Terms of Service
The rules of the service, written for the people who use it.
Effective 23 August 2026
By creating an account or using an authenticated feature, you accept these Terms. If you do not agree, you may continue only to the extent public browsing is available. These production terms preserve the substance of the legacy ReadChief terms while removing claims the current service cannot truthfully make.
Part I — Preliminary
1. About ReadChief and these Terms
These Terms form an agreement between you and the operator of the ReadChief service (ReadChief, we, us). They govern the website, applications, APIs, Corners and related services. The Privacy Policy, Community Guidelines, Moderation Policy and published Corner rules are incorporated by reference.
2. Definitions
Content includes posts, comments, media, links, votes, Context Notes, ads, profile text and other material submitted to the service. A Corner is a user-created community. An account is the private service identity linked to a public handle. Anonymous content hides public authorship but remains linked to an account in protected systems.
3. Governing law and jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The dispute process in Part XI applies before court proceedings unless urgent relief, a regulator or applicable law requires otherwise.
4. Eligibility and capacity
You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to accept these Terms. If you use ReadChief for an organisation, you confirm that you have authority to bind it. The service is not directed to children.
Part II — Accounts and access
5. Account registration
Provide accurate registration information, protect your login and recovery methods, and notify us of suspected compromise. You are responsible for activity performed through your account until you report loss of control. You may not sell accounts, automate registrations, evade sanctions or impersonate another person or organisation.
6. Anonymous use — scope and limits
Reading may be available without an account. Authenticated members can choose anonymous public authorship where offered. Anonymous does not mean untraceable: ReadChief retains the minimum account, security and moderation links required to operate safely, prevent evasion and respond to valid legal process.
7. Suspension and termination
We may warn, restrict, suspend or terminate access for a material or repeated breach, serious safety risk, fraud, legal requirement or threat to service integrity. Where appropriate, we will state the policy category and provide an appeal route. You may stop using the service and request account deletion through the Privacy workflow.
Part III — Content and conduct
8. Nature of the platform
ReadChief hosts user-directed discussion and does not endorse every contribution. Ranking, automated checks, moderation and formatting do not make ReadChief the author of user content. We may review, label, limit, preserve or remove content under these Terms.
8.1 Automated processing
The service uses validation, ranking, spam and safety signals to operate feeds and route reviews. Automated signals can be wrong. ReadChief does not promise that paid generative AI reviews every contribution, and qualifying high-impact decisions are subject to the review process described in the Moderation Policy.
9. Licence granted by users
You keep ownership of content you create. You grant ReadChief a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable licence to host, store, reproduce, adapt for technical display, distribute and make that content available as needed to operate, secure, promote and improve the service. The licence ends when content is deleted except for lawful retention, backups, prior shares and enforcement records.
10. Your promises about content
You confirm that you have the rights and permissions needed to submit the content, that it is not materially deceptive, and that its publication and our permitted use will not unlawfully violate another person's privacy, confidentiality, publicity, contract, intellectual-property or other rights.
11. Prohibited content
Do not submit unlawful defamation; harassment; hate; threats; child sexual abuse or exploitation; non-consensual intimate material; exposed private data; fraud; impersonation; malicious code; extremist recruitment; instructions facilitating serious harm; illegal goods or services; spam; undisclosed deceptive promotion; vote manipulation; or content that infringes intellectual property. The Community Guidelines explain how context and enforcement work.
Part IV — Intellectual property
12. ReadChief property
The ReadChief name, logos, interface, original software, policies and service content are protected by applicable intellectual-property laws. Except for rights expressly granted here, no licence is given. You may link to public pages and use ordinary sharing features without implying endorsement.
13. Copyright in user content
Users remain responsible for their submissions. If you believe content infringes your rights, send a notice under section 22. ReadChief may remove repeat infringement and preserve the notice, response and decision.
Part V — Liability and indemnity
14. Platform liability position
The service and user content are provided on an as-is and as-available basis to the fullest extent permitted by law. ReadChief does not warrant that every post is accurate, safe or available, or that moderation will detect every violation. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that applicable law does not permit us to exclude.
15. User indemnification
To the extent permitted by law, you will be responsible for losses, claims and reasonable costs arising from your unlawful content, material breach of these Terms or misuse of another person's rights. We will give reasonable notice of a covered claim and retain control of the defence; you may participate with your own counsel.
Part VI — Data protection
16. Data protection framework
ReadChief processes personal data under applicable Nigerian data-protection law, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. The Privacy Policy describes categories, purposes, providers, safeguards and controls.
17. Lawful basis and sensitive data
Processing may be necessary for contract, legal obligation, legitimate interest, vital interest, public interest or consent, depending on the activity. Do not post another person's sensitive data without a lawful and necessary reason.
