Legal · Terms of Service
Terms of Service
Last updated: March 2026 · Version 1.0
By using CITAQ, you agree to these terms. Read them carefully — they define what CITAQ is, what it is not, how the credit system operates, and what happens when operators violate platform constraints.
Regulatory Classification
CITAQ is Verification Infrastructure for Agentic Commerce. It occupies none of the following regulatory categories:
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| EU AI Act / DSA Art. 27 | NOT an AI recommender system. CITAQ is a deterministic evidence retrieval system. No algorithmic recommendations are produced. HTTP enforcement header: X-CITAQ-Classification: verification-infrastructure |
| ISO 17065 | NOT a product certification body. CITAQ verifies claim-evidence linkage, not product conformity. Verification Status is not equivalent to certification. |
| Digital Markets Act (DMA) | NOT a market gatekeeper. CITAQ does not control access to end markets, does not rank operators, and does not determine commercial visibility. |
| FTC Act (Endorsements) | NOT making product endorsements. Verification Status is not a recommendation. CITAQ does not endorse, promote, or vouch for any product's commercial claims. |
| GDPR Article 28 | NOT a data processor for operator customer data. Operators are data controllers for their consumer data. CITAQ processes only B2B product catalog data. |
| EU AI Act Annex III | NOT a high-risk AI system. CITAQ does not make decisions about individuals, creditworthiness, employment, education, or access to essential services. |
| Securities Regulation | NOT a credit rating agency, financial advisor, or investment advisor. No output from CITAQ constitutes financial advice. |
| Product Liability | NOT a product liability insurer. CITAQ provides evidence linkage infrastructure. Operators retain sole responsibility for product safety, compliance, and accuracy. |
CITAQ is: An evidence verification infrastructure platform that links product claims to third-party evidence sources and issues time-bounded, cryptographically signed verification credentials. Operators remain solely responsible for the accuracy, legality, and commercial truthfulness of all submitted claims.
What Verification Means
Verification Status represents point-in-time evidence verification. It does not constitute:
- ISO 17065 certification
- Regulatory approval of any kind
- Product performance guarantee
- Product or operator endorsement
- Ongoing compliance certification
- Legal compliance determination
Verification credentials are time-bounded and expire when evidence expires. Status reflects evidence linkage only, not claim truthfulness. All credentials include a mandatory point-in-time disclaimer per platform architecture (PROHIBITION-006).
Credit System Terms
CITAQ operates on a credit-based system. All platform operations consume credits from your wallet. New operator accounts receive 100 welcome credits. There are no subscription tiers, no monthly minimums, and no credit expiry.
MINIMUM COST PER OPERATION
Every compute, storage, network, and LLM operation has a minimum cost of 0.01 credits. Zero-cost operations are not possible on this platform.
0.01 credits
WELCOME CREDITS
All new operator accounts receive 100 welcome credits upon completing the onboarding flow. No payment required for initial assessment.
100 credits
CREDIT EXPIRY
Credits do not expire. There is no minimum monthly spend. No automatic charge if your wallet balance is unused.
None
COST ESTIMATION
Running a cost estimate before execution costs 0.01 credits. Estimates are valid for 5 minutes. The estimate cost is not refunded if execution is cancelled.
0.01 credits
REFUND POLICY
72-HOUR AUTOMATIC REFUND
Credits automatically refunded within 72 hours for completed operations that did not produce a usable result.
30-DAY OPERATOR DISPUTE
Operators may dispute a credit charge within 30 days. Submit disputes to billing@citaq.io with operation ID and reason.
PARTIAL EXECUTION
If a multi-step operation fails mid-execution, you pay only for completed primitives. Uncommitted reservations are voided automatically.
PLATFORM ERRORS
Any operation that fails due to a platform error (HTTP 5xx, rate limit 429) results in zero credit charge.
