1. Introduction and Acceptance

Welcome to Saltire Social ("the Platform", "we", "us", or "our"), a web-based social media service operated in Scotland, United Kingdom. Saltire Social is accessible at our website and associated mobile interfaces.

By accessing or using Saltire Social, you ("User", "you", or "your") agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions ("Terms"). Please read them carefully before registering or using the Platform. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Saltire Social under Scots law, with reference to UK legislation where applicable.

2. Eligibility and Registration

2.1 Age Requirements

You must be at least 13 years of age to create an account on Saltire Social. Users aged 13 to 17 must have verifiable parental or guardian consent prior to registering. We comply with the UK Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code) issued by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

2.2 Account Registration

To access certain features of the Platform, you must register for an account. When registering, you agree to:

Provide accurate, current, and complete information
Maintain and promptly update your account information
Keep your password secure and confidential
Notify us immediately of any unauthorised use of your account
Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account

Saltire Social reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts where registration information is found to be inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading.

3. User Conduct and Acceptable Use

3.1 Permitted Use

Saltire Social is intended to be a respectful and inclusive online community. You may use the Platform to connect with others, share content, participate in discussions, and engage with features we provide, provided that all activity complies with these Terms and applicable law.

3.2 Prohibited Conduct

You must not use Saltire Social to:

Post, share, or transmit any content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable
Harass, bully, intimidate, or discriminate against any individual or group based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation as protected under the Equality Act 2010
Engage in or promote any form of hate speech, extremism, or terrorism
Upload, post, or transmit unsolicited commercial messages (spam)
Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
Distribute malware, viruses, or any other harmful or disruptive code
Scrape, crawl, or harvest data from the Platform without our express written permission
Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform or its related systems
Post content that infringes any third-party intellectual property rights
Engage in any activity that could damage, disable, or impair the Platform

4. User-Generated Content

4.1 Ownership

You retain ownership of all content you post, upload, or otherwise submit to Saltire Social ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you grant Saltire Social a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, sublicensable, and transferable licence to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, display, and perform your User Content in connection with operating and promoting the Platform.

4.2 Content Standards

All User Content must comply with our Community Guidelines, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference. Content must not:

Contain sexually explicit material, particularly any content involving minors, in compliance with the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 and the Protection of Children Act 1978
Incite violence or hatred under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021
Constitute harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997
Be defamatory under the Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Act 2021
Infringe third-party copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights

4.3 Content Moderation

We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to monitor, review, edit, or remove any User Content at our sole discretion and without notice. We are not responsible for User Content posted by other users. You acknowledge that you may be exposed to content that you find offensive or objectionable, and you waive any legal or equitable right to seek remedies against Saltire Social in this regard.

5. Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Our Privacy Policy, available separately on the Platform, explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data. Our practices comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using Saltire Social, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Key points include:

We are the data controller for personal data processed on the Platform
We only collect data necessary for the operation of our services
You have the right to access, rectify, erase, and port your personal data
You may withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
We do not sell your personal data to third parties

For data protection queries, you may contact our Data Protection Officer at [email protected] or the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

6. Intellectual Property

All content on the Platform created by Saltire Social, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, icons, images, audio clips, and software, is the property of Saltire Social or its content suppliers and is protected by UK and international copyright and intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, or transmit any of the material on our Platform without our prior written consent, except as follows:

Your device may temporarily store copies of such materials incidental to your accessing and viewing those materials
You may print or download one copy of a reasonable number of pages for your own personal, non-commercial use

The Saltire Social name, logo, and all related names and slogans are trademarks of Saltire Social. You must not use such marks without our prior written permission.

7. Online Safety

Saltire Social is committed to user safety in accordance with the Online Safety Act 2023 as it applies to services accessible in the United Kingdom. We have implemented measures proportionate to our Platform size and user base to protect users from illegal content and activity.

We provide in-Platform mechanisms to report harmful or illegal content. Reports are reviewed by our Trust and Safety team. We will take appropriate action, which may include content removal, account suspension, or referral to relevant authorities.

If you encounter content that you believe constitutes a serious crime, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), you must report it to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) at iwf.org.uk and the National Crime Agency (NCA) via CEOP at ceop.police.uk, in addition to reporting it to us.