Terms of Service (Global)

Last updated: September 2025

Welcome to the Zcash Forum!

Here is a quick overview (TL,DR) of the rules and expectations for using the site posted below. It does not replace the full Terms of Service below — if there’s any conflict, the full Terms apply.

Who Can Use the Forum

You must be at least 13 years old, or the minimum digital consent age in your country.
If you’re under 18 years old, you need a parent or guardian’s permission to use the Forum.

Your Account

You’re responsible for keeping your account secure.
If someone else uses your account, you’re responsible for what they do.
Tell @moderators if you think your account has been compromised.

What You Can Post

You own the content you post, but by posting it you give everyone a license to share it under the Creative Commons license listed in the Terms.

Posts must follow the forums Code of Conduct
Do not post anything illegal, harmful, misleading, or that violates someone else’s rights.
No hate speech, harassment, or abusive material is allowed.
Malware, spam, or impersonation are prohibited.

How We Handle Content

Moderators may remove posts and/or accounts that break the Code of Conduct or the law.

Repeat offenders may have their accounts suspended or banned.

Users can report problematic content, and we’ll review it under U.S. and EU laws.

Intellectual Property

The Zcash Foundation owns its logos, trademarks, and other intellectual property.
You may not use them without permission (except for fair use, like news or commentary).

Copyright Complaints

If you think your copyright has been violated, you can contact us at contact@zfnd.org.
We follow U.S. DMCA rules and EU copyright laws for handling these requests.

Cookies & Privacy

The site uses cookies to function properly and improve performance.
In places where the law requires it (like the EU and UK), we’ll ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies.

Termination & Changes

We may suspend or end your access if you break the rules or laws.
These Terms may change over time. If the changes are significant, we’ll notify you (for example, via the site or email).

Liability

The Forum is provided “as is” — we do not guarantee it will always work perfectly.
We are not responsible for indirect or accidental damages, except where the law says otherwise (such as in cases of fraud, personal injury, or consumer rights).

Disputes

In short: Use the Forum responsibly, respect others, follow the law, and keep your account secure.

Full Terms of Service:

The following terms and conditions govern all use of the Zcash Forum website and all content, services, and products available at or through the website, including but not limited to the Zcash Forum software, Zcash Forums, and Zcash Hosting services (“Hosting”) (together, the “Website”). The Website is owned and operated by the Zcash Foundation (“Zcash Foundation,” “Foundation,” “we,” or “us”).

The Website is offered subject to your acceptance without modification of all the terms and conditions contained herein and all other operating rules, policies (including, without limitation, the Zcash Forum Privacy Policy, Community Guidelines, and Discourse’s Privacy & Cookie Policy) and procedures that may be published from time to time on this site by the Zcash Foundation (collectively, the “Agreement”).
By accessing or using any part of the Website, you agree to be bound by the Agreement. If you do not agree to all of these terms, you may not access the Website or use its services. If these terms are considered an offer by the Zcash Foundation, acceptance is expressly limited to these terms.

The Website is available only to individuals who are at least 13 years old (or the minimum digital consent age in their country of residence, as required by local law). If you are under the age of 18 years old, you may only use the Website with the involvement of a parent or legal guardian.

1. Your Zcash Forum Account

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account and all activities conducted under it. You must notify the Zcash Foundation immediately of any unauthorized use or security breach. We are not liable for any acts or omissions by you, including damages resulting from such acts or omissions.

In compliance with applicable U.S. (COPPA) and EU (GDPR) rules on children’s privacy, users under the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction are prohibited from creating an account without parental consent. We reserve the right to disable accounts that appear to violate this requirement.

2. Responsibility of Contributors

You are solely responsible for the material you post, upload, or otherwise make available (“Content”). By making Content available, you represent and warrant that:
Your Content does not infringe on intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other legal rights of third parties under U.S., EU, or international law.
You have obtained all necessary permissions or licenses to publish the Content.
Your Content complies with applicable third-party license obligations.
Your Content does not contain viruses, malware, or harmful code.
Your Content does not promote hate speech, terrorism, violence, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), harassment, or other unlawful activity as defined by U.S., EU, and international regulations (including the EU Digital Services Act).
Your Content is not spam, misleading, or fraudulent.
Your Content does not misrepresent your identity or affiliation.
Your Content does not violate sanctions or export control laws, including U.S. OFAC restrictions.

3. User Content License

User contributions to the Forum (including posts, comments, and non-code materials) are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). This ensures that content can be freely shared and adapted, provided proper attribution is given and derivative works are distributed under the same license.

If you submit or publish code or software through the Forum (such as plugins, scripts, or patches), you agree that such contributions are licensed under the MIT License, unless you explicitly designate another OSI-approved open source license.