Acceptable Use
The following activities are prohibited on the platform. Violations trigger the strike enforcement system below.
| Prohibited Activity | Severity |
|---|---|
| False product claims submitted as verified | HIGH |
| Forged, manipulated, or altered evidence documents | HIGH |
| Claim-evidence mismatches (linking evidence for claim A to claim B) | HIGH |
| Impersonation of third-party certificate issuers or certifying bodies | HIGH |
| Attempts to manipulate verification status through evidence fraud | HIGH |
| Bulk scraping of the verification API or operator catalog data | MEDIUM |
| Reverse-engineering or attempting to bypass credit enforcement | MEDIUM |
| Using platform output to make claims that imply ISO 17065 certification | MEDIUM |
| Submitting claims in HARD_BLOCK categories (medical cure claims, prohibited food claims) | HIGH |
| Misrepresenting verification status in advertising or consumer-facing materials | MEDIUM |
Enforcement — Strike System
Evidence fraud and acceptable use violations are governed by a structured strike system. CITAQ will never suspend an account silently — operators receive mandatory email notification before any action is taken.
Warning
Trigger
First verified claim-evidence mismatch or minor acceptable use violation
Consequence
Affected claim suppressed from verification status. No credential impact. Email notification required.
Strike 1
Trigger
Repeated mismatch, unresolved warning, or moderate evidence fraud
Consequence
L3 and L4 evidence sources locked for 30 days. Verification badge downgraded to available tier. Mandatory evidence audit required before reinstatement.
Strike 2
Trigger
High-severity evidence fraud or STRIKE 1 violation repeated within 90 days
Consequence
All verification badges frozen for 90 days. Account enters mandatory review. Credentials cannot be issued or renewed during freeze period.
Strike 3
Trigger
Severe fraud, STRIKE 2 recurrence, or HARD_BLOCK category violation
Consequence
Account locked permanently. Legal hold applied to all data. FTC reporting possible. Re-registration permanently banned. Affected credentials revoked with propagation to consumer surfaces.
Mandatory notification: CITAQ will never suspend, lock, or freeze an operator account without sending a notification email before the action takes effect. Operators have 48 hours to respond to a WARNING before it escalates.
Platform Governance Constraints
CITAQ platform operations are governed by constitutional constraints that cannot be overridden by operators, administrators, or any single person. These constraints affect how your account is managed.
Multi-approval operations
Sensitive administrative actions are designed to require multi-approver quorum, so no single administrator can act unilaterally on your account.
Immutable audit trail
All actions on your account — including administrative actions — are recorded to an immutable, hash-chained audit trail. You may request a copy of your account's audit log by contacting CITAQ.
No silent deletions
No data on your account will be deleted without your knowledge. Soft-delete flags are visible in your account dashboard. Permanent deletions require legal mandate.
No single-override
No administrator can permanently override your verification status, credit balance, or account standing without quorum approval and audit logging.
Service Availability
| Dimension | Value | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Target SLA | 99.9% | 8.76 hours/year downtime allowance |
| Degraded mode | Read-only | Write operations suspended during degraded state |
| Credit charges | Zero | No credits charged during platform degraded or maintenance states |
Planned maintenance windows are announced with minimum 72-hour notice. Emergency maintenance may proceed without advance notice but triggers automatic credit refund for operations that fail during the maintenance window.
Limitation of Liability
CITAQ is not liable for
- Operator misrepresentation — false or misleading claims you submit for verification
- Evidence tampering or forged documents submitted by the operator
- Third-party certifier failures — revocations or changes by external certifying bodies
- Product safety failures, injury, or damage related to any product on the platform
- Regulatory changes that retroactively affect your verification status
- AI system decisions made by third parties using CITAQ verification data
- Loss of sales, revenue, or commercial opportunity resulting from verification status changes
CITAQ provides evidence linkage infrastructure. Product guarantees, regulatory compliance, and commercial accuracy remain the sole responsibility of the operator. CITAQ's maximum liability for any claim is limited to the credits consumed in the disputed operation.
Changes to These Terms
CITAQ may update these Terms with 30 days' advance notice via email and in-platform notification. Material changes require explicit operator acknowledgment before taking effect. Continued use of the platform after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
Jurisdiction and Compliance
| Aspect | Value |
|---|---|
| Primary jurisdiction | United States |
| EU compliance frameworks | GDPR · EU AI Act · DSA · EU DPP |
| Data residency | EU data stored in an EU database region (GDPR Art. 44) |
Terms questions: legal@citaq.io
Billing disputes: billing@citaq.io
Evidence fraud reports: trust@citaq.io