Terms of Service

Last updated: April 4, 2026. These terms govern your use of Freedom Messenger software and services. By using Freedom Messenger, you agree to these terms.

Please read these terms carefully. They include limitations of liability, disclaimers of warranties, an arbitration clause, and your agreement to indemnify us. Freedom Messenger operates in environments with elevated risk. You accept all associated risks by using the software.

Service Description

Freedom Messenger is self-hosted communication software for private team and family messaging, operated by a natural person (individual) residing in the Netherlands — not a company or legal entity. The software is provided "as is" and includes messaging, voice calls, file sharing, and task management features. It is designed to run on your own server infrastructure.

We offer three service tiers:

  • Managed hosting — we operate the server infrastructure on your behalf for a recurring subscription fee
  • Self-hosted with updates — you run the software on your own server and receive automatic updates for a recurring subscription fee
  • One-time purchase — you purchase a perpetual license to run one instance of the software, with no ongoing updates

Account and Access

Termination rights: We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any customer's access to our services at any time, for any reason, with or without notice. We are not obligated to provide any reason for termination.

Reasons for termination may include, but are not limited to:

  • Non-payment of subscription fees
  • Violation of these Terms of Service
  • Abuse of infrastructure or support resources
  • Legal compliance requirements
  • At our sole discretion

Termination of Managed Hosting

We may terminate managed hosting immediately, without prior notice. Upon termination:

  • All data on our infrastructure (database, files, configuration) may be deleted immediately
  • We are under no obligation to provide data exports, backups, migration assistance, or any transition period
  • We are under no obligation to provide a reason for termination
  • No refunds are provided for the remaining subscription period

We may, at our sole discretion, offer a grace period or data export — but this is a courtesy, not an obligation. You are responsible for maintaining your own backups of any data you consider important.

Termination of Update Subscription

Upon termination of an update subscription, automatic updates stop immediately. You retain the last version deployed on your server and may continue running it indefinitely. We will not remotely disable or degrade previously deployed software.

Termination of One-Time Purchase

A one-time purchase grants you a perpetual license to run the purchased version. Termination of our relationship does not revoke your right to continue running the version you purchased. No refunds are provided for one-time purchases.

Your Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials, server access, and two-factor authentication setup. You must notify your server administrator immediately if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.

Our Role: Infrastructure Provider Only

We are an infrastructure provider, not a content platform. We provide software and, for managed hosting customers, server infrastructure. We do not monitor, moderate, review, or control any content created, stored, or transmitted by users on any Freedom Messenger server — whether self-hosted or managed by us. We have the same relationship to your server as a VPS provider (such as Hetzner) has to the software running on their hardware.

Specifically:

  • We do not read, scan, analyze, or filter messages, files, or any user content
  • We do not monitor who uses your server or what they communicate about
  • We do not verify the age, identity, or legal status of end users on your server
  • We are not responsible for any content stored or transmitted through any Freedom Messenger server
  • We are not responsible for how the server administrator manages their users, data, or compliance obligations
  • We bear no liability for any illegal activity conducted by users on any server, regardless of deployment model

Server Administrator Responsibility

The server administrator (whether that is you on a self-hosted server, or you as the customer of our managed hosting) is the sole data controller and is solely responsible for:

  • All content stored and transmitted through their server
  • Compliance with all applicable laws in their jurisdiction
  • Managing users, including verifying age and identity if required by their local laws
  • Responding to legal requests from authorities in their jurisdiction
  • Enforcing their own acceptable use policies among their users

Our Right to Terminate Infrastructure

While we do not proactively monitor content, we reserve the right to terminate any managed hosting service at any time, for any reason, at our sole discretion (see Termination section). If we become aware of a violation of Dutch or EU law in relation to our infrastructure, we may terminate service and cooperate with Dutch authorities as required by law.

