Terms of Use
Lifeline is free, open-source software provided to help people communicate when conventional networks are unavailable. These terms govern your use of the app, the protocol, and this website. Please read them alongside the software's open-source license.
1. Acceptance of these terms
By downloading, installing, or using Lifeline, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, do not use the software.
2. Software license
The Lifeline source code is released under an open-source license, published in the project repository. Your rights to use, copy, modify, and distribute the software are granted by that license. In the event of any conflict between these terms and the software license with respect to the source code, the open-source license governs the code.
3. Acceptable use
You agree not to use Lifeline to:
- Violate any applicable law or the rights of others.
- Distribute malware, or attempt to disrupt, degrade, or attack the mesh or its participants.
- Harass, threaten, or harm others, or transmit content you are not legally permitted to send.
- Misrepresent the origin of messages or impersonate others in a way intended to deceive.
Because Lifeline is decentralized, there is no central operator who can moderate content or intervene in communications. You are solely responsible for how you use the software and for the content you send.
4. Participating in the mesh
When you run Lifeline, your device may relay other participants' encrypted traffic toward its destination as part of how the network operates. This relayed traffic is opaque to you and is handled automatically. You acknowledge that participating in the mesh involves your device carrying and forwarding data it did not originate and cannot read, and that this is fundamental to the software's purpose.
5. No warranty
Lifeline is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, reliability, availability, or non-infringement. Delivery of messages over an opportunistic, infrastructure-free mesh is inherently best-effort and cannot be guaranteed.
6. Emergency use
7. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, the project's authors, contributors, and maintainers shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages, or for any loss arising from your use of or inability to use the software — including any failure or delay in the delivery of a message, or any consequence of an undelivered communication. Your use of the software is at your own risk.
8. Compliance with law
You are responsible for ensuring that your use of Lifeline, including the use of radio transmissions, encryption, and communications features, complies with the laws and regulations that apply to you in your jurisdiction. Legal requirements vary by country and location.
9. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms as the project evolves. The current version will always be available here with its "last updated" date. Continued use of the software after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
10. Contact
Questions about these terms? Reach us via the contact page or the project's discussions.