Terms of use

These terms cover your use of Cabal at cabal.city and its desktop apps, run by the team behind Cabal (“we”). By signing in, you agree to them. If you run your own copy of the open-source software, these terms don't apply to it. Your copy is yours to run.

• You need to be at least 16 and use an email address you control.
• One person per account. Don't impersonate anyone or pick a username meant to mislead.
• You're responsible for what happens on your account, so keep your email secure.

You own your messages, photos, videos and profile. You give us permission to store them and show them to the people you sent them to, only so Cabal can work. That permission ends when you delete them or your account.

Only share photos and videos you have the right to share, and don't post pictures of other people where they'd reasonably expect privacy without their permission.

You must follow the community guidelines. We may remove content or members that break them, and admins may remove people from the community.

• Direct messages and their attachments are end-to-end encrypted, so we can't read them, check them or restore them. If someone breaks these terms in a DM, report the message: that shares just that one message with admins.
• Your keys live on your devices, backed up under a recovery key only you have (and, if you choose one, an unlock phrase). Keep them somewhere safe. If you lose every device, the recovery key and the phrase, those messages are gone for good, and we can't get them back for you.
• Don't try to read other people's keys or messages, or tamper with how encryption works for anyone else.

• Ideas on the Build Cabal board are suggestions for an open-source project. By posting one, you agree that we, or anyone else, may build it without owing you payment or credit.
• Opportunities point to programs, grants and offers run by other organizations. We check the sources we list, but details change, so confirm them with the organization before you apply. Applying happens on their site, under their terms.
• Lock-in hours come from a timer you start and stop yourself. They're a way to keep each other going, not a record of work, and shouldn't be relied on as one.

• Break the law, or help someone else break it, using Cabal.
• Send spam, bulk unsolicited messages, malware or phishing links, including as attachments.
• Share sexual images of anyone without their consent, or anything that sexualizes or exploits a child. We'll remove it, close the account and report it where the law requires.
• Scrape the service, overload it, or try to get into accounts or data that aren't yours.
• Get around a block, a ban or a rate limit.

Found a security problem? Email matt@cabal.city before telling anyone else, and we'll work with you on it.

Cabal's code is released under the MIT license and available on GitHub. The desktop installers are early releases and aren't code-signed yet, so your computer will ask you to confirm before opening them.

Cabal is free, and it's provided as is. We work to keep it running and your messages safe, but we can't promise it will always be available, that messages will never be lost, or that it will suit any particular purpose. Don't use it as your only copy of anything important, including photos and videos.

To the extent the law allows, we aren't liable for indirect or consequential losses arising from your use of Cabal, and our total liability is limited to $100.

You can stop using Cabal and delete your account any time from Settings. We can suspend or close accounts that break these terms, and we may shut the service down with at least 30 days' notice in the community, so you have time to save anything you need.

If we change these terms, we'll update this page and announce it in the community before the changes take effect. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois. Questions go to matt@cabal.city.