Illegal Content Notifications (EU Digital Services Act)

In compliance with the EU Digital Services Act, if we receive a credible notification from Dutch or EU law enforcement that a managed hosting server is being used to store or distribute illegal content under Dutch or EU law, we will:

  1. Immediately terminate the managed hosting service without prior notice to the customer
  2. Provide all required information to Dutch/EU law enforcement authorities as demanded by law
  3. Preserve any data as instructed by law enforcement before deletion

We will act immediately upon receiving a valid request from law enforcement. We do not conduct our own investigations into content. Notifications from law enforcement should be directed to [email protected]. For self-hosted servers, we have no access and cannot act — the server administrator is solely responsible.

Intellectual Property

Freedom Messenger software is proprietary. The source code is not open source and is not available for inspection, modification, or redistribution.

License Grants

  • One-time purchase: grants a perpetual, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to install and run one (1) instance of the software on one (1) server
  • Managed hosting and update subscriptions: grant a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the software for the duration of the active subscription

Restrictions

You may not:

  • Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble the software
  • Create derivative works based on the software
  • Distribute, sublicense, sell, or resell the software binary or any part thereof
  • Share access credentials, update mechanisms, or SSH keys with unauthorized parties
  • Remove or alter any proprietary notices, labels, or marks on the software
  • Use the software to build a competing product or service

Data and Privacy

Your use of Freedom Messenger is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these terms by reference.

  • Self-hosted customers: you are the data controller for all data on your server. You are responsible for compliance with all applicable data protection laws in your jurisdiction, including providing privacy notices to your users and responding to data subject requests.
  • Managed hosting customers: you are the data controller, and we are the data processor. We process data solely on your instructions and for the purpose of providing the service. We will not use your data for any other purpose.

Disclaimers of Warranty

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

Without limiting the foregoing, we do not warrant that:

  • The software will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free
  • The results obtained from the software will be accurate or reliable
  • Encryption or security features will prevent all unauthorized access, interception, or data breaches
  • The software will meet your specific requirements or expectations
  • Any defects in the software will be corrected

Freedom Messenger is in early access and under active development. Bugs, data loss, security vulnerabilities, and service interruptions should be expected. You use the software at your own risk.

Limitation of Liability

IN NO EVENT SHALL WE BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF REPUTATION, OR COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE OF ACTION OR THE THEORY OF LIABILITY, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Our total aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or related to these terms or the software shall not exceed the total amount you actually paid to us in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

Without limiting the above, we are not liable for any damages resulting from:

  • Unauthorized access to your server or interception of your communications
  • Data breaches, data corruption, or data loss
  • Actions taken by government authorities, law enforcement, or regulatory bodies
  • Actions taken by third parties, including hosting providers and network operators
  • Server downtime, network outages, or infrastructure failures
  • Your failure to maintain adequate backups
  • Your failure to keep the software updated

You acknowledge that Freedom Messenger is designed for use in environments with elevated risk, including jurisdictions with active censorship, surveillance, and restrictive internet policies. You accept all risks associated with operating in such environments.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Freedom Messenger, its developer, and any associated parties from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to:

  • Your use or misuse of the software
  • Your violation of these Terms of Service
  • Your violation of any applicable law or regulation
  • Content stored or transmitted through your server
  • Any third-party claims related to your server or its users

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Netherlands, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these terms shall be resolved through binding arbitration conducted in the Netherlands under the rules of the Netherlands Arbitration Institute (NAI). The arbitration shall be conducted by a single arbitrator. The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding on both parties.

You agree to waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration against us.

Severability

If any provision of these terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court or arbitrator of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The invalid provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable while preserving its original intent.

Entire Agreement

These Terms of Service, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Freedom Messenger regarding your use of the software and services. These terms supersede all prior or contemporaneous communications, proposals, and agreements, whether oral or written, between you and us regarding the subject matter herein.

No oral or written statement by us or our representatives shall create any additional obligation not expressly stated in these terms.

Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. When we make changes, we will update the "last updated" date at the top of this page. For managed hosting customers, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you of material changes via email or in-app notice at least 14 days before they take effect.

Your continued use of the software or services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms. If you do not agree to the revised terms, you must stop using the software and services.

Contact

If you have questions about these terms, contact us through the contact form on the Freedom Messenger website.