Terms of Service

Last Updated: March 14, 2026

Welcome to Comentr. By creating an account or accessing our services, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. If you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has reviewed and consented to these Terms on your behalf.

2. Your Account and Identity

2.1. Account Standing

Our platform operates on a reputation-based system called Standing. Your ability to perform certain actions (e.g., creating threads, creating forums, or voting) is gated by your Standing Tier (NEWCOMER, MEMBER, TRUSTED, PARAGON).

  • Earning Standing: You earn standing through positive contributions and adherence to rules.
  • Losing Standing: Violations of System or Community rules will lower your Global or Local standing, potentially restricting your access to features.

2.2. Account Security

You are responsible for safeguarding your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. We employ an "Immune System" to detect compromised accounts; unusual activity (e.g., sudden location changes or mass posting) may trigger a temporary Protective Lock requiring re-verification. You must notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access.

2.3. Anonymity and Handles

You have a single Global Account but may choose different Community Handles for specific communities to maintain pseudo-anonymity. However, your Global Account remains liable for all actions taken under any handle. "Anonymous" posting features hide your identity from the public but not from the system or administrators for enforcement purposes.

3. Content and Conduct

3.1. Rule Hierarchy

You are subject to two layers of rules:

  1. System Rules (Tenant Laws): Immutable rules applicable everywhere (e.g., No Spam, No Illegal Content, No Harassment). Violating these harms your Global Standing.
  2. Community Rules (House Rules): Custom rules defined by the creators of specific forums (e.g., "No Memes", "Spoilers"). Violating these harms your Local Standing within that community.

3.2. Content Ownership and License

You retain ownership of the content you create. By posting, you grant Comentr a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, sublicensable license to display, distribute, store, and format your content for the purpose of operating and promoting the platform. This license continues for as long as your content remains on the platform and terminates upon deletion of that content (subject to reasonable caching and backup retention periods, and any legal obligation to preserve records).

3.3. Prohibited Behavior

You may not:

  • Engage in brigading or coordinated harassment.
  • Exploit multiple accounts to manipulate voting or standing.
  • Post automated spam or malware.
  • Use the reporting system to harass others ("Report Abuse").
  • Circumvent suspensions, bans, or rate limits.
  • Impersonate other users, moderators, or administrators.
  • Scrape, crawl, or bulk-download content except as permitted by our robots.txt or a written agreement.

4.1. Repeat Infringer Policy

We will terminate the accounts of users who are repeat copyright infringers.

4.2. Takedown Notices

If you believe content on Comentr infringes your copyright, you may submit a takedown notice to our designated agent:

DMCA Agent: Comentr LLC
Email: [email protected]

Your notice must include:

  1. Identification of the copyrighted work.
  2. Identification of the infringing material and its location on the platform.
  3. Your contact information.
  4. A statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorized.
  5. A statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate and you are the rights holder or authorized to act on their behalf.
  6. Your physical or electronic signature.

4.3. Counter-Notices

If your content was removed and you believe the takedown was in error, you may submit a counter-notice with the information required under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g).

5. Moderation and Enforcement

5.1. Judicial Model

We use a "Judicial" moderation model.

  • Suspensions: A single moderator may issue short-term suspensions to stop immediate harm.
  • Bans: Durable or permanent bans require Quorum (consensus) from multiple neutral moderators. Single moderators cannot unilaterally ban you permanently without oversight.

5.2. Public Audit Logs

To ensure fairness, moderation actions (bans, thread removals) are logged in a Public Audit Log. Your privacy is protected (reporter identities are hidden), but the fact that an enforcement action occurred is public record.

5.3. Appeals

If you believe a sanction was unjust, you may file an appeal in the designated Appeals Forum. Appeals are reviewed by neutral parties (Jurors or Admins) not involved in the original decision.

6. Privacy and Data

6.1. Data We Collect

We collect information you provide (account details, content you post) and information generated by your use of the platform (standing scores, reporter reliability scores, view events). For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

6.2. View Tracking

We count views on threads to highlight trending content. This process is privacy-preserving; we aggregate view counts by country and time but do not maintain a persistent log of which threads you specifically visited.

6.3. Reliability Scoring

Your reporting history is analyzed to generate a Reporter Reliability Score. If you consistently file false or abusive reports, your future reports may be quietly de-weighted or ignored. This score is not publicly visible.

6.4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following bases:

  • Contract performance — to operate your account and deliver the service.
  • Legitimate interest — to detect abuse, maintain platform integrity, and generate aggregate analytics.
  • Legal obligation — to comply with applicable laws, court orders, or regulatory requirements.

6.5. Your Data Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, port, or restrict processing of your personal data. To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.

6.6. Third-Party Services

We use third-party providers for infrastructure, analytics, and content delivery. These providers process data on our behalf under agreements that require them to protect your information. We do not sell your personal data.

7. Termination

7.1. User-Initiated

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings. Deletion proceeds in two stages:

  1. Soft Delete — your account is deactivated and your profile is hidden. During a 30-day recovery window you may reactivate your account.
  2. Hard Delete — after the recovery window, your account data is permanently and irreversibly deleted.

Content you posted in public threads may be retained in anonymized form (attributed to "deleted user") to preserve thread coherence, unless you request full content removal.

7.2. Platform-Initiated

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that repeatedly violate System Rules or drop below minimum Global Standing thresholds. Where practicable, we will provide notice and an opportunity to appeal before permanent termination.

8. Disclaimers and Limitations

8.1. No Warranty

The platform is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

8.2. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Comentr and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, revenue, or profit, arising out of or related to your use of the platform. Our total aggregate liability for any claim shall not exceed USD $100.

8.3. User Content

We do not endorse, verify, or assume responsibility for any content posted by users. You interact with other users and their content at your own risk.

9. Dispute Resolution

9.1. Informal Resolution

Before filing a formal dispute, you agree to contact us at [email protected] and attempt to resolve the matter informally for at least 30 days.

9.2. Binding Arbitration

Any dispute not resolved informally shall be resolved by binding arbitration under the rules of JAMS, conducted in California. You agree to arbitrate on an individual basis; class actions and class arbitrations are not permitted.

9.3. Exceptions

Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction for matters involving intellectual property, data security, or unauthorized access.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by email and an in-platform banner at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree, you may delete your account before the changes take effect.

11. General Provisions

11.1. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

11.2. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force.

11.3. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any community-specific rules, constitute the entire agreement between you and Comentr regarding your use of the platform.

11.4. No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

11.5. Assignment

You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.

12. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at:

Email: [email protected]