Terms of Service

1. What CommUnity OS is — and is not

CommUnity OS is civic infrastructure. It provides information, templates, and tools for community participation. It is not a law firm, not a medical practice, and not an official government service. Using CommUnity OS does not create an attorney-client relationship, a doctor-patient relationship, or any professional advisory relationship with the platform operator, with any Operator that deploys CommUnity OS, or with any Lead who administers a channel.

2. No legal advice. No medical advice.

Information and templates on CommUnity OS are general information, not advice on your specific situation. Laws vary by state and by fact pattern. Deadlines vary. A template may not fit your situation, and using one may not protect your rights. Before you send a legal letter, submit a dispute, or take any action with legal consequences, you should consult a licensed attorney. Before you rely on any health information, consult a licensed health care provider.

3. Who you are to us

You use CommUnity OS without creating an account. You choose a display name; you provide a ZIP code. We do not ask for your real name, email, or phone number. We do not try to identify you. See the Privacy Notice for full detail.

4. Your content

When you post something (a proposal, a comment, a generated letter you choose to share), you own the copyright in what you wrote. You give the platform operator a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to (i) display your content on the platform; (ii) reproduce and distribute it within the CommUnity OS federation; (iii) translate and format it; (iv) modify it for moderation purposes; and (v) sublicense these rights to Operators and Leads for the same purposes. You can ask us to remove your content at any time by contacting the channel's Lead or emailing [email protected].

Content you enter into template forms (dispute letters, benefits screeners, and similar) never leaves your browser and is not covered by this license — it is not content you have posted.

5. What you agree not to do

You will not (a) post content that is false, defamatory, harassing, or unlawful; (b) impersonate another person; (c) use the platform to stalk, threaten, or expose other users; (d) upload content that infringes someone else's copyright or other rights; (e) attempt to circumvent the platform's security or privacy features; (f) use the platform to collect or aggregate other users' information.

6. Dispute-letter generator

If you use the dispute-letter generator, you select the template and the statute. You enter all the facts. The platform formats your letter. The platform does not choose which law applies to your situation. The platform does not check whether your claim is legally valid or timely. The platform does not substitute for an attorney. See the disclaimer shown before letter generation.

7. Copyright

CommUnity OS publishes first-party content only. The platform does not host user-generated content, file uploads, or third-party postings in its V43 release. If you believe content on the platform infringes your copyright, contact [email protected] and describe the concern. We will review and respond.

8. No repeat-infringer policy applicable

Because the platform does not accept user submissions in V43, there is no user-access termination policy to publish under 17 U.S.C. § 512(i). This may change in a later release; if so, the terms will be updated before user-submission features are enabled.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the platform operator's aggregate liability to you under these terms is limited to $100. The platform operator is not liable for (i) any consequential, special, or punitive damages; (ii) any harm arising from your use or misuse of the dispute-letter generator or any other tool; (iii) any act or omission of an Operator or Lead.

10. Not available in certain places

The platform is offered to users in the United States. It is not directed to users in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland. If you are under 13, do not use the platform.

11. Jury-trial waiver; venue

You and the platform operator each waive trial by jury in any dispute arising from these terms. Venue for any dispute is the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, or the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The platform operator is an Illinois limited liability company; its registered agent and filing are on public record with the Illinois Secretary of State (SOS file #1774294414921913), which is sufficient for service of process.

12. Changes

We may update these terms. We will notify users by a prominent site banner for at least 30 days before updates take effect. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the updated terms.

13. How you accept

Before you file a dispute, post a proposal, generate a letter, or vote for the first time, you will see this message:

By clicking "Agree and continue," you confirm that you have read and agree to the CommUnity OS Terms of Service and Privacy Notice.

☐ I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Notice.
[Agree and continue]

You must check the box and click the button to proceed.