Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using Lantern, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you may not use the service.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you (the "Customer") and Lantern Technologies Limited, a company incorporated in Ireland (the "Company", "we", "us", "our").

2. Company Information

• Legal Entity: Lantern Technologies Limited
• Jurisdiction: Ireland (EU Member State)
• Company Registration: [Registration Number - to be added]
• Registered Office: [Address], Dublin, Ireland
• VAT Number: [VAT Number - to be added]
• Contact: legal@lanterneu.com

3. Description of Service

Lantern provides a secure, anonymous whistleblower reporting platform that enables organizations to:

• Receive confidential reports from employees, contractors, or third parties
• Communicate with whistleblowers via encrypted, anonymous conversations
• Manage cases through a compliance dashboard
• Generate audit logs and compliance reports
• Meet regulatory requirements (EU Whistleblower Directive, SOX, etc.)

Hosting: All services are hosted on EU-based servers (Germany/France) and governed by Irish and EU law.

4. Account Registration

To use Lantern, you must:

• Be a legal entity or an authorized representative of a legal entity
• Provide accurate and complete registration information
• Maintain the security of your account credentials
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access

You are responsible for all activity under your account.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree to use Lantern only for lawful purposes and in compliance with:

• EU Whistleblower Directive (2019/1937)
• GDPR and Irish data protection laws
• Employment laws in your jurisdiction
• All applicable compliance and ethics regulations

You may NOT use Lantern to:

• Harass, threaten, or intimidate individuals
• Submit false or malicious reports
• Violate privacy or data protection laws
• Circumvent security features or attempt unauthorized access
• Resell or sublicense the service without written permission

6. Customer Obligations

As a Customer, you are responsible for:

• Compliance: Ensuring your use of Lantern complies with local laws and regulations
• Whistleblower protection: Protecting whistleblowers from retaliation (required by law)
• Data accuracy: Ensuring information you provide to us is accurate and up-to-date
• Internal policies: Establishing internal policies for how reports are handled
• Timely response: Responding to reports within legally required timeframes (e.g., 7 days under EU Directive)

7. Pricing and Payment

Billing: Subscription fees are billed monthly or annually in advance.

• Payment method: Credit card or bank transfer (processed by Stripe)
• Currency: EUR (Euro)
• VAT: EU VAT will be added to invoices where applicable
• Failed payments: Service may be suspended if payment fails after 7 days
• Price changes: We will notify you 30 days before any price increase

Refunds: We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee for new customers. After 14 days, fees are non-refundable.

8. Data Ownership and Usage

Your data is yours. You retain all rights to the data you submit to Lantern.

• Customer data: You own all reports, case data, and content submitted through Lantern
• License to operate: You grant us a limited license to store and process your data solely to provide the service
• No training or resale: We do not use your data to train AI models or sell it to third parties
• Data export: You can export all your data at any time in standard formats (JSON, CSV)
• Data deletion: Upon cancellation, your data is deleted within 90 days (or immediately upon request)

9. Data Protection and GDPR

We are committed to GDPR compliance:

• Data Controller: Your organization is the Data Controller for whistleblower reports. We are the Data Processor.
• DPA: A Data Processing Agreement is automatically incorporated into these Terms
• Sub-processors: We only use EU-based, GDPR-compliant sub-processors (listed in Privacy Policy)
• Data location: All data is stored and processed in the EU (Germany/France)
• Security: We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures (encryption, access controls, audits)
• Breach notification: We will notify you within 24 hours of any data breach

10. Service Availability

Uptime: We aim for 99.9% uptime, but do not guarantee uninterrupted service.

• Maintenance: Scheduled maintenance will be announced 48 hours in advance
• Downtime: We are not liable for downtime caused by third-party failures, force majeure, or your actions
• SLA: Enterprise customers receive an SLA with uptime guarantees and service credits

11. Termination

By you: You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your billing period.

By us: We may terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms
• Fail to pay fees after 30 days
• Use the service for illegal activities
• Engage in abusive behavior toward our team or other users

Upon termination, your access will be revoked, and your data will be deleted within 90 days (unless legally required to retain).

12. Intellectual Property

• Lantern platform: All rights to the Lantern platform, code, design, and branding belong to us
• Your content: You retain all rights to content you submit
• Feedback: If you provide feedback or feature suggestions, we may use them without compensation

13. Warranties and Disclaimers

We provide the service "as is" without warranties of any kind, except as required by law.

• We do not guarantee the service will be error-free or uninterrupted
• We do not guarantee specific outcomes from using the service
• You are responsible for your own compliance with whistleblower laws

Legal compliance: While Lantern is designed to help you comply with whistleblower regulations, you are ultimately responsible for ensuring your organization's compliance. Consult your legal counsel.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Irish and EU law:

• Our total liability is limited to the fees you paid in the 12 months prior to the claim
• We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages
• We are not liable for data loss (you should maintain backups)
• We are not liable for third-party actions or claims

Exceptions: Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or death/personal injury.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from claims arising from:

• Your use of the service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any law or regulation
• Content you submit to the platform
• Claims by your employees, contractors, or third parties

16. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of Ireland and the European Union, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Disputes: Any disputes will be resolved in the courts of Dublin, Ireland.

EU customers: Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory consumer rights under EU law.

17. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes:

• We will notify you via email at least 30 days in advance
• The updated Terms will be posted on this page with a new "Last updated" date
• Continued use of the service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance
• If you do not agree, you may cancel your subscription

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

19. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any applicable DPA, constitute the entire agreement between you and Lantern Technologies Limited.

20. Contact

For questions about these Terms:

• Email: legal@lanterneu.com
• Postal Address: Lantern Technologies Limited, [Address], Dublin, Ireland