Terms of Service

Effective Date: March 6, 2026 Last Updated: March 6, 2026

Welcome to Attestum™. These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("you," "your," or "User") and the operator of Attestum™, as identified in our Legal Notice ("Attestum," "we," "our," or "us").

By creating an account, accessing our platform, or using any of our services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use Attestum.

1. Definitions

"Attestation" means any content — including professional references, client reviews, credentials, endorsements, or document verification records — created, encrypted, and sealed through the Attestum platform.

"People Attestation" means an attestation about a person, created by an Attester about a Subject. This includes references, reviews, credentials, and endorsements.

"Document Verification" means the act of computing a cryptographic hash of a file on the User's device and sealing that hash on the blockchain via Attestum. The file itself never leaves the User's device and is never uploaded to or stored by Attestum.

"Attester" means a User who creates a People Attestation (for example, a manager writing a professional reference, or a client writing a freelancer review).

"Subject" means the individual about whom a People Attestation is written. The Subject controls who can view the full attestation content.

"Verifier" means any person who accesses an attestation verification page to view a preview or unlock full content.

"Sealing" means the process by which an attestation's cryptographic hash is permanently recorded on the blockchain, creating a tamper-proof integrity proof.

"Trust Level" means the degree to which an Attester's identity has been verified, as indicated by a visible badge on each attestation (for example, email verification, LinkedIn verification, or reputation-based verification).

"Share Link" means a unique, time-limited URL generated by a Subject to grant a Verifier access to an attestation's verification page.

"Verification Credit" means a unit of access that entitles a Verifier to unlock the full content of one People Attestation.

"Platform Wallet" means the cryptocurrency wallet operated by Attestum to pay blockchain transaction fees (gas) on behalf of Users.

"Service" means the Attestum website at attestum.io, all associated subdomains, APIs, and the features and functionality provided through them.

2. Eligibility

To use Attestum, you must be at least 18 years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements.

You may not create an account on behalf of another person without their explicit authorisation. You may not create multiple accounts for the purpose of circumventing these Terms or the platform's trust mechanisms.

3. Account Registration and Security

You may register for an account using email authentication (magic link) or a supported third-party identity provider. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information up to date.

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately at security@attestum.io if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account.

Attestum is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to maintain the security of your account.

4. The Service

4.1 People Attestations

Attestum enables Attesters to create professional attestations about Subjects. The attestation content is encrypted in the Attester's browser before transmission to Attestum's servers using AES-256-GCM encryption. The encrypted content is stored on IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) and a cryptographic hash of the original content is sealed on the Base blockchain via the Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS).

The Pending/Claim Flow: When an Attester creates a People Attestation, it enters a "pending" state. The Attester must verify their identity (initially through work email verification) to "claim" the attestation, at which point it becomes active. This process exists to prevent fraudulent attestations.

Immutability: Once an attestation is sealed, its content cannot be edited, modified, or altered by anyone — including Attestum. The only action available is revocation by the original Attester, which marks the attestation as revoked but does not delete the on-chain record or the underlying content.

Sharing and Verification: Subjects control access to their attestations by generating time-limited Share Links. Verifiers who access a Share Link see a free preview (attester identity, relationship, trust level, and blockchain proof). Accessing the full content requires a Verification Credit.

4.2 Document Verification

Attestum enables Users to prove that a specific file existed in a specific state at a specific moment in time. When a User submits a file for Document Verification, the following occurs:

The file's SHA-256 cryptographic hash is computed entirely within the User's browser.
The file never leaves the User's device. Attestum never receives, stores, processes, or has access to the file itself.
The computed hash, along with file metadata (filename, file size, MIME type), is transmitted to Attestum's servers.
The hash is sealed on the Base blockchain via EAS.

Document Verification does not involve encryption, IPFS storage, or content hosting, because there is no content to store — only a hash.

Free Tier: Each User may create up to 3 Document Verification attestations per calendar month at no charge. Additional attestations require payment (see Section 7).

