TERMS OF SERVICE

Effective Date: 4/10/2025

Welcome to Relative, your gateway to responsible and balanced news. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Relative mobile application ("App") and its related services ("Services"). By using the App, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not access or use the App.

1. ELIGIBILITY

You must be at least 13 years old to use the App. If you are under 18, you confirm that you have parental or guardian consent. The App is currently available only to users in the United States.

2. USER REGISTRATION

  1. You must register using a valid phone number. This serves as your unique identifier and login method.
  2. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your device and any authentication codes sent to it.
  3. Account sharing or unauthorized use of another user's credentials is prohibited.

3. FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY

  1. You may browse, follow, and save articles aggregated from third-party news sources.
  2. If you choose to follow a topic or article cluster, you may receive push notifications when updates occur, subject to your iOS notification settings.
  3. The App displays article content via direct links to original publishers. We do not modify or editorialize this content.

4. ACCEPTABLE USE

  1. You agree not to misuse the App or Services in any way, including but not limited to:
    • Attempting to disrupt or compromise security features
    • Scraping, copying, or redistributing article content at scale
    • Impersonating others or misrepresenting your identity
  2. You may not upload or post any content, as the App does not support user-generated submissions.
  3. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

5. THIRD-PARTY CONTENT AND COPYRIGHT

The App aggregates news articles, headlines, images, and other media from third-party publishers. All such content remains the sole property of the respective publishers or content creators. Relative does not claim ownership over any third-party content and does not modify or alter the original material. All articles are displayed via direct links to the original sources, and users are encouraged to visit the original publishers for the full content.

By using the App, you acknowledge that all third-party content is protected by applicable intellectual property laws and agree not to reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from such content without the express permission of the original copyright holders.

6. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

  1. All proprietary components of the App, including the Relative name, logo, and software infrastructure, are owned by Relative or its licensors.
  2. You may not reproduce, modify, or distribute any part of the App without prior written consent.

7. THIRD-PARTY CONTENT

The App includes links to third-party news content. Relative is not responsible for the accuracy, legality, or reliability of external sources. Viewing or interacting with third-party websites is done at your own risk.

8. DATA & PRIVACY

We collect and use personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Key practices include:

Your data is not sold to third parties. We take steps to safeguard your privacy but cannot guarantee complete security.

9. INFRASTRUCTURE & STORAGE

The App runs on secure cloud infrastructure. While specific vendors are not disclosed publicly, we may provide this information if legally required.

10. ACCOUNT TERMINATION & DELETION

You may request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting support@relative.news. Deletion requests are processed in a timely manner, in accordance with applicable laws.

11. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Relative shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from your use of the App or reliance on its content. The App is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind.

12. MODIFICATIONS TO TERMS

We may revise these Terms at any time. Updates will be reflected with a new effective date. Continued use of the App after such updates constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. DMCA & COPYRIGHT CLAIMS

If you believe that any content available through the App infringes your copyright or the rights of a third party, please send a notice to our designated copyright agent at legal@relative.news. Your notice must include all information required under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), including a physical or electronic signature, identification of the copyrighted work, identification of the infringing material, and your contact details.

14. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

15. CONTACT

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these Terms, please reach out to us at legal@relative.news.