Terms of Service
Last updated: March 30, 2026
Summary: RIFACTS is free, open-source software provided "as is" under the MIT License. It is a research-assistance tool — not a substitute for professional fact-checking, editorial judgment, or legal advice. You are solely responsible for verifying any output before publication.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By installing, deploying, or using RIFACTS ("the Add-on"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to all of these Terms, you must not use the Add-on. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User") and Aleodor Tabarcea ("the Developer").
2. Description of Service
RIFACTS is a Google Docs sidebar add-on that assists users in comparing text claims against evidence files stored in Google Drive. The Add-on uses the Google Gemini API to perform AI-based analysis and return scored results with quoted passages.
RIFACTS is a research-assistance tool designed to help journalists locate relevant passages in their own evidence files. It does not independently verify facts, access external databases, or provide authoritative determinations of truth or falsehood.
3. Eligibility
You must be at least 16 years of age and have a valid Google account to use RIFACTS. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your Google account and your Gemini API key. The Developer is not liable for any unauthorized use of your account or API key.
4. Your Responsibilities
You agree to:
- Use RIFACTS only for lawful purposes and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations
- Only process data that you have the legal right to access and analyse
- Independently verify all AI-generated results before relying on them for publication, legal proceedings, or any other consequential purpose
- Maintain the confidentiality and security of your Gemini API key
- Comply with Google's APIs Terms of Service and Generative AI Terms
You agree not to:
- Use the Add-on to process data you do not have the right to access
- Attempt to circumvent any Google API rate limits or usage policies
- Redistribute the Add-on under a different name without attribution
- Use the Add-on to generate content intended to deceive, mislead, or defraud
- Reverse-engineer the Add-on for the purpose of building a competing commercial product
- Use the Add-on in any way that violates the rights of third parties
5. AI Output Disclaimer
AI-generated scores, quotes, and analysis are not authoritative. They are computational approximations produced by a large language model. Results may contain hallucinations, misattributions, incorrect scores, fabricated quotes, or other errors. You must always verify AI output against the original source documents before relying on it.
The confidence scores (0–100) produced by RIFACTS represent the AI model's estimated relevance, not a factual accuracy determination. A high score does not mean a claim is true; a low score does not mean it is false. The Developer makes no representations about the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated output.
6. Intellectual Property
RIFACTS is released under the MIT License. You are free to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the software, subject to the conditions of that license, including the requirement to include the original copyright notice and permission notice.
The RIFACTS name and logo are trademarks of the Developer. The MIT License does not grant permission to use these trademarks in a way that suggests endorsement or affiliation.
7. Disclaimer of Warranties
RIFACTS is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, and non-infringement. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the Add-on is with you.
Without limiting the foregoing, the Developer does not warrant that:
- The Add-on will meet your specific requirements
- The Add-on will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free
- The results obtained from the Add-on will be accurate, complete, or reliable
- Any errors in the Add-on will be corrected
- The Add-on will be compatible with future versions of Google Workspace, Google APIs, or the Gemini API
8. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall the Developer, contributors, or any affiliated parties be liable for any of the following, whether based on warranty, contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, or any other legal theory:
- Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages
- Any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses
- Any damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Add-on
- Any damages arising from errors, inaccuracies, or omissions in AI-generated analysis
- Any damages arising from unauthorized access to your data through your Google account
- Any damages arising from the conduct of any third party, including Google
- Any damages arising from content or information published or broadcast by you based on the Add-on's output
In jurisdictions that do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the Developer's liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law. In no event shall the Developer's total aggregate liability exceed zero euros (€0), as RIFACTS is provided free of charge.
9. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Developer and any contributors from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising from:
- Your use of the Add-on
- Your violation of these Terms
- Your violation of any rights of a third party
- Any content you process, publish, or distribute using or based on the Add-on's output
10. Third-Party Services
RIFACTS depends on third-party services that are outside the Developer's control. Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms:
The Developer is not responsible for the availability, performance, accuracy, or policies of any third-party service. Changes to Google's APIs, pricing, or terms may affect the functionality of RIFACTS without notice.
11. Force Majeure
The Developer shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond reasonable control, including but not limited to: acts of God, natural disasters, pandemic, war, terrorism, government actions, changes to third-party APIs or platforms, internet outages, power failures, or any other event beyond the Developer's reasonable control.
12. Modifications to the Add-on and Terms
The Developer reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Add-on at any time without notice or liability. The Developer reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be posted to this page with an updated date. Your continued use of the Add-on after any modification constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.
13. Termination
You may stop using RIFACTS at any time by removing the Add-on from your Google Docs. You can revoke all permissions from your Google Account Permissions page. Upon termination, no data remains to be deleted, as RIFACTS stores no user data beyond your locally-stored API key.
14. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, 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.
15. Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Developer regarding your use of RIFACTS and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, and communications.
16. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Romania, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Bucharest, Romania.
For users within the European Union, nothing in these Terms affects your rights under mandatory consumer protection legislation in your country of residence.
17. Contact
For questions about these Terms, please open an issue on the GitHub repository.