← Back to Cru
POLICY 2: TERMS OF SERVICE
POLICY 2: TERMS OF SERVICE
Full Legal Shield Version
2.1 Introduction
2.1.1 CRU ("Platform") is owned and operated by Cruvels Private Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of India, having its registered office at: Building bearing No.19/35, V456, First Floor, Mount Road, Little Mount, Chennai-600015, Tamil Nadu, India.
2.1.2 These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of CRU.
2.1.3 By accessing or using the Platform, you agree to be legally bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must discontinue use immediately.
2.2 Eligibility
2.2.1 You must be 18 years or older.
2.2.2 By creating an account, you represent and warrant that you meet this requirement.
2.2.3 The Company reserves the right to suspend accounts that violate eligibility criteria.
2.3 Nature of Platform – Intermediary Status
2.3.1 CRU is an intermediary platform under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
2.3.2 The Platform:
• (a) Does not initiate transmission of User Content
• (b) Does not select recipients of User Content
• (c) Does not modify User-generated Content except for lawful moderation compliance
2.3.3 The Company acts as a neutral intermediary and is entitled to safe harbor protections subject to applicable law.
2.3.4 CRU shall not be liable for third-party information, data, or communication links made available on the Platform, provided that:
• (a) The Company observes due diligence
• (b) The Company removes unlawful Content upon obtaining actual knowledge or upon being notified by the appropriate government or its agency
2.3.5 Platform Curation and Ranking:
CRU may rank, prioritize, label, and adjust visibility of Content using rule-based algorithms, including the Civic Credibility Score system, to enforce Community Guidelines, promote quality discourse, and maintain platform integrity. These operational measures are content-neutral, do not favor any political ideology, and do not convert CRU into a publisher of User Content.
2.3.6 Content moderation actions, including removal, visibility reduction, and labeling, are undertaken in good faith for safety, legal compliance, and policy enforcement, and do not constitute editorial control that would affect intermediary protection.
2.3.7 Users acknowledge that CRU is a neutral technology platform and does not endorse political parties, candidates, public policies, or ideological positions expressed by Users.
2.4 User Accounts
2.4.1 Users must:
• (a) Register using valid mobile number and OTP verification
• (b) Provide accurate information
• (c) Maintain account confidentiality
2.4.2 You are responsible for all activity under your account.
2.5 User-Generated Content
2.5.1 Users may post debates, opinions, comments, and political content.
2.5.2 By posting content, you:
• (a) Retain ownership of your content
• (b) Grant CRU a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, and distribute such content
• (c) Confirm the content does not violate any law
2.6 Prohibited Content
2.6.1 Users shall not post Content that:
• (a) Violates Indian law
• (b) Is defamatory
• (c) Incites violence
• (d) Promotes terrorism
• (e) Contains hate speech
• (f) Violates intellectual property rights
• (g) Contains unlawful political funding or advertising
• (h) Impersonates individuals or institutions
• (i) Spreads knowingly false information presented as fact
• (j) Attempts to artificially manipulate reputation metrics, engagement signals, or Civic Credibility Score through bots, coordinated inauthentic behavior, or synthetic interactions
2.6.2 Users are solely responsible for factual claims made about identifiable individuals or organizations. CRU does not verify the accuracy of User-generated statements and acts only as an intermediary platform.
2.6.3 The Company may remove, restrict, or limit visibility of Content in good faith for safety, legal compliance, platform integrity, and enforcement of platform policies.
2.7 Civic Discourse & Political Content
2.7.1 CRU supports broad civic discourse including discussions on governance, public policy, community issues, and political topics.
2.7.2 Political discussions are permitted as one category of civic content.
2.7.3 Sponsored political advertisements (where applicable) must:
• (a) Clearly disclose sponsor identity
• (b) Comply with Indian law, including the Representation of the People Act, 1951
• (c) Not mislead Users
2.7.4 CRU does not endorse political parties, candidates, policies, or ideological views expressed by Users.
2.8 AI Moderation & Content Management
2.8.1 CRU uses automated tools, AI-assisted systems, and human review to:
• (a) Detect policy violations
• (b) Flag harmful or unlawful Content
• (c) Support contextual information and evidence-based discussion tools
• (d) Moderate sponsored content (including political advertisements where applicable)
