Terms and conditions of using website

Last Updated: 14/06/2026

1. Introduction and Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to UnlostPaws ("the Platform"). This Platform is hosted, operated, and maintained by Dot Squad Ltd ("the Company," "we," "our," or "us"), a company registered in England and Wales.

By accessing, browsing, or using the Platform, you ("User," "you," or "your") enter into a legally binding agreement with the Company and agree to comply with these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must immediately cease using the Platform.

2. Nature of Service: Voluntary Corporate Initiative

UnlostPaws is provided by Dot Squad Ltd purely as a free, voluntary, and non-commercial public utility (a corporate social responsibility project) to assist the community in reunifying lost pets.

• No Commercial Contract: Because this service is provided free of charge and as a voluntary community initiative, no commercial contract, contract of service, or consumer-trader relationship is established between you and the Company.
• No Guarantee of Uptime or Support: The Company provides this Platform on a voluntary basis and reserves the right to suspend, terminate, or modify the service at any time, for any reason, without notice or liability.

3. Eligibility and Minimum Age

To comply with the UK GDPR and the UK Online Safety Act 2023:

• Minimum Age: The Platform is open to users aged 13 and over. If you are under the age of 13, you are strictly prohibited from creating an account or submitting personal data unless your parent or legal guardian has provided explicit consent and actively supervises your usage.
• Parental Responsibility: Parents or guardians of minors aged 13 to 17 are advised that while the Platform has content moderation, parental supervision is recommended.

4. Online Safety, Moderation, and Reporting (UK Online Safety Act 2023)

UnlostPaws hosts user-generated content (pet photos, locations, and descriptions) and is committed to maintaining a safe environment.

• Safety Models & NSFW Filters: We employ automated machine learning models and filtering technologies to detect and block Not Safe For Work (NSFW) content, spam, and abusive material.
• No Guarantee of 100% Filtering: You acknowledge and agree that automated filtration models are not 100% accurate. Inappropriate, inaccurate, or offensive content may temporarily appear on the Platform before it is flagged and removed.
• Reporting Mechanism: We provide an easily accessible reporting tool on the Platform. If you encounter any illegal, harmful, offensive, or copyright-infringing content, you must report it immediately. We will review and act upon reports on a best-effort basis, subject to volunteer availability.
• Limitation of Liability for Content Exposure: To the fullest extent permitted by UK law, we disclaim all liability for any psychological distress, harm, or offence caused by exposure to user-submitted content prior to its removal.

5. Open Data, Public Information, and Search Indexing

• Public Domain Nature: UnlostPaws is an open platform designed to maximize the visibility of lost pets. When you create an alert, you explicitly acknowledge that your post, including pet descriptions, photos, and approximate last-seen locations, is publicly accessible.
• Third-Party Scraping and Indexing: Because the Platform serves as a public directory, search engines (such as Google or Bing) and third-party web scrapers will index this data.
• Limitations on Deletion: If you delete your alert or account on UnlostPaws, we will remove the data from our active database. However, we have no control over, and accept no liability for, cached copies, archives, search engine results, or third-party databases that may continue to display your data.

6. Intellectual Property and Content Rights

• Ownership: You retain the copyright to any photographs, descriptions, or text you upload to the Platform.
• Waiver and License Grant: By uploading content, you grant us a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, sublicensable license to use, copy, modify, display, and distribute the images and text to facilitate pet matching and promote the platform’s objectives.
• Right to Use Data for AI Training: You agree that anonymized or public pet data and photos uploaded to the Platform may be processed by our automated matching models to improve reunifying accuracy. You waive any claim to compensation or intellectual property rights regarding these technical improvements.
• No Right to Action: You warrant that you have all necessary rights and consents to upload the images (including consent from any individuals captured in photos). You agree to waive all moral rights and covenant not to sue or bring any legal claims against the developer, host, or volunteer operators for copyright infringement or privacy violations regarding your uploaded content.

7. UK GDPR & Data Protection Compliance

We process personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

• Consent: By submitting an alert, you consent to the processing of your contact information (such as email, username, or phone number if provided) and location data to facilitate contact from people who find your pet.
• Minimization: Users are strictly advised not to post highly sensitive personal data (such as precise home addresses or financial details) in public descriptions. Any user doing so does so at their own risk.
• Your Rights: You have the right to access, rectify, or request the erasure of your personal data stored on our servers. To exercise these rights, please delete your post/profile through the user settings or contact us.

8. Open Source and "As-Is" Software Disclaimer

• GitHub Repository: The software code running this Platform is open-source. Any interaction with the code itself is governed by the project's repository license (e.g., AGPL-3.0).
• Self-Hosted and Volunteer-Managed: This website is hosted independently and managed on a voluntary basis. There are no service level agreements (SLAs), uptime guarantees, or support obligations.
• Donations: Any donations made through platforms like "Buy Me a Coffee" are voluntary, non-refundable gifts to support hosting costs and do not create a commercial relationship, contract of service, or expectation of platform availability.

9. Strict Limitation of Liability and Indemnity

• Voluntary Service Exclusion: Since the service is provided free of charge for the public benefit, the exclusions of liability below are deemed reasonable under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.
• General Disclaimer: TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY ENGLISH LAW, DOT SQUAD LTD, ITS AFFILIATES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND VOLUNTEERS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), BREACH OF STATUTORY DUTY, OR OTHERWISE) FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSSES, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, VETERINARY COSTS, OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF:
  1. The success or failure of matching a lost pet;
  2. The behavior, actions, or disputes between users offline or online (including theft, rescue scams, or reward disputes);
  3. The downtime, suspension, or termination of the website;
  4. Accuracy or errors in AI matching models.
• Death or Personal Injury: Nothing in these Terms shall limit or exclude our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, to the extent such exclusion is prohibited under English law.

10. Indemnity

You agree to fully indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Dot Squad Ltd, its directors, officers, employees, and volunteers from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or legal fees arising from your breach of these Terms, your uploaded content, or your interactions with other users.

12. Contact Information

For any legal inquiries, reports of abuse, or GDPR requests, please contact us via the Contact Us form on the website.