Terms of Service

1. Agreement

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are a contract between you and the operator of Video Blackout (“Video Blackout,” “we,” “us”). They govern your use of https://videoredaction.io, accounts, subscriptions, and the desktop application. The End User License Agreement (“EULA”) also applies to the software. If they conflict on a software-license point, the EULA controls for that point; these Terms control for the website, accounts, and billing.

By creating an account, clicking to accept, paying, downloading, installing, or using the Service, you agree to these Terms, the Privacy Policy, and the EULA. If you use the Service for an organisation, you represent that you have authority to bind that organisation, and “you” includes that organisation.

2. What the Service is (and is not)

• The Service is Windows desktop software plus this website for accounts, payment, and license activation.
• This website is not an online redaction product. We do not accept video uploads, do not process footage in the cloud, and do not operate a browser-based editor.
• Marketing pages (including use-case pages about FOIA, GDPR, bodycam, or CCTV) are educational product descriptions. They are not legal advice, not a playbook that makes a release lawful, and not a certification.

3. Eligibility

You must be able to form a binding contract. You must use the Service only for lawful purposes and only on footage you are authorised to process. We may refuse, suspend, or terminate accounts at our discretion, including for unpaid invoices, abuse, or suspected circumvention of licensing.

4. Accounts

You are responsible for your credentials and for activity under your account. Do not share logins to evade device limits. Notify [email protected] if you believe the account is compromised. We may send transactional email to the address on the account.

5. Subscriptions, devices, and refunds

Paid plans are device-based subscriptions described on the pricing page. A subscription grants a limited license to use the desktop software on up to the stated number of devices, subject to the EULA. Hardware binding is part of the product. Circumventing device limits, virtualisation tricks to multiply seats, credential sharing, or license cracking is a material breach.

• Checkout is processed by third-party payment providers (currently Waffo Pancake as primary and Creem as secondary). Their checkout terms apply to the payment transaction.
• Unless mandatory consumer law says otherwise, fees are non-refundable once a license has been issued or the software downloaded. Digital content often cannot be “returned.”
• If you cancel, access continues until the end of the then-current paid period unless the provider or we state otherwise. We do not prorate except where required by law or we choose to as a courtesy.
• Prices may change at renewal; we will use the notice method the payment provider supports or email on file.
• Unlicensed / free mode, if offered, may watermark, time-limit, or otherwise restrict export. Those limits are not a defect.

6. Your footage and other content

You retain whatever rights you already have in source files, project files, and exports created on your machine. We claim no ownership of your video. You grant us only the limited rights needed to operate the website account (for example, storing your email and license state).

You represent and warrant that: (a) you have all rights, lawful basis, and authority to process the footage (including faces, voices, plates, and other identifiers of third parties); (b) your use will not violate privacy, publicity, data-protection, employment, criminal-procedure, export, or other laws; and (c) you will not use the software to conceal crime, tamper with evidence, or deceive a court, regulator, or records requester except as a lawful redaction authorised by your applicable procedure.

7. No legal advice; no compliance guarantee

We are a software vendor. We are not your lawyer, DPO, FOIA officer, records custodian, or ethics board. Nothing on the website, in the app, in documentation, or in support chat is legal, compliance, or forensic advice. Examples mentioning GDPR, DSAR, FOIA, bodycam, CCTV, HIPAA, research ethics, or “anonymization” describe possible workflows. They do not mean a particular export is lawful, sufficient, irreversible in every scientific sense, or fit for a specific filing.

• We do not warrant that use of the software will satisfy any statute, regulation, court order, consent decree, policy, or contract.
• We do not warrant that auto-detect finds every face, plate, or other object. Lighting, angle, occlusion, resolution, compression, motion, and model limits cause misses and false positives.
• Audio redaction is operator-timed. There is no speech-to-text and no automatic mute of spoken names. A blurred face next to a clear spoken name is still an identity.
• “Anonymization,” “redaction,” and “PII” in the product UI are functional labels, not legal conclusions.
• You must apply your own policy: who stays visible, what must be covered, what the requester is entitled to, and whether a second reviewer is required.

8. Your mandatory review before any disclosure

You agree that before any export is disclosed, published, produced in litigation, released under public-records law, sent to a data subject, given to the press, uploaded to another system, or otherwise leaves your controlled environment, a competent human will review the file (picture and sound) against your legal and policy requirements. Detection is an accelerator, not a substitute for that review. Failure to review is your breach of these Terms and your own professional duty — not a defect we are liable for.

