Terms of Service

1. Introduction & Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to GuidelightIQ. By accessing or using the website located at https://www.guidelightiq.com and any associated services, applications, or platforms (collectively, the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and GuidelightIQ ("Company," "we," "us," or "our").

If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service.

By clicking "I agree," creating an account, or otherwise accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, as well as our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.

2. Description of Service

GuidelightIQ is a family-oriented security platform designed to help users organize, store, and share encrypted references to important accounts, documents, and information. The Service may include, but is not limited to:

• Secure vault creation and management for storing account references and important information
• Zero-knowledge encryption for protecting sensitive data fields
• Vault sharing capabilities with trusted family members and contacts
• Contact management and invitation systems
• Document organization and categorization tools
• Security features including multi-factor authentication and session management

The Service is provided for personal, family, and organizational use and is not intended to replace professional legal, financial, medical, or other expert advice.

3. Eligibility & User Accounts

3.1 Age Requirements

You must be at least 18 years of age, or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction, to create an account and use the Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements.

3.2 Account Registration

To access certain features of the Service, you must create an account. When registering, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and promptly update your account information
• Keep your login credentials secure and confidential
• Not share your account with any other person
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access or use of your account

3.3 Account Responsibility

You are solely responsible for all activities that occur under your account. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to maintain the security of your account credentials, including your master password or encryption keys.

4. Subscription Plans & Payment Terms

4.1 Service Tiers

GuidelightIQ may offer various subscription tiers, which may include:

• Free Tier: Basic features with limited storage and functionality
• Individual Plan: Enhanced features for single users
• Family Plan: Features designed for household use with multiple family members
• Business Tier: Advanced features for organizational use

The specific features, limitations, and pricing for each tier will be displayed on our website and may be updated from time to time.

4.2 Billing & Payment

For paid subscription plans:

• Subscriptions are billed on a recurring basis (monthly or annually, as selected)
• Payment is processed through our third-party payment provider at the beginning of each billing cycle
• You authorize us to charge your designated payment method for all applicable fees
• All fees are quoted and charged in U.S. dollars unless otherwise specified
• Prices are subject to change with 30 days' prior notice

4.3 Automatic Renewal

Paid subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless you cancel before the renewal date. You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings.

4.4 Refunds

Subscription fees are generally non-refundable except as required by applicable law or as expressly stated in these Terms. If you cancel a subscription, you will continue to have access to the paid features until the end of your current billing period.

4.5 Free Trials

We may offer free trial periods for certain subscription tiers. At the end of a free trial, your subscription will automatically convert to a paid subscription unless you cancel before the trial ends. We will notify you before any charges are applied.

5. Data, Privacy & Security

5.1 Privacy Policy

Your use of the Service is governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information. The Privacy Policy is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

5.2 Zero-Knowledge Encryption

GuidelightIQ employs zero-knowledge encryption for vault item fields. This means:

• Your sensitive vault data is encrypted on your device before being transmitted to our servers
• We do not have access to your encrypted vault item fields
• Only you and those you explicitly share with can decrypt your vault contents
• We may have access to certain metadata, such as item names, for functionality purposes

5.3 Data Ownership

You retain all ownership rights to your data. By using the Service, you grant us a limited license to store, process, and transmit your data solely to provide the Service to you.

5.4 No Data Selling or Sharing

We will not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for their marketing purposes. We may share data only as described in our Privacy Policy, such as with service providers necessary to operate the Service or as required by law.

5.5 Data Loss

Due to our zero-knowledge encryption model, if you lose your master password or encryption keys, we cannot recover your encrypted data. You are solely responsible for maintaining secure backups of your credentials and recovery information.

6. Acceptable Use & Prohibited Conduct

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You may not:

• Use the Service for any illegal, fraudulent, or unauthorized purpose
• Store, transmit, or share content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, other users' accounts, or any related systems or networks
• Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service
• Upload or transmit viruses, malware, or other harmful code
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any portion of the Service
• Use automated systems, bots, or scripts to access the Service without our express permission
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Violate any applicable local, state, national, or international law or regulation

We reserve the right to investigate and take appropriate action against anyone who violates these provisions, including suspending or terminating accounts and reporting to law enforcement authorities.

