TERMS OF SERVICE & PRIVACY POLICY

1. THE MARKETPLACE MODEL & SERVICES

• Intermediary Interface Only: The Platform acts exclusively as a passive web-based marketplace and user interface layer. It allows Users to discover, list, buy, and sell freelance digital services ("Gigs").
• Independent Contractors: Freelancers are independent contractors. They are not employees, agents, partners, or joint ventures of the Platform. The Platform does not author, manage, supervise, quality-control, or guarantee the delivery of any services rendered by Freelancers.

2. NON-CUSTODIAL WALLET CONNECTION & STELLAR NETWORK

• Cryptographic Wallets: To access financial features, purchase Gigs, or receive payments, you must connect a compatible third-party decentralized cryptographic wallet (e.g., Freighter, Albedo, xBull, or other compatible Stellar wallets).
• User Responsibility: You are solely responsible for maintaining the security of your wallet, private keys, and seed phrases. The Platform cannot access, recover, reset, or secure your wallet at any time.
• Network Costs: All interactions with the blockchain require network transaction fees ("gas" or "network fees") native to the Stellar Network. You acknowledge that these fees are paid directly to the Stellar Network nodes and are completely non-refundable.

3. TRUSTLESS WORK SMART CONTRACT ESCROW

• On-Chain Escrow Architecture: All transactions, milestone funding, and payouts on the Platform are executed on-chain using non-custodial Soroban smart contracts deployed via Trustless Work ("Escrow Infrastructure").
• No Platform Custody: The Platform never holds, touches, custodies, manages, processes, or clears user funds (including stablecoins like USDC) at any point. Funds are locked directly within decentralized smart contracts on the Stellar Network until specific code-enforced release triggers are met.
• Immutable Executions: By initiating an order, the Buyer and Freelancer explicitly authorize the deployment and deterministic execution of the underlying Trustless Work smart contract. You acknowledge that blockchain transactions are irreversible.

4. PEER-TO-PEER RESOLUTION CENTER & 48-HOUR AUTOMATED ULTIMATUM

All transaction conflicts, delivery disputes, adjustments, and cancellations must be processed exclusively through the Platform's automated, self-service Resolution Center.

• The Negotiation Request: A User may submit a structured request (e.g., contract cancellation, milestone timeline extension, or partial fund release) to the counterparty through the Resolution Center interface.
• The Strict 48-Hour Window: The receiving party has exactly forty-eight (48) hours from the exact timestamp of the on-platform submission to click either "Accept" or "Decline."
• Automatic Default Execution: If the receiving party fails to submit a response within the 48-hour window, the Platform's system will automatically mark the request as "Approved by Default." The corresponding smart contract command will be automatically broadcasted to the Stellar Network to release, refund, or transfer the escrowed funds to the initiating party according to the unanswered request.
• Platform Exoneration: The Platform bears zero responsibility, liability, or financial obligation for any funds automatically transferred, released, or refunded due to a User’s failure to respond within the 48-hour window. It is your sole responsibility to monitor your account notifications.

5. SUPPORT ESCALATION AND CHARGEBACK RESTRICTIONS

• Administrative Escalation: If a dispute cannot be resolved through the automated 48-hour Resolution Center, either party may request a non-binding administrative review by Platform staff. Platform decisions apply solely to internal platform account standing and database metrics. Platform administration cannot reverse, overwrite, or mutate funds already processed or released on the immutable Stellar blockchain.
• Legacy Payment Provider Restrictions: Bypassing the Platform's Resolution Center or the Trustless Work smart contract escrow by filing a chargeback, dispute, or payment reversal request with an external legacy payment processor, credit card provider, or banking institution is strictly prohibited.
• Immediate Account Termination: The Platform reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to immediately suspend, permanently deactivate, or delete the account of any User who initiates an external chargeback or legacy banking dispute, forfeiting all platform rankings, profiles, and historical data.

6. PROHIBITED GIGS, CONTENT, AND CONDUCT POLICY

Users must strictly offer and purchase legitimate, legal, and professional digital services. The Platform reserves the right to remove any Gig listing, hide content, or restrict user access at its sole discretion. Prohibited services and content include, but are not limited to:

• Financial and Regulated Products: Offering or requesting cryptocurrency creation, initial coin offerings (ICOs), token sale promotions, investment advice, pyramid schemes, or any services that constitute unlicensed financial activity under U.S. federal or state law.
• Malicious Software & Hacking: Creating, distributing, or modifying malware, spyware, ransomware, virus code, hacking tools, bypass scripts, or offering unauthorized penetration testing services.
• Academic Dishonesty: Writing or preparing student essays, taking exams, completing homework assignments, or generating unauthorized academic materials on behalf of a buyer.
• Adult, Sexual, and Explicit Content: Services or content featuring pornography, sexually explicit materials, escorts, adult dating services, or fetish content.
• Illegal and Hazardous Services: Services promoting violence, human trafficking, illegal drug trade, weapon schematics, or the creation of hazardous materials.
• Fraud and Intellectual Property Theft: Offering fake reviews, artificial social media followers/traffic, deepfakes designed to deceive, document forgery, or any service that willfully infringes upon third-party copyrights, trademarks, or patents.
• Off-Platform Payment Circumvention: Attempting to bypass the Trustless Work escrow mechanism or the Stellar Network infrastructure by soliciting, offering, or accepting direct payments via legacy financial rails (e.g., PayPal, Venmo, Wire transfer, or external crypto wallets) outside the Platform’s designated smart contract interfaces.

7. TOTAL ABSOLUTE DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

8. ABSOLUTE LIMITATION OF LIABILITY & ZERO PLATFORM LIABILITY

YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT THE PLATFORM, ITS FOUNDERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL HAVE ZERO LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES.

This absolute limitation of liability includes, but is not limited to, damages for loss of profits, digital assets, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses resulting from:

1. User Conduct: The actions, omissions, breaches, low-quality deliverables, cancellations, or fraudulent behavior of any Buyer or Freelancer.
2. Smart Contract and Protocol Failure: Any bugs, software exploits, vulnerabilities, hacks, code errors, architectural failures, or down-time associated with the Trustless Work protocol, Soroban smart contracts, or the Stellar Network.
3. Wallet and Key Management: Lost private keys, compromised wallets, wallet software incompatibility, phishing attacks, or unauthorized access to your cryptographic credentials.
4. Automated Default Execution: The automated execution of the 48-hour Resolution Center default rules resulting in an automated refund or release of funds on-chain.
5. Regulatory Actions: Any changes to local, state, federal, or international blockchain and stablecoin regulations that impact your ability to trade or clear funds.

9. INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Platform, its subsidiaries, affiliates, and all of our respective officers, agents, partners, and employees, from and against any loss, damage, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses, made by any third party due to or arising out of: (1) your Gig deliveries or purchases; (2) use of the Platform; (3) a breach of these Terms; or (4) your interactions with the Stellar Network and Trustless Work smart contracts.

10. GOVERNING LAW AND SEVERABILITY

• Governing Law: These Terms and your use of the Platform are governed by and construed in accordance with the federal laws of the United States of America and the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law principles.
• Severability: If any provision or part of a provision of these Terms is determined to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision or part of the provision is deemed severable from these Terms and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.