Open Civic Systems — Legal Document
| Organization | Open Civic Systems (OCS) — 501(c)(3) nonprofit |
| Platform | Factkeeper (factkeeper.org) |
| Version | 1.0 |
| Effective Date | [January 2026] |
| Last Reviewed | [January 2026] |
| Approved By | OCS Board of Directors |
These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and Open Civic Systems, a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation ("OCS," "we," "us," or "our"), governing your access to and use of Factkeeper (factkeeper.org) and all related services, features, and content (collectively, the "Service").
By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service.
These Terms incorporate by reference the following documents, which you also agree to by using the Service:
In the event of a conflict between these Terms and incorporated documents, these Terms shall control unless the incorporated document explicitly states otherwise.
You must be at least 16 years old to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent that you meet this requirement and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.
Factkeeper is a platform for community-managed historical archives ("Chronicles"). OCS provides the technical infrastructure, software, and support services; Chronicle communities provide the content and curation.
The Service is provided on an "as available" basis. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may:
The Service includes optional artificial intelligence features for document analysis. These features:
To contribute content, you must create an account. You agree to:
You are solely responsible for all activity under your account, whether or not authorized by you. OCS is not liable for any loss or damage arising from unauthorized use of your account.
By You: You may delete your account at any time through account settings or by contacting us at support@opencivicsystems.org.
By Us: We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Grounds for termination include, but are not limited to:
Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive (including Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8).
Submissions are provided as tips to assist Chronicle curation. By submitting:
Chronicle Content is created by Chronicle users (reviewers, curators, and administrators), not by OCS. OCS provides the platform and infrastructure; Chronicles and their contributors provide the content.
Responsibility: Each Chronicle is responsible for the content it publishes. OCS does not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy of Chronicle Content. The views and assertions in Chronicle Content are those of the contributors, not OCS.
License to OCS: By creating Chronicle Content, contributors grant OCS a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to host, display, preserve, and sublicense the content as part of the Service. This license ensures long-term preservation regardless of individual contributor or Chronicle status.
Custodianship: OCS serves as custodian of Chronicle Content to ensure its preservation. This custodial role does not make OCS the author or publisher of the content. OCS may refuse to delete Chronicle Content in furtherance of its archival mission, but this retention is as custodian, not creator.
By contributing as a registered user (reviewer, curator, or administrator), you grant the Chronicle and OCS a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use your User Contributions as part of the Chronicle's historical record.
User Contributions include, but are not limited to:
You acknowledge that your contributions may be further edited, combined with others' work, or used as the basis for additional curation by other users. This is similar to how Wikipedia editors contribute to articles that may be edited by others and are held by the Wikimedia Foundation, not individual editors.
OCS maintains a shared reference database of public figures ("System People Database") aggregated from public records, government sources, and other publicly available information. This database is provided as a reference tool for Chronicle use.
Chronicles may link their events to System People records but cannot modify them. Chronicles may also create their own people records within their Chronicle space.
The System People Database is provided "as is" without warranty of accuracy or completeness. Users should independently verify information before relying on it. OCS is not the original source of this information and does not warrant its accuracy.
For Anonymous Submitters:
Submissions contain no personally identifying information. There is nothing to delete. Tracking IDs cannot be used to remove submissions that have been processed into Chronicle Content.
For Registered Users:
You may request deletion of your account at any time. Upon deletion:
What We Will Not Do:
Historical archives exist to preserve the record. This is fundamental to the Service's purpose.
Chronicle Administrators and Curators may export Chronicle Content at any time using the built-in backup tools.
If a Chronicle initiates a formal exit process (transfer, sunset, or archival), eligible users will be notified and given a minimum of 90 days to export Chronicle Content before any access restrictions take effect. See the Chronicle Exit Policy for detailed procedures.
Exports include Chronicle Content but exclude other users' personal information and cached third-party content.
The Service, including its software, design, logos, and documentation (excluding Chronicle Content), is owned by OCS or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws.
The Factkeeper platform software is released under open-source licenses as specified in its source code repositories.
"Open Civic Systems," "Factkeeper," and associated logos are trademarks of OCS. You may not use these marks without our prior written permission, except as necessary to accurately describe or reference the Service.
If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, please send a notice to:
Open Civic Systems
Attn: Copyright Agent
[Address]
Email: legal@opencivicsystems.org
Your notice must include:
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
OCS does not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy of Chronicle Content. Historical records may contain errors, omissions, biases, or outdated information. You should independently verify any information before relying on it.
The Service may contain links to or integrations with third-party services (including AI providers). We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or practices of third-party services.
Nothing in the Service constitutes legal, financial, medical, or other professional advice. Consult appropriate professionals for specific situations.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OCS AND ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND VOLUNTEERS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY:
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OCS'S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF:
THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS SECTION REFLECT THE ALLOCATION OF RISK BETWEEN YOU AND OCS AND ARE AN ESSENTIAL BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN US. OCS WOULD NOT PROVIDE THE SERVICE WITHOUT THESE LIMITATIONS.
SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. IN SUCH JURISDICTIONS, OUR LIABILITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless OCS and its directors, officers, employees, and volunteers from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to:
OCS reserves the right to assume exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, at your expense.
Before filing any formal proceeding, you agree to contact us at legal@opencivicsystems.org and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least thirty (30) days.
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.
Any legal action or proceeding arising from these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Orange County, California. You consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.
TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEEDINGS WILL BE CONDUCTED ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT IN A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION.
Any claim arising from or related to these Terms or the Service must be filed within one (1) year after the claim arose, or it is permanently barred.
OCS reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. We are a young organization and the Service is evolving; these Terms will evolve with it.
We will provide notice of material changes by:
Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any modification constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the Service.
If modifications materially affect Chronicle operations, we will provide at least sixty (60) days notice and, where feasible, opportunity to comment before changes take effect.
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Code of Conduct, and other incorporated documents, constitute the entire agreement between you and OCS regarding the Service.
If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force.
Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision.
You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights hereunder without our prior written consent. OCS may assign these Terms without restriction.
These Terms do not create any third-party beneficiary rights, except that OCS's directors, officers, employees, and volunteers are intended third-party beneficiaries of the indemnification and limitation of liability provisions.
OCS shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, labor disputes, government actions, or internet disruptions.
For questions about these Terms, contact:
Open Civic Systems Email: legal@opencivicsystems.org Website: opencivicsystems.org
For general support: Email: support@opencivicsystems.org
For Code of Conduct issues: Email: conduct@opencivicsystems.org
| Version | Date | Summary of Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | [January 2026] | Initial adoption |
Effective Date: [January 2026]