The Zcash Foundation reserves the right, but not the obligation, to remove or refuse any Content that violates our policies or applicable laws, or to suspend or terminate accounts as required under U.S. or EU law (including Digital Services Act “notice-and-action” procedures).

4. Responsibility of Website Visitors

We cannot review all material posted to the Website and disclaim liability for harmful, inaccurate, or unlawful material. Users are responsible for protecting themselves from harmful or illegal Content. Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported by flagging the post or comment in question, contacting an individual moderator or by messaging the moderators as a group (@moderators) on the forum or emailing contact@zfnd.org.

Visitors should be aware that Content may be subject to additional terms under U.S. law (e.g., DMCA), EU law (e.g., GDPR/DSA obligations), or other local frameworks.

5. Content Posted on Other Websites

We are not responsible for third-party websites linked on the Forum. You assume all risks when accessing such external sites.

6. Copyright Infringement and DMCA/EU Copyright Directive

If you believe Content violates copyright, notify us at contact@zfnd.org.
In the U.S., we comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
In the EU, we comply with the EU Copyright Directive and other applicable intellectual property protections.

Repeat infringers may be suspended or permanently banned.

7. Intellectual Property

All Zcash Foundation IP, including logos and trademarks, remain our property. Nothing grants you the right to use them without permission, except for fair use.

8. Changes

We may update these Terms at our discretion. Continued use of the Website after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Agreement. Where required by law (e.g., GDPR, EU Consumer Rights Directive), you will be notified of material changes via a Forum post.

9. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access at any time, with or without cause, as permitted by law. Some common reasons include breach of Terms of Service, Violation of the Code of Conduct , illegal content or inactivity. Accounts may be deleted to comply with data minimization rules (GDPR Art. 5).

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Website is provided “as is.” To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Foundation disclaims all warranties, whether express or implied.
Some jurisdictions (including the EU) do not allow limitations on certain warranties; in those cases, this disclaimer applies only to the extent permitted by law.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Foundation is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages. Our total liability is limited to the greater of $100.00 USD or the minimum amount required under applicable law.
Nothing in these Terms excludes liability where prohibited by law.

12. Legal Compliance

It is your responsibility to comply with laws applicable to you when using the Website. You agree to use the Website in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to:

U.S. laws: COPPA, CCPA/CPRA, DMCA, CAN-SPAM.
EU/EEA laws:
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): including your rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, and port your personal data; and your right to object to processing or withdraw consent at any time.
ePrivacy Directive: prior consent is required for non-essential cookies and similar technologies; refusal of consent will not affect access to essential services.
Digital Services Act (DSA): the Foundation provides mechanisms for reporting illegal or harmful content (notice-and-action) and will act promptly on valid reports; transparency reporting will be made available as required.
Consumer Rights Directive: EU users who qualify as consumers may have a right to withdraw from certain online services within 14 days, unless services have been fully performed prior to withdrawal.
Digital Markets Act (DMA) where applicable.
UK law: UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, and related consumer protection legislation.
International frameworks: Export control laws, anti-terrorism regulations, and UN/ICRC data protection principles.
Users located in the EU/EEA or UK also have the right to lodge a complaint with their local supervisory authority if they believe their data protection rights have been infringed.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Zcash Foundation, its affiliates, officers, employees, and agents from claims and expenses arising from your use of the Website or violation of this Agreement, to the extent permitted by law.

14. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

If you are located in the United States, these Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, U.S.A., under the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), with disputes resolved via arbitration in Wilmington, Delaware, unless prohibited by law.
If you are located in the EU/EEA or UK, these Terms are governed by the laws of your country of residence, and you may bring legal proceedings in your local courts under EU/UK consumer protection regulations.

15. Cookies

The Website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate, secure, and improve the service. Details on how cookies are used can be found in the Discourse Privacy & Cookie Policy.
Where required by law (for example, in the European Union or United Kingdom), non-essential cookies will only be set with your consent. You may withdraw that consent at any time by adjusting your browser or account settings.

16. Miscellaneous

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Zcash Foundation and you concerning the subject matter hereof, and it may only be modified by a written amendment signed by an authorized executive of the Zcash Foundation, or by the posting by the Zcash Foundation of a revised version. Except to the extent applicable law provides otherwise, this Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, U.S.A., excluding conflict-of-law provisions, with venue in Wilmington, Delaware (for U.S. users), or in your local courts (for EU/UK users).

If any part of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining portions will remain in full force and effect. If any provision is invalid, the remainder shall remain in force. A waiver by either party of any breach will not constitute a waiver of any future breach. You may assign your rights under this Agreement to any party that consents to be bound by its terms; the Zcash Foundation may assign its rights without condition. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors, and permitted assigns.