9. Acceptable use

You will not: attack the website or the licensing system; resell subscription seats; use the Service to process child sexual abuse material; or use outputs to harass, dox, or commit a crime. AGPL-3.0 applies to the desktop software. These Terms do not ban copying, redistribution, modification, or reverse engineering of that software. We may investigate and cooperate with law enforcement regarding abuse of the website or licensing systems. We still will not have your local video unless you send it.

10. Disclaimer of warranties

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, QUIET ENJOYMENT, AND ANY WARRANTY THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL BE ERROR-FREE, UNINTERRUPTED, DETECT EVERY IDENTIFIER, PRODUCE IRREVERSIBLE OR COURT-ADMISSIBLE RESULTS, OR MEET YOUR LEGAL OBLIGATIONS.

You assume all risk that an export still contains identifying information, that someone re-identifies a person, that a regulator or requester objects, or that your workflow is later found inadequate. Keep your original files according to your own evidence and records policy; we do not advise destroying originals.

11. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, VIDEO BLACKOUT AND ITS OPERATORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AND SUPPLIERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, COST OF SUBSTITUTE SOFTWARE, FINES, REGULATORY PENALTIES, SETTLEMENTS, ATTORNEYS’ FEES, REPUTATIONAL HARM, OR CLAIMS BY THIRD PARTIES (INCLUDING DATA SUBJECTS, REQUESTERS, DEFENDANTS, THE PRESS, EMPLOYEES, OR REGULATORS), EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY.

WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR: missed or incomplete redaction; residual audio; failed detection; user error; policy error; disclosure of an export you did not adequately review; re-identification; alleged inadequate technical measures under GDPR or similar laws; FOIA or public-records challenges; chain-of-custody arguments; or any decision to release, withhold, or destroy footage.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO US FOR THE SERVICE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM, OR USD 100 IF YOU PAID NOTHING. THESE LIMITS ARE A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF THE BARGAIN AND APPLY TO ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY (CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, STATUTE). SOME PLACES DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS; IN THOSE PLACES, OUR LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED.

12. Indemnification

You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Video Blackout and its operators, officers, employees, and contractors from any claim, demand, loss, fine, or expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your footage, exports, and how you process or disclose them; (b) alleged missed redaction, residual identifiers, or re-identification; (c) your violation of law or third-party rights; (d) your breach of these Terms or the EULA; (e) unauthorised use of your account; or (f) a third party’s claim that they were identified, under-redacted, or wrongly redacted in a file you released. We may assume exclusive defence at your expense. You will not settle a claim that admits fault by us without our prior written consent.

13. Third-party services

Google sign-in, Cloudflare, and payment providers are independent services. Their outages, charges, chargebacks, and privacy practices are not our warranties. Microsoft Store terms, if you download there, may apply in addition.

14. Our intellectual property

The software, website, trademarks, and documentation are owned by us or our licensors. Except for the limited license in the EULA, no rights are granted. Feedback you send may be used freely without obligation to you.

15. Suspension and termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate access for breach, risk, non-payment, or discontinuation of the product. On termination, the license ends; you must stop using the software except for copies of exports you already created (your files remain yours). Sections that should survive (including 6–14, 16–18) survive.

16. Changes to the Terms

We may update these Terms by posting a new version on this page. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance, except where law requires additional consent. If you do not agree, stop using the Service and cancel the subscription through the payment provider.

17. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to the operator of videoredaction.io, excluding conflict-of-law rules. The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply. You and we submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the operator’s principal place of business, except that (a) we may seek injunctive relief in any court for IP or license circumvention, and (b) consumers may have a non-waivable right to sue in their country of residence. Mandatory consumer protections in your country remain if they cannot be waived.

Before filing a claim, you agree to email [email protected] with a description of the dispute and to wait thirty (30) days for an informal resolution attempt, unless injunctive relief is needed.

18. General

• These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and the EULA are the entire agreement and supersede prior terms for the Service.
• If a provision is unenforceable, it is modified to the minimum extent needed, and the rest remains in force.
• Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver.
• You may not assign the contract without our consent; we may assign it in a reorganisation or sale of the business.
• There are no third-party beneficiaries except as stated in the indemnity and limitation clauses.
• Headings are for convenience only.

19. Contact

[email protected]