Terms of Service

Description of Service

GovRated is a civic technology platform that:

• Aggregates UK government consultations from GOV.UK
• Provides AI-generated summaries of consultation documents
• Enables users to rate and comment on consultations
• Displays public opinion through ratings and discussion

Important: GovRated is an independent platform and is not affiliated with the UK government. Ratings and comments on GovRated are not official responses to government consultations.

User Accounts

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate and complete information
• Maintain the security of your account
• Not share your account with others
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use
• Be at least 13 years old

You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

User Content and Conduct

Your Content

You retain ownership of content you post (ratings and comments). By posting content, you grant GovRated a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute your content on the Service.

Content Standards

You agree not to post content that:

• Is illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or hateful
• Violates intellectual property rights
• Contains spam, advertising, or promotional material
• Impersonates another person or entity
• Contains false or misleading information
• Violates anyone's privacy
• Contains malware or malicious code

Prohibited Actions

You agree not to:

• Manipulate ratings or comments artificially
• Create multiple accounts to inflate engagement
• Scrape or harvest data from the Service
• Interfere with the proper functioning of the Service
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service
• Use automated tools (bots) without permission

AI-Generated Summaries

Our consultation summaries are generated using AI and may contain errors or omissions. You acknowledge that:

• AI summaries are for informational purposes only
• They may not capture all nuances of the original documents
• They are not legal advice or official interpretations
• You should always read the original consultation on GOV.UK before submitting official responses

We make reasonable efforts to ensure accuracy but cannot guarantee that AI summaries are complete or error-free.

Intellectual Property

The Service and its original content (excluding user-generated content) are owned by GovRated and protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws.

Government consultation documents are Crown Copyright and subject to the Open Government Licence.

Moderation and Removal

We reserve the right to:

• Remove or modify any content that violates these Terms
• Suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms
• Moderate comments and ratings
• Remove content for any reason at our discretion

We are not obligated to monitor content but may do so to ensure compliance with these Terms and applicable laws.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to:

• Accuracy, reliability, or completeness of content
• Uninterrupted or error-free operation
• Fitness for a particular purpose
• Non-infringement of third-party rights

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, GovRated shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses resulting from:

• Your use or inability to use the Service
• Unauthorized access to or alteration of your data
• Any content obtained from the Service
• Errors or inaccuracies in AI-generated summaries

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless GovRated and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any rights of another party
• Content you post on the Service

Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes by posting the updated Terms on this page with a new "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account and access to the Service immediately, without prior notice, for any reason, including breach of these Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease.

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these Terms will otherwise remain in full force and effect.

Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

hello@govrated.com