Verification of Documents: Any person with the verification URL can verify a file by dropping it onto the verification page. The platform computes the file's hash in the browser and compares it to the sealed hash. This verification is free and does not require an account or payment.

4.3 What Attestum Does Not Do

Attestum is a platform for creating, storing, and verifying attestations. Attestum does not:

Review, edit, endorse, or verify the truthfulness of attestation content.
Act as an employer, recruitment agency, credential issuing body, or professional licensing authority.
Provide legal, professional, or employment advice.
Guarantee that any attestation will influence any hiring, contracting, or other decision.
Guarantee that the content of any attestation is accurate, complete, or truthful.
Store, view, or access the plaintext content of People Attestations during normal platform operations. Content is encrypted before it reaches our servers.
Access, receive, or store files submitted for Document Verification. Files are hashed entirely within the User's browser.

5. User Roles and Obligations

5.1 All Users

All Users agree to:

Provide accurate and truthful information when using the Service.
Comply with all applicable laws in their jurisdiction when using the Service.
Not use the Service for any unlawful, fraudulent, or harmful purpose.
Not attempt to circumvent, disable, or interfere with any security, encryption, payment, or access control features of the Service.

5.2 Attesters

Attesters additionally represent and warrant that:

They are the person they claim to be when creating an attestation.
The content of their attestation is their own honest assessment and is not knowingly false, misleading, or defamatory.
They have the legal right to create and share the content contained in the attestation, and that it does not infringe on any third party's intellectual property or privacy rights.
They understand that once an attestation is sealed, it cannot be edited. Revocation is the only recourse for content the Attester wishes to retract.
They will comply with all applicable laws regarding professional references, employment law, and data protection in their jurisdiction when creating attestations.

5.3 Subjects

Subjects acknowledge that:

They do not have the ability to edit or delete attestation content created about them by an Attester.
They control access to their attestations through Share Links and may revoke Share Links at any time.
Sharing an attestation with a Verifier is their voluntary action; Attestum does not share attestation content without the Subject's authorisation (except as required by law).

5.4 Verifiers

Verifiers acknowledge that:

Viewing full attestation content requires a valid Share Link and, for People Attestations, a Verification Credit.
Attestation content represents the views and opinions of the Attester, not of Attestum.
Attestum does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any attestation content. Blockchain verification confirms only that the content has not been altered since it was sealed — it does not confirm that the content is truthful.
Verification Credits are consumed upon accessing full content and are non-refundable once content has been delivered (see Section 7).

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Service to:

Create attestations that are knowingly false, fraudulent, or misleading.
Impersonate another person when creating an attestation or registering an account.
Use the platform to harass, threaten, defame, or harm the reputation of any individual.
Engage in automated scraping, crawling, or data extraction from the Service without prior written authorisation.
Share, sell, redistribute, or transfer Verification Credits, Share Links, or account access to third parties.
Attempt to access encrypted content, bypass payment gates, or reverse-engineer the platform's encryption or security mechanisms.
Create accounts using disposable email services or fake identities for the purpose of circumventing trust verification or abusing free tier limits.
Use the Service to process, store, or verify content that is illegal, promotes violence, exploits minors, or violates any applicable law.
Interfere with the operation of the Service, including introducing malware, overloading servers, or conducting denial-of-service attacks.

Attestum reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts, revoke attestations, and take any other action it deems appropriate in response to violations of this Acceptable Use Policy. We may report illegal conduct to the relevant authorities.

If you believe an attestation or User violates these Terms, please contact us at abuse@attestum.io.

7. Payments, Pricing, and Refunds

7.1 Free Services

The following services are provided at no charge:

Creating a People Attestation (for Attesters).
Claiming an attestation (for Attesters).
Managing and sharing attestations (for Subjects).
Viewing attestation previews (for Verifiers).
Creating up to 3 Document Verification attestations per calendar month (for all Users).
Verifying a document against a sealed hash on a verification page (for anyone).

7.2 Paid Services

The following services require payment:

Verification Credits for unlocking full People Attestation content. Available as single credits, credit bundles, or through a Pro subscription.
Document Verification stamps beyond the monthly free tier.

Current pricing is displayed on the Attestum pricing page at attestum.io/pricing. Prices are stated in Euros (€) and may be updated from time to time. Any price changes will apply only to future purchases and will not affect credits already purchased.

7.3 Payment Processing

All payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. ("Stripe"), our third-party payment processor. By making a payment, you also agree to Stripe's terms of service. Attestum does not store your payment card details; this is handled entirely by Stripe.

7.4 Digital Content and Right of Withdrawal

By purchasing a Verification Credit or Document Verification stamp and using it to access digital content or seal a document, you acknowledge that:

The digital content or service is delivered immediately upon use of the credit or stamp.
You expressly consent to the immediate delivery of this digital content.
You waive your right of withdrawal under EU Directive 2011/83/EU (Consumer Rights Directive) with respect to Verification Credits that have been used and stamps that have been consumed.

Unused credits: Verification Credits do not expire. Unused credits remain in your account until used. If you wish to request a refund for unused credits, please contact billing@attestum.io. Refund requests for unused credits will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

7.5 Subscriptions

Pro subscriptions are billed monthly through Stripe. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless you cancel before the renewal date. You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account dashboard or by contacting billing@attestum.io. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; you will retain Pro benefits until that date.

No refunds are provided for partial billing periods.

8. Content Ownership and Licensing

8.1 Your Content

You retain all intellectual property rights in the content you create on Attestum. Specifically:

Attesters retain copyright over the text, opinions, and other content contained in their attestations.
Users retain ownership of all information they provide through their profiles and account settings.

8.2 Licence to Attestum

By creating content on the Service, you grant Attestum a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to:

Encrypt, store, transmit, and display your content as necessary to operate the Service (including storing encrypted content on IPFS and recording cryptographic hashes on the blockchain).
Display your content to authorised Verifiers who have a valid Share Link and, where required, have paid for access.
Use aggregated, anonymised, non-personally-identifiable data derived from platform usage for analytics and service improvement purposes.

This licence is limited to what is necessary to provide the Service and does not grant Attestum the right to sell, sublicence, or commercially exploit your content outside of the Service.

8.3 Blockchain Records

Cryptographic hashes, IPFS content identifiers (CIDs), and related metadata recorded on the blockchain are publicly accessible by design. These records do not contain personal data or attestation content in readable form. You acknowledge that blockchain records are permanent and cannot be deleted, modified, or removed by Attestum or any other party.

8.4 Attestum's Intellectual Property

The Attestum name, logo, trade dress, and all software, designs, text, graphics, and other materials provided through the Service (excluding User content) are the intellectual property of Attestum and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Service or its underlying software, nor may you reverse-engineer or attempt to extract the source code of the Service, except as permitted by law.

9. Privacy and Data Protection

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, available at attestum.io/privacy. The Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data, and explains your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.

By using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the Privacy Policy.

10. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

10.1 Service Provided "As Is"

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Attestum disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Attestum does not warrant that:

The Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure at all times.
Any attestation content is accurate, truthful, complete, or reliable.
The blockchain, IPFS, or any third-party service integrated with the platform will remain available or operational.
Any hiring, contracting, or other decision based on information obtained through the Service will produce any particular result.

10.2 Platform Intermediary Status

Attestum is a technology platform that facilitates the creation, storage, and verification of attestations. Attestum does not create, review, edit, endorse, or guarantee any attestation content. Attestum is not responsible for the actions, content, or conduct of any User.

Content encrypted by Users cannot be accessed or inspected by Attestum during normal platform operations due to the encryption architecture.

10.3 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Attestum's total liability to you for any claims arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the total amount you have paid to Attestum in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred Euros (€100).

In no event shall Attestum be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, business opportunities, or reputation, regardless of the cause of action or theory of liability, even if Attestum has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

10.4 Exceptions

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or (c) any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Attestum and its operator from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to:

Your use of the Service.
Any content you create, submit, or share through the Service.
Your violation of these Terms.
Your violation of any applicable law or the rights of any third party.

If you are an Attester, you specifically indemnify Attestum against any claims of defamation, libel, or other harm arising from the content of attestations you create.

12. Content Durability and Storage

12.1 On-Chain Records

The cryptographic hash of each attestation is recorded on the Base blockchain via the Ethereum Attestation Service. This integrity proof is designed to persist for as long as the Base and Ethereum networks operate. Even if Attestum ceases to operate, the on-chain hash remains publicly verifiable.

12.2 Off-Chain Content

Encrypted attestation content for People Attestations is stored on IPFS, pinned by third-party services. This content is maintained for as long as Attestum is operational and maintains its storage infrastructure. Attestum does not guarantee permanent storage of off-chain content. If Attestum ceases operations, IPFS content may become unavailable.

12.3 Document Verification Records

Document Verification attestations do not involve stored content. The file hash is sealed on-chain. The file remains solely in the User's possession. Attestum does not store any copy of the file and cannot recover it.

12.4 No Permanent Storage Guarantee

While the on-chain integrity proof is designed to be permanent, Attestum does not guarantee the permanent availability of off-chain encrypted content, platform access, or any specific level of service uptime. We recommend that Subjects download copies of their attestations for personal backup.

13. Suspension and Termination

13.1 By You

You may delete your account at any time by contacting support@attestum.io. Upon deletion:

Your profile and account data will be deleted.
Attestations you created as an Attester will remain on-chain (hashes are immutable) but encrypted content may be unpinned from IPFS upon your request, rendering the on-chain record meaningless.
Active Share Links for your attestations (as Subject) will be invalidated.
Unused Verification Credits are non-transferable and will be forfeited upon account deletion unless a refund is approved.

13.2 By Attestum

Attestum may suspend or terminate your account at any time if:

You violate these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy.
We are required to do so by law or regulation.
Your account has been inactive for more than 24 months.
We reasonably believe your account is being used fraudulently.

We will provide reasonable notice before termination where practicable, except in cases of fraud, legal requirement, or severe Terms violations.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in the Service, applicable law, or our business practices. When we make material changes, we will:

Post the updated Terms on this page with a new "Last Updated" date.
Notify registered Users by email at least 30 days before the changes take effect.

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you must stop using the Service and may delete your account.

15. Dispute Resolution

15.1 Informal Resolution

Before initiating any formal dispute resolution process, you agree to first contact us at legal@attestum.io and attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will make reasonable efforts to resolve any complaint or dispute within 30 days.

15.2 Governing Law

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

15.3 Jurisdiction

For disputes that cannot be resolved informally, you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Alicante, Spain, except where mandatory consumer protection laws require a different jurisdiction.

15.4 Consumer Rights

Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer under applicable EU or national consumer protection law, including the right to bring claims in the courts of your country of residence for consumer disputes.

16. General Provisions

16.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other policies referenced herein, constitute the entire agreement between you and Attestum regarding the Service.

16.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

16.3 Waiver

The failure of Attestum to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

16.4 Assignment

Attestum may assign or transfer these Terms, in whole or in part, to any successor entity (including a corporation or limited liability company formed to operate the Service) without your consent. You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent.

16.5 Force Majeure

Attestum shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under these Terms due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to: natural disasters, acts of government, internet outages, blockchain network congestion or failure, third-party service outages (including IPFS, Stripe, or our hosting provider), or cyberattacks.

16.6 Notices

We may send notices to you via the email address associated with your account. You may send notices to us at legal@attestum.io. Notices are deemed received when delivered by email.

17. Contact Information

For questions or concerns about these Terms:

General inquiries: hello@attestum.io
Legal and compliance: legal@attestum.io
Abuse reports: abuse@attestum.io
Billing and refunds: billing@attestum.io
Security concerns: security@attestum.io
Privacy and data requests: privacy@attestum.io

For full service provider identification, see our Legal Notice.