Terms of Service

These Terms are governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including but not limited to:

• Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA)
• Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA)
• Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA)
• Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020
• Common law principles applicable within South Africa

You consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of South African courts.

• Account — a registered Squids user profile.
• Content — text, media, messages, comments, AI prompts, uploads, and communications.
• AI Services — chatbot or artificial intelligence features integrated into Squids.
• Affiliates — related entities, partners, advertisers, licensors, and service providers.
• User Content — content submitted by users.

You may only use Squids if you meet the following requirements:

• You are at least 13 years old, or the minimum age required under South African law.
• Users under 18 must have parental or guardian consent.
• You are legally capable of entering binding agreements.

We reserve the right to suspend accounts suspected of violating eligibility requirements.

By creating an account, you agree to provide accurate and truthful information, maintain confidentiality of your login credentials, and accept responsibility for all activity conducted under your account.

Squids is not liable for losses resulting from unauthorized access caused by user negligence.

Squids provides a range of services including:

• Social networking features
• User-generated content sharing
• Messaging and communication tools
• AI chatbot services powered partly through third-party AI providers
• Community interaction tools

Services may change, evolve, or discontinue at any time without prior notice.

You retain ownership of content you post. However, by uploading content, you grant Squids a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, and sub-licensable license to host, display, reproduce, distribute, and promote such content for operation of the Platform.

Squids may remove content without notice, suspend or terminate accounts, restrict visibility, and report unlawful activity to authorities. Moderation decisions are final unless required otherwise by law.

All Platform elements including branding, logos, software, design, algorithms, and AI integrations remain the exclusive property of Squids or its licensors.

You may not copy, reverse engineer, or commercially exploit the Platform.

Squids may integrate services provided by affiliates or partners. We are not responsible for third-party websites, external services, advertiser claims, or partner technologies. Your interactions with third parties are solely between you and them.

Squids may display advertisements or sponsored content. Affiliates and advertisers are protected from liability arising from user misuse of services. Users may not manipulate advertising systems or engagement metrics. Fraudulent activity may result in permanent bans and legal action.

The Platform is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE." Squids makes no guarantees regarding uninterrupted service, accuracy of AI outputs, content reliability, or platform security.

Use is entirely at your own risk.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Squids and its affiliates from claims arising out of your content, misuse of services, violation of law, or breach of these Terms.

Use of Squids is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is compliant with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

Under the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020, users must not access accounts without authorization, distribute malware, scrape data unlawfully, or attempt system intrusion.

Violations may be reported to South African law enforcement.

We may suspend or terminate accounts for Terms violations, legal requirements, security risks, or operational decisions. Termination may occur without prior notice.

We may retain data as required by law, for dispute resolution, fraud prevention, and service improvement.

We may modify these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Platform after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. We recommend reviewing this page periodically.

Squids shall not be liable for delays caused by events beyond reasonable control including power outages, internet failures, cyberattacks, governmental actions, or natural disasters.

You consent to receive notices electronically via website announcements, email, and in-app notifications in accordance with the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002.

If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Community Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Squids regarding use of the Platform.