2.8.2 The Company may take proportional enforcement actions, including:
• (a) Warning notices
• (b) Content labeling
• (c) Visibility reduction
• (d) Temporary restriction or suspension
• (e) Content removal
• (f) Permanent account termination
2.8.3 Enforcement severity depends on the nature and severity of the violation.
2.8.4 Moderation decisions are final unless escalated through the grievance redressal process.
2.9 Suspension & Termination
2.9.1 The Company may suspend or terminate access:
• (a) For policy violations
• (b) For legal compliance
• (c) For security concerns
• (d) For fraudulent activity
• (e) At its discretion where necessary
2.9.2 Termination does not waive liability for prior violations.
2.10 Indemnification
2.10.1 You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Cruvels Private Limited, its directors, founders, officers, employees, affiliates, and agents from and against any and all:
• (a) Claims
• (b) Demands
• (c) Lawsuits
• (d) Damages
• (e) Penalties
• (f) Losses
• (g) Legal fees
• (h) Government fines
2.10.2 Arising out of or relating to:
• (a) Your user-generated content
• (b) Your violation of applicable law
• (c) Political content posted by you
• (d) Your infringement of intellectual property
• (e) Your breach of these Terms
• (f) Any third-party claim arising from your actions
2.10.3 This obligation survives account termination.
2.11 Limitation of Liability
2.11.1 To the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, CRU operates as a technology intermediary platform and does not create, endorse, verify, or control User-generated Content.
2.11.2 Cruvels Private Limited, its directors, founders, officers, employees, contractors, moderators, affiliates, agents, and licensors shall not be liable for:
• (a) User-generated Content
• (b) Political opinions, civic discussions, or policy positions expressed by Users
• (c) Defamatory, misleading, or unlawful Content posted by Users
• (d) Factual claims, statements, or allegations made by Users
• (e) Civic Credibility Score calculations or ranking decisions
• (f) Non-selection, queue placement, or reduced speaking time in Debate Mode
• (g) Indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages
• (h) Loss of profits, goodwill, data, reputation, or business opportunities
• (i) Platform downtime, service interruptions, or feature unavailability
• (j) Unauthorized access due to cyberattacks, third-party breaches, or force majeure events
• (k) Payment gateway failures, banking network errors, or third-party processor delays
• (l) Decisions by hosts, moderators, or automated systems in Debate Mode or other live features
2.11.3 The total aggregate liability of the Company under any circumstances (whether arising from contract, tort, statute, or any other legal theory) shall not exceed the lesser of:
• (a) The amount paid by the User (if any) to CRU in the preceding six (6) months; or
• (b) INR 5,000 (Five Thousand Indian Rupees)
2.11.4 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where such exclusion or limitation is not permitted under Indian law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or fraudulent misrepresentation.
2.12 Disclaimer of Warranties
2.12.1 The Platform is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE."
2.12.2 The Company does not guarantee:
• (a) Continuous availability
• (b) Error-free operation
• (c) Accuracy of user-generated content
• (d) Political neutrality of user submissions
2.13 Compliance with Law Enforcement
2.13.1 The Company may:
• (a) Remove content upon lawful order
• (b) Disclose data under court order
• (c) Restrict access when required under Indian law
2.14 Intellectual Property
2.14.1 All platform design, branding, trademarks, and software are owned by Cruvels Private Limited.
2.14.2 Users may not copy, distribute, or reverse-engineer platform technology.
2.15 Refund & Payment Terms
2.15.1 If subscriptions or paid services are offered:
• (a) Payments are processed via authorized third-party gateways
• (b) Refunds are subject to the Refund Policy
• (c) The Company reserves the right to change pricing
2.16 Civic Credibility Score and Ranking System
2.16.1 CRU employs a Civic Credibility Score system to allocate platform features, including content visibility, debate participation priority, and monetization eligibility.
2.16.2 The Civic Credibility Score is an automated platform ranking signal based on:
• (a) Engagement quality
• (b) Rule compliance and Community Guidelines adherence
• (c) Interaction patterns and User behavior
2.16.3 The Civic Credibility Score:
• (a) Does not evaluate political ideology, viewpoints, beliefs, or political affiliation
• (b) Does not constitute a factual statement about a User's character, credibility, or truthfulness
• (c) Is a content-neutral, rule-based operational measure
2.16.4 CRU may modify scoring systems, ranking mechanisms, and algorithmic parameters at any time for platform integrity, safety, and quality improvement.
