TERMS OF SERVICE

1. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS

By accessing and using VantageVault ("Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and all applicable laws and regulations in the Netherlands and the European Union. If you do not agree with these terms, you are prohibited from using the Service.

2. THE SERVICE & ZERO-KNOWLEDGE PROTOCOL

VantageVault provides a client-side encrypted storage platform. You acknowledge and agree that:

• Encryption happens on your device before data is transmitted to our servers.
• We do not store or have access to your plaintext password or decryption keys.
• If you lose your password and your recovery code, we cannot recover your data. VantageVault is not liable for any data loss resulting from forgotten or lost credentials.
• You are responsible for keeping your recovery code safe. It is shown only once at account creation.

3. USE LICENSE

Permission is granted to use the VantageVault software for personal or commercial data storage. This is a license grant, not a transfer of title. Under this license, you may not:

• Attempt to decompile or reverse engineer any security protocols or software contained in the Service;
• Use the Service for any illegal storage or transmission of prohibited content;
• Automate access to the Service (bots, scrapers, or scripted clients) without express written permission;
• Remove any copyright or proprietary notices from the materials.

4. RATE LIMITING & ABUSE PREVENTION

To protect the integrity and availability of the Service for all users, we enforce rate limits on authentication and upload endpoints. You agree to the following:

• You will not attempt to circumvent, bypass, or spoof rate limiting mechanisms, including by rotating IP addresses, using proxies or VPNs with the intent to evade restrictions, or scripting repeated requests.
• Your IP address is temporarily processed by our systems solely to enforce these rate limits. This processing is automatic, short-lived (records are purged on a rolling 15-minute window), and does not result in your IP address being stored, logged, or associated with your account identity beyond this window.
• Accounts or IP addresses found to be engaged in brute-force attacks, credential stuffing, automated account creation, or other abusive behaviour may be blocked or permanently banned without notice.
• VantageVault reserves the right to temporarily restrict access from IP addresses or ranges associated with known abuse, even if no violation has yet occurred, where there is a reasonable security basis for doing so.

5. PROHIBITED CONDUCT

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Store or distribute malware, ransomware, spyware, or any software designed to cause harm;
• Store content that is illegal under Dutch or international law, including but not limited to child sexual abuse material (CSAM);
• Engage in phishing, fraud, or impersonation of other users or organisations;
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service or its infrastructure without authorisation.

VantageVault reserves the right to terminate accounts found in violation of these terms without notice or refund.

6. USER ACCOUNTS & SECURITY

You are solely responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. You agree to notify us immediately at contact@vantagevault.dev if you suspect any unauthorised access to your account. Do not share your password or recovery code with anyone, including VantageVault staff — we will never ask for them.

7. DISCLAIMER

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis during the beta period. VantageVault makes no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the absolute invulnerability of the Service to all possible cyber threats, though we employ industry-standard encryption (AES-256) and follow security best practices. As a beta product, you acknowledge that bugs or unexpected behaviour may occur.

8. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

To the maximum extent permitted by Dutch law, VantageVault shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages (including loss of data, profits, or business interruption) arising out of the use or inability to use the Service. This includes data loss resulting from forgotten passwords or recovery codes, which cannot be recovered under our Zero-Knowledge architecture.

9. MODIFICATIONS TO THE SERVICE

VantageVault may revise these Terms at any time. Where changes are material, we will notify users by email or via an in-app notice before they take effect. By continuing to use the Service after changes are posted, you agree to be bound by the updated Terms.

10. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms and any dispute arising from your use of the Service shall be governed by the laws of the Netherlands. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in the Netherlands for any legal proceedings arising from these terms.

11. TERMINATION

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate access to our Service for users who violate these Terms, engage in abusive behaviour, or threaten the security and integrity of the platform. Upon termination, your encrypted vault contents will be deleted in accordance with our data retention policy.

12. CONTACT

Questions regarding these Terms should be directed to:
contact@vantagevault.dev