Terms of Service

By downloading, installing, or using The Ground Truth mobile application (the “App”) or website at thegroundtruth.io (the “Site”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the App or Site.

The Ground Truth is an evidence recording platform that enables users to create tamper-evident, GPS-tagged video recordings with cryptographic hash chain integrity. The Platform stores, organizes, and facilitates the sharing of recordings for documentation, journalism, and evidentiary purposes.

There is no minimum age to record with the App. Recording is a protective function and is available to anyone, including without an account.

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If we learn that we have, we will delete it.

You must be at least 18 years old to publish a recording to the public feed, or to use the Trustee and emergency release features. These features require an account and an affirmation that you are 18 or older.

To access certain features, you must create an account. You agree to: provide accurate, current, and complete information; maintain the security of your account credentials; notify us immediately at support@thegroundtruth.io of any unauthorized account access; and accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account.

The Platform offers Free, Pro ($8/month), Team ($40/month), and Developer ($99/month) plans. Subscriptions are billed through Stripe. You may view your plan, update payment details, or cancel at any time through the billing portal in your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. If we later offer subscriptions through the Apple App Store, those purchases will be billed by Apple and subject to Apple's terms and refund policy. We will provide at least 30 days' notice of any pricing changes.

Permitted uses: lawful recording of interactions for personal documentation, evidence preservation, journalism, and civil rights purposes.

Prohibited uses: recording in jurisdictions or circumstances where doing so is illegal; using the App to harass, stalk, threaten, or intimidate any person; attempting to reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the App; circumventing any security or cryptographic features; uploading malware or harmful code; creating child sexual abuse material (CSAM); using automated bots or scrapers; and reselling or sublicensing access to the Platform.

We reserve the right to terminate accounts that violate these restrictions.

You are solely responsible for compliance with all applicable recording consent laws in your jurisdiction. In many U.S. states and foreign countries, recording conversations without the consent of all parties is illegal. The Platform's GPS-based consent guidance is informational only and does not constitute legal advice. We disclaim all liability for legal consequences arising from your use of the App.

You retain full ownership of all recordings you create. By uploading recordings, you grant us a limited license to store, transmit, and process your recordings solely for providing the App's services.

You may not use the App to create, store, or transmit child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In compliance with 18 U.S.C. § 2258A, we will report any known instances of CSAM to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Recordings are private by default. Nothing you record is publicly visible unless you take an explicit action to publish it. You may unpublish a recording at any time.

Publishing requires an account and an affirmation that you are at least 18 years old. Recording does not.

Publication is gated on an automated content scan. Recordings that do not clear this scan are not published to any public surface. We do not generally screen or review the content of private recordings, and we do not endorse any recording or the views expressed in it. We are not the author or publisher of user content.

We detect, remove, report, and preserve child sexual abuse material as described in Section 8. We also remove content that violates these Terms upon notice, including valid legal process and verified reports.

Any user may report published content to us. We review reports and act on them, including removal of violating content, within a reasonable time.

The Trustee and emergency release features, including the Dead Man's Switch, require an account and an affirmation that you are at least 18 years old. You are solely responsible for the accuracy of trustee contact information you provide and for informing your designated trustees of their role. The Ground Truth makes no guarantees regarding trustee notifications or emergency release delivery. System failures, incorrect contact information, or service outages may prevent successful notification.

The Dead Man's Switch and emergency release features are provided as-is. The App is NOT a substitute for calling 911 or other emergency services.

Publishing to the public feed is restricted to account holders aged 18 or older. Recordings you choose to publish or make public may appear in the Platform's public feed and may be included in corroborated event clusters based on geospatial and temporal proximity. Do not publish recordings you wish to keep private.

You retain full ownership of recordings you create. By using the Platform, you grant The Ground Truth a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store, process, and serve your content solely to operate the Platform.

The Platform's software, design, trademarks, and all other intellectual property are owned by Jovanni Godina. You may not copy, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works from Platform software without written permission.

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY REGARDING THE EVIDENTIARY ADMISSIBILITY OF RECORDINGS IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING — ADMISSIBILITY IS DETERMINED SOLELY BY THE APPLICABLE COURT OR TRIBUNAL. YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE GROUND TRUTH SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF DATA OR LOSS OF RECORDINGS.

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO US IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR (B) $100.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Jovanni Godina and The Ground Truth from any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: your use of the Platform; your recordings or the content thereof; your violation of these Terms; or your violation of any applicable law or third-party rights.

We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Platform at any time for violation of these Terms or for any other reason at our discretion, with or without notice. You may terminate your account by contacting support@thegroundtruth.io. Sections 12, 13, 14, and 15 survive termination.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles. Disputes shall be resolved in San Mateo County, California.

CLASS ACTION WAIVER: YOU AND THE GROUND TRUTH 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 CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

Your use of the App is governed by our Privacy Policy at https://www.thegroundtruth.io/privacy.

We may modify these Terms at any time. For material changes, we will provide at least 14 days' notice via the Platform or by email. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

For questions about these Terms, contact us at:

Email: support@thegroundtruth.io Website: thegroundtruth.io

© 2026 Jovanni Godina. All rights reserved.