviews
• Business profile creation and management

2.2 JARanks Pulse - News & Social Commentary

JARanks Pulse is our news aggregation and social commentary platform featuring:

• Curated news articles from verified RSS sources
• Real-time commenting and discussion threads
• User reactions and engagement features (likes, bookmarks)
• Following system for users and news sources
• Trending topics and personalized content feeds
• Newsletter subscriptions for daily/weekly digests
• Admin and editor-created original content
• Geographic content filtering (Jamaica-focused and global)

3. User Accounts & Registration

3.1 Account Creation

To access certain features, you must register for an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and update your information to keep it accurate
• Maintain the security and confidentiality of your login credentials
• Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use or security breach

3.2 Age Requirements

You must be at least 13 years old to use our Services. If you are under 18, you must have parental or guardian consent. By using our Services, you represent that you meet these age requirements.

3.3 Account Termination

You may terminate your account at any time. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or engage in harmful behavior.

4. User Content & Conduct

4.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of content you post ("User Content"). By posting content, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute your content in connection with our Services.

4.2 Content Standards

You agree not to post content that:

• Violates any laws or regulations
• Infringes on intellectual property rights
• Contains hate speech, harassment, or discrimination
• Includes threats, violence, or self-harm content
• Contains sexually explicit material or nudity
• Spreads misinformation or deliberately false information
• Constitutes spam or unauthorized advertising
• Impersonates others or misrepresents affiliations
• Contains malware, viruses, or harmful code
• Violates the privacy of others

4.3 Comments & Discussions

When participating in Pulse discussions, you must:

• Engage respectfully with other users
• Stay on topic and contribute meaningfully
• Not engage in trolling or inflammatory behavior
• Respect diverse viewpoints and opinions
• Not coordinate inauthentic behavior or brigading

5. Content Moderation & Reporting

5.1 Our Rights

We reserve the right to:

• Remove or refuse to display any User Content
• Suspend or terminate access for violations
• Take down content that violates these Terms
• Cooperate with law enforcement when required
• Implement automated content moderation systems

5.2 Reporting Violations

Users can report content violations through our reporting system. We review reports and take appropriate action, though we do not guarantee removal of reported content.

6. News Content & Attribution

6.1 Third-Party Content

JARanks Pulse aggregates news from third-party sources. We do not own or control this content and are not responsible for its accuracy, completeness, or reliability.

6.2 Source Attribution

All aggregated content includes source attribution and links to original publishers. Users must respect the intellectual property rights of content creators and publishers.

6.3 Fair Use

Our use of third-party content is intended to constitute fair use under copyright law. We display limited excerpts with full attribution and links to original sources.

7. Privacy & Data Use

Your use of our Services is subject to our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and share your information. Key points include:

• We collect data to provide and improve our Services
• We use cookies and similar technologies
• We may share aggregated, non-personal data
• You can control your privacy settings and data visibility
• We implement security measures to protect your data

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Our Property

JARanks and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by us and are protected by international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

8.2 Feedback

Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide about our Services may be used by us without any obligation to compensate you.

9. Prohibited Activities

You may not:

• Use our Services for illegal purposes
• Create multiple accounts for manipulation
• Engage in vote manipulation or artificial engagement
• Scrape, harvest, or collect data without permission
• Interfere with or disrupt our Services
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access
• Reverse engineer or decompile our software
• Use bots or automation without authorization
• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Encourage or enable others to violate these Terms

10. Newsletter & Communications

10.1 Subscription

By subscribing to our newsletters, you consent to receive periodic emails about news, updates, and curated content. You can unsubscribe at any time through the link in our emails.

10.2 Service Communications

We may send you service-related announcements when necessary (e.g., maintenance, security, or policy updates). These are not promotional and you cannot opt out while maintaining an account.

11. Third-Party Links & Services

Our Services contain links to third-party websites and services. We are not responsible for the content, privacy policies, or practices of these third parties. Your use of third-party services is at your own risk.

12. Disclaimers

12.1 "As Is" Service

Our Services are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

12.2 No Professional Advice

Content on our platform is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice (legal, medical, financial, etc.). Always consult qualified professionals for specific advice.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, JARanks and its affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless JARanks, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees, arising from your use of our Services or violation of these Terms.

15. Dispute Resolution

15.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Jamaica without regard to conflict of law principles.

15.2 Arbitration

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of our Services shall be resolved through binding arbitration, except where prohibited by law.

16. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes via email or platform notification. Your continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full effect.

18. Contact Information