7. Intellectual Property Rights

7.1 Our Intellectual Property

The Service and all content, features, and functionality thereof—including but not limited to software, code, text, graphics, logos, trademarks, icons, images, audio, video, and the design, selection, and arrangement thereof—are owned by GuidelightIQ or our licensors and are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

7.2 Limited License

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for your personal, non-commercial purposes.

7.3 Restrictions

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, or transmit any content from the Service without our prior written consent, except as expressly permitted by these Terms.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, GUIDELIGHTIQ DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

• IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT
• WARRANTIES THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS
• WARRANTIES REGARDING THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH THE SERVICE
• WARRANTIES THAT THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OR EXPECTATIONS

YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED FROM GUIDELIGHTIQ OR THROUGH THE SERVICE CREATES ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL GUIDELIGHTIQ, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AFFILIATES, SUCCESSORS, OR ASSIGNS BE LIABLE FOR:

• ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES
• ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES
• ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE
• ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR DATA OR TRANSMISSIONS
• ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICE

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU HAVE PAID TO US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100.00).

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES OR DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN SUCH JURISDICTIONS, OUR LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

10. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless GuidelightIQ and its officers, directors, employees, agents, affiliates, and licensors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your violation of these Terms; (b) your use of the Service; (c) your violation of any third-party rights, including intellectual property or privacy rights; or (d) any content you submit, post, or transmit through the Service.

11. Third-Party Links & Services

The Service may contain links to third-party websites, applications, or services that are not owned or controlled by GuidelightIQ. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites or services.

Your use of third-party websites and services is at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of those third parties. We strongly advise you to read the terms and privacy policies of any third-party websites or services you visit.

12. Termination

12.1 Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us or through your account settings. Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease.

12.2 Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including but not limited to:

• Breach of these Terms
• Conduct that we determine, in our sole discretion, is harmful to other users, us, or third parties
• Non-payment of applicable fees
• Requests by law enforcement or government agencies
• Extended periods of inactivity

12.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your rights to access the Service will cease immediately. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including but not limited to ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnification, and limitations of liability.

13. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

13.1 Governing Law

These Terms and your use of the Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

13.2 Informal Dispute Resolution

Before initiating any formal dispute resolution proceeding, you agree to first contact us and attempt to resolve any dispute informally. Most disputes can be resolved quickly and to your satisfaction through informal means.

13.3 Binding Arbitration

If we cannot resolve a dispute informally, you and GuidelightIQ agree to resolve any claims relating to these Terms or the Service through final and binding arbitration, except as set forth below. The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, as modified by these Terms.

13.4 Class Action Waiver

YOU AND GUIDELIGHTIQ AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

13.5 Exceptions

Notwithstanding the above, either party may bring an individual action in small claims court or seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement of intellectual property rights.

14. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify or replace these Terms at any time at our sole discretion. If we make material changes, we will provide notice by:

• Posting the updated Terms on the Service with a new "Last Updated" date
• Sending you an email notification (if you have provided an email address)
• Displaying a prominent notice within the Service

Your continued use of the Service after any changes to the Terms constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the new Terms, you must stop using the Service.

15. General Provisions

15.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other legal notices or agreements published by us on the Service, constitute the entire agreement between you and GuidelightIQ regarding the Service.

15.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

15.3 Waiver

No waiver of any term or condition of these Terms shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or any other term. Our failure to assert any right or provision under these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

15.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights hereunder without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms without restriction.

15.5 Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations under these Terms due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, embargoes, acts of civil or military authorities, fire, floods, accidents, strikes, or shortages of transportation, facilities, fuel, energy, labor, or materials.

16. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us at: