Terms of Service | Trusted Codes

1. Provider Information (Impressum)

1.1 Service Provider

Trusted Codes is operated by:

Stefan Sonntag
operating under the trade name Trusted Codes
(Sole Proprietor / Einzelunternehmer)

Leonrodstr. 14b
80634 Munich
Germany

1.2 Legal Status

Trusted Codes is not a separate legal entity. All services are provided by Stefan Sonntag as a sole proprietor under German law.

1.3 Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed exclusively by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany.

If you are a consumer within the meaning of §13 BGB, mandatory consumer protection laws apply.

Exclusive place of jurisdiction, where legally permissible, is Munich, Germany.

2. Scope and Acceptance of These Terms

2.1 Binding Agreement

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Trusted Codes service, including all mobile applications, features, and related services ("Service").

By creating an account, installing the app, or using the Service, you enter into a legally binding agreement with Trusted Codes.

2.2 Personal Use Only (Consumer Service)

The Free and Pro tiers are intended exclusively for personal, non-commercial use by individual consumers (B2C).

Use of Trusted Codes for business, commercial, professional, or organisational purposes is not permitted under the Free or Pro tiers. This includes but is not limited to:

Verifying customers, clients, or business contacts
Integration into business processes or workflows
Use by employees on behalf of an organisation

The Business tier (coming soon) will be offered exclusively to business customers under separate terms. Until then, any business use is expressly prohibited and may result in account termination.

Trusted Codes assumes no responsibility for losses arising from unauthorised business use of the Service.

2.3 Minimum Age

You must be at least 16 years old to use the Service.
By using Trusted Codes, you confirm that you meet this requirement.

3. Description of the Service

3.1 Core Functionality

Trusted Codes is an identity verification service that enables users to verify the consistency of personal connections by generating rotating three-word verification codes using cryptographic methods.

The Service:

Uses end-to-end encryption
Employs a zero-knowledge architecture
Stores secrets locally in secure device enclaves
Operates offline after initial connection setup
Enables verification across any communication channel

Trusted Codes does not identify who a person is. It verifies whether two parties share the same cryptographic reference.

3.2 Important Transparency Notice

Trusted Codes is one security layer, not a complete fraud prevention system.

In particular:

The Service verifies consistency, not original identity
You must only add contacts you have verified through other means
The Service cannot protect you if verification is skipped
Trusted Codes cannot prevent fraud committed despite correct use

3.3 Service Limitations – What Trusted Codes Is Not

To avoid misunderstanding, Trusted Codes:

Is NOT an identity verification service – it does not verify who a person is, only whether two parties share a cryptographic reference
Is NOT an authentication or access control system
Is NOT a fraud prevention, detection, or insurance service in any legal, financial, or regulatory sense
Does NOT guarantee protection against scams, impersonation, deepfakes, financial loss, or any form of deception
Does NOT replace due diligence, professional advice, or independent verification

Users must not rely on Trusted Codes as a sole safeguard against fraud or identity-related risks. The Service is one layer of verification, not a complete security solution.

3.4 No Outcome Guarantees

Trusted Codes does not guarantee any specific outcome, result, or level of protection. In particular:

Verification success does not guarantee the authenticity, honesty, or trustworthiness of any party
The Service cannot prevent fraud, deception, or loss if users choose to bypass, ignore, or misinterpret verification results
No security system is infallible – Trusted Codes reduces risk but cannot eliminate it

Users acknowledge that the effectiveness of the Service depends on proper use and that Trusted Codes bears no responsibility for outcomes resulting from user decisions or third-party conduct.

4. User Accounts

4.1 Account Responsibility

You are responsible for:

Maintaining the security of your device
Protecting access to your account
All activity occurring under your account

Only one account per person is permitted.

4.2 Accurate Information

You must provide accurate and complete information and keep it up to date.

4.3 Unauthorized Access

You must notify Trusted Codes immediately if you suspect unauthorized access or compromise of your account or device.

5. Pricing and Plans

5.1 Available Plans

Free Tier

Personal use with limited connections, groups, devices, and features
Fixed 24-hour code rotation
No performance guarantees

Pro Tier (Paid Subscription)

Monthly or annual billing options available
Expanded limits, features, and rotation options
Current pricing displayed in the app and on our website

Business Tier (Coming Soon – B2B only)

Enterprise features and custom pricing
Contact us for details

Note: Trusted Codes reserves the right to modify or adjust features and limits for any tier with 30 days' notice. Price changes for paid tiers will only apply at the next renewal period.

6. Subscriptions and Billing

6.1 Billing Provider

All payments are processed exclusively via Stripe.
Trusted Codes does not store payment card data.

6.2 Billing Cycles

Subscriptions are billed:

Monthly, or
Annually (paid in advance)

6.3 Auto-Renewal

Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled before the end of the current billing period.

6.4 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time via the app or account settings.

Cancellation:

Stops the next renewal
Does not terminate access before the end of the paid period

6.5 Failed Payments

If payment fails:

A 7-day grace period applies
Up to 3 retry attempts may be made
Service may be suspended thereafter

6.6 Price Changes

Trusted Codes may change prices with 30 days' advance notice.

If you do not agree, you may cancel before the new price takes effect.

7. Right of Withdrawal (Widerrufsrecht) – EU Consumers

7.1 Statutory Right

If you are an EU consumer, you have the right to withdraw from a paid subscription contract within 14 days of purchase, without giving any reason.

7.2 Consequences of Withdrawal

If you withdraw:

Any payments made will be refunded
Refunds are processed within 14 days

7.3 Proportional Compensation

Because Trusted Codes provides digital services immediately after purchase and no explicit withdrawal waiver is obtained, Trusted Codes may claim proportional compensation for services already provided up to the date of withdrawal, as permitted by §357 BGB.

7.4 How to Withdraw

Send a clear statement to:
legal@trusted.codes

8. Refund Policy

8.1 General Policy

Refunds are not granted except where required by applicable law (e.g., the statutory right of withdrawal under EU consumer law).

8.2 Specific Rules

Monthly plans: No refunds after the withdrawal period has expired
Annual plans: Refunds only as required by law
Partial-period refunds are not provided for early cancellation

8.3 Feature Changes

Features, limits, and functionality may be modified, added, or removed over time. Trusted Codes will provide 30 days' notice for material changes affecting paid tiers. Continued use after such notice constitutes acceptance.

8.4 No Binding Roadmap

Any statements regarding planned features, roadmaps, or future functionality are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute a binding commitment. Trusted Codes makes no guarantees that any announced or anticipated features will be delivered.

9. Acceptable Use

You may not:

Use the Service for illegal purposes
Attempt to reverse engineer or compromise the Service
Impersonate others
Add contacts under false pretenses
Share verification codes with unauthorized parties
Facilitate fraud or scams

Violation may result in immediate termination.

10. Beta Versions and Feature Status

10.1 Beta Versions (v0.x)

Beta versions:

Are clearly labeled
May contain bugs
Have no uptime guarantees
Features may change or be removed

Feedback may be used without compensation.

10.2 Production Versions (v1.0+)

Standard availability expectations apply.

10.3 "Coming Soon" Features

Descriptions are indicative only and non-binding.

11. Data Protection and Privacy

11.1 Controller

For personal use, Trusted Codes acts as Data Controller under GDPR.

11.2 Zero-Knowledge Architecture

Trusted Codes cannot access your verification secrets.

Upon account deletion:

All server-side encrypted data is deleted
Only legally required records (e.g. Stripe billing history) are retained by Stripe

11.3 Business Customers

Enterprise customers may request a Data Processing Agreement (DPA).

11.4 Privacy Policy

Details are governed by the Privacy Policy, which forms part of this Agreement.

12. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Service belong to Stefan Sonntag d/b/a Trusted Codes.

You retain ownership of your data.
You grant Trusted Codes a limited license to process data solely to provide the Service.

13. Termination

13.1 By You

You may terminate at any time by deleting your account.

13.2 By Trusted Codes

Free users: 7 days' notice
Paid users: 30 days' notice
All users: Immediate termination for violations or illegal use

13.3 Effects of Termination

Access ends
Data is deleted per Privacy Policy
No refunds except where legally required

14. Limitation of Liability

14.1 Liability Cap

To the extent permitted by applicable law, Trusted Codes' total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the total fees actually paid by you to Trusted Codes in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

For free tier users, liability is limited to €100 (one hundred euros).

14.2 Exclusion of Certain Damages

Trusted Codes shall not be liable for:

Indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages
Loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities
Damages arising from third-party conduct, including fraud, scams, impersonation, or other deceptive acts perpetrated by third parties
Losses resulting from your decision to proceed with a transaction or communication despite a failed or skipped verification
Damages caused by compromise, loss, or theft of your device

14.3 Mandatory Consumer Law Exceptions (§§ 309, 276 BGB)

Nothing in these Terms shall limit or exclude Trusted Codes' liability for:

Damages caused by intent (Vorsatz) or gross negligence (grobe Fahrlässigkeit)
Injury to life, body, or health
Breach of essential contractual obligations (Kardinalpflichten), in which case liability is limited to foreseeable, typical damages
Liability under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz)
Any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded under mandatory provisions of applicable law

14.4 Consumer Rights Preserved

If you are a consumer within the meaning of § 13 BGB, your statutory rights under mandatory consumer protection laws remain unaffected by these Terms.

14.5 Third-Party Services and Infrastructure

The Service relies on third-party providers for infrastructure, hosting, payment processing, push notifications, and other functions. Trusted Codes is not liable for:

Service interruptions, failures, or breaches caused by third-party providers
Actions, omissions, or policies of third-party services (including but not limited to Stripe, Apple, Google, Supabase, Expo, or cloud infrastructure providers)
Data loss or security incidents originating from third-party systems
Changes to third-party services that affect functionality or availability

Trusted Codes selects providers with reasonable care but does not guarantee their performance, security, or continued availability.

15. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Trusted Codes and its operator from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to:

Your misuse of the Service or violation of these Terms
Your violation of applicable laws or third-party rights
Any content or data you submit or transmit through the Service
Third-party claims resulting from your use of the Service or reliance on verification results

This indemnification obligation does not apply to the extent that the claim arises from Trusted Codes' own intent or gross negligence, or where such indemnification is prohibited by mandatory consumer protection law.

16. Force Majeure

Trusted Codes is not liable for service failures caused by events beyond reasonable control, including cyberattacks, natural disasters, or government actions.

17. Changes to These Terms

Material changes will be notified 30 days in advance.

Continued use constitutes acceptance.
You may terminate if you disagree.

18. Dispute Resolution

EU consumers may use the EU ODR platform:
https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr

Trusted Codes does not participate in consumer arbitration proceedings.

19. Severability

If any provision is unenforceable, the remainder remains valid.

20. Entire Agreement

These Terms and the Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement and supersede all prior understandings.

21. Contact

Legal questions: legal@trusted.codes

Privacy questions: privacy@trusted.codes

Formal notices may be sent to the address listed in Section 1.