2.16.5 Users acknowledge that the Civic Credibility Score is an opinion-like assessment and not a verifiable factual claim.
2.16.6 Users may request review of Civic Credibility Score calculations in cases of proven data error or mistaken identity by contacting the grievance mechanism.
2.17 Debate Mode and Live Features
2.17.1 CRU may offer Debate Mode and other live interactive features where Users may participate in structured discussions.
2.17.2 Speaking access, mic allocation, and queue priority in Debate Mode are conditional platform features, not rights, and may depend on:
• (a) Civic Credibility Score
• (b) Engagement quality
• (c) Rule compliance
• (d) Host or moderator discretion
• (e) Platform safety parameters
2.17.3 Hosts, moderators, and CRU may limit, reorder, mute, or remove speakers to preserve structure, safety, legal compliance, and civil discourse standards.
2.17.4 Non-selection, lower queue placement, or reduced speaking time does not imply any judgment about a User's views, rights, or standing.
2.17.5 Users acknowledge that Debate Mode features are discretionary and subject to operational and safety requirements.
2.18 Force Majeure
2.18.1 CRU shall not be liable for delays, failures, or inability to perform obligations caused by events beyond reasonable control, including but not limited to:
• (a) Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, fires, pandemics)
• (b) Cyber incidents, cyberattacks, or distributed denial-of-service attacks
• (c) Government directives, emergency orders, or lawful blocking requests
• (d) Infrastructure failures, internet outages, or telecommunications disruptions
• (e) War, terrorism, civil unrest, or acts of public enemies
• (f) Labor disputes, strikes, or workforce disruptions
• (g) Third-party service provider failures
2.18.2 In the event of force majeure, the Company will make reasonable efforts to resume normal operations as soon as practicable.
2.19 Severability
2.19.1 If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
2.19.2 The invalid provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable, or if such modification is not possible, it shall be severed from these Terms.
2.20 Entire Agreement
2.20.1 These Terms of Service, together with the Privacy Policy, Community Guidelines, Content Policy, and other referenced Platform policies, constitute the entire agreement between Users and Cruvels Private Limited regarding use of the CRU Platform.
2.20.2 These Terms supersede all prior or contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, or communications (whether written or oral) regarding the subject matter herein.
2.21 Good Faith Dispute Resolution
2.21.1 In the event of any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or use of the Platform, Users agree to first attempt resolution through the Grievance Redressal Mechanism outlined in the Platform policies.
2.21.2 Parties shall make good faith efforts to resolve disputes amicably before initiating formal litigation.
2.21.3 This clause does not limit the Company's right to seek urgent injunctive or equitable relief where necessary to protect platform integrity, safety, or legal compliance.
2.22 Operational Protection
2.22.1 CRU reserves the right to:
• (a) Respond to lawful government orders, court directives, and regulatory requests
• (b) Remove or restrict Content during emergencies or to prevent imminent harm
• (c) Comply with lawful investigations by competent authorities
• (d) Preserve records, data, and evidence for legal defense, regulatory compliance, or ongoing investigations
• (e) Temporarily or permanently disable features, accounts, or Content where necessary for platform integrity or public safety
2.22.2 Such actions shall be undertaken in accordance with applicable Indian law and do not constitute a waiver of intermediary protection.
2.23 Algorithm Confidentiality
2.23.1 CRU is not required to disclose proprietary algorithms, scoring formulas, ranking systems, Civic Credibility Score calculation methods, or platform integrity mechanisms.
2.23.2 Such systems constitute confidential business information and trade secrets.
2.23.3 General information about moderation principles, enforcement categories, and ranking factors may be provided for transparency, but detailed technical specifications shall remain confidential for security and anti-manipulation purposes.
2.24 Governing Law and Jurisdiction
2.24.1 These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India.
2.24.2 Any disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or use of the Platform shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
2.25 Modifications to Terms
2.25.1 The Company may update these Terms periodically to reflect legal developments, regulatory changes, or platform evolution.
2.25.2 Material changes will be notified through website notice or registered email communication.
2.25.3 Continued use of the Platform after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.