18. Data-subject rights
Verified users may request information, access, correction, objection, restriction, portability or deletion, withdraw consent where applicable, and seek qualifying human review. Rights can be limited by safety, freedom of expression, legal claims, another person's rights or other lawful grounds.
19. Retention
Content, account, security, moderation, legal and backup records are retained only for defined operational or lawful purposes. Deletion from active systems may not immediately remove limited backup copies; restored backups remain subject to the deletion record.
20. Cross-border transfers
Service providers may process data outside Nigeria. ReadChief must use appropriate safeguards and review transfer arrangements as providers or regions change.
Part VII — Notices and takedown
21. Moderation philosophy
ReadChief protects candid discussion while acting on specific, credible harm. A disagreement, offence or high report count does not itself prove a violation. Context, evidence, target, public interest and applicable law matter.
22. Content-violation notices
Send a notice to readchieff@gmail.com with the subject CONTENT VIOLATION NOTICE. Include your name and contact details, the exact ReadChief URL, the right or rule involved, a clear explanation, supporting material, and a good-faith statement that the information is accurate and you are authorised to submit it. We may request identity verification, notify the affected user, restrict content during assessment, accept a counter-notice, or decline incomplete or abusive notices. Timelines depend on risk, complexity and legal requirements; no email acknowledgment is a promise of a particular outcome.
Part VIII — Legal cooperation
23. Cooperation with authorities
ReadChief may preserve or disclose records in response to valid legal process and may challenge overbroad requests where appropriate. We do not voluntarily provide private user records merely because someone alleges wrongdoing.
24. Emergency disclosure
Where permitted by law, ReadChief may disclose limited information when it reasonably believes this is necessary to prevent an imminent risk of death or serious physical harm. Requests should identify the emergency, the account or content, the information sought and the legal authority.
Part IX — Particular risks
25. Real persons in stories
Changing a name does not always prevent identification. Before posting allegations about a real person, consider necessity, evidence, privacy, defamation and whether less identifying detail can tell the story. Fictional labels do not cure an otherwise identifiable unlawful claim.
26. Health-related content
Health discussions are user content, not medical diagnosis or emergency care. Do not delay professional help because of a post. Content encouraging dangerous treatment, exploitation or imminent self-harm may be restricted and escalated.
27. Jurisdiction-specific notices
Users remain responsible for laws that apply where they access or publish. Nigerian privacy rights are described in the Privacy Policy. Users in other jurisdictions may have additional non-waivable rights. ReadChief is for adults globally.
Part X — Service disclaimers
28. Availability
ReadChief may change, interrupt or discontinue features for maintenance, security, cost control, law or product development. We do not guarantee uninterrupted operation, permanent storage of every draft or compatibility with every device.
29. Third-party links
Links, embeds, ads and services operated by others are governed by their own terms and privacy practices. ReadChief does not control or endorse them merely by displaying a link. Use caution before sharing credentials, money or personal information.
30. Force majeure
Neither party is liable for delay caused by events beyond reasonable control, including infrastructure failure, natural disaster, war, civil disorder, epidemic, government action or widespread network interruption, while reasonable mitigation continues.
Part XI — Disputes
31. Informal resolution
Before filing a non-urgent claim, email readchieff@gmail.com with your account, the facts, the relief sought and supporting documents. The parties should attempt good-faith resolution.
32. Mediation
If informal resolution fails, either party may propose mediation in Lagos through the Lagos Multi-Door Courthouse or another agreed mediator. Participation and cost allocation remain subject to applicable rules and agreement.
33. Litigation
Where mediation is unavailable, declined or unsuccessful, disputes may be brought before a court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria, subject to any non-waivable right to bring a claim elsewhere.
34. Limitation periods
A claim must be brought within the period prescribed by applicable law. These Terms do not shorten a statutory period where doing so would be unlawful.
Part XII — General
35. Amendments
We may update these Terms for law, safety, provider or product changes. Material updates will be dated and, where appropriate, notified before they take effect. Changes do not retroactively erase rights that already accrued.
36. Severability
If a provision is unenforceable, it will be limited to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions continue.
37. Entire agreement
These Terms and incorporated policies are the agreement about the service and replace prior service terms, without overriding a separate written agreement signed by ReadChief.
38. Waiver
A delay or failure to enforce a provision is not a continuing waiver. A waiver must be clear and applies only to the stated instance.
39. Assignment
You may not transfer these Terms or an account without consent. ReadChief may transfer the agreement with the service, subject to applicable notice and data-protection obligations.
40. No partnership or agency
These Terms do not create employment, partnership, joint venture, fiduciary duty or authority for either party to bind the other.
Operational note: these Terms should be reviewed by qualified Nigerian counsel before they are relied on for a material enforcement or commercial decision.