Welcome to Rut, a location-based social and dating app for adults. These Terms of Use (the “Terms”) are a legal agreement between you and Rut and govern your use of the Rut app and services (the “Service”). Please read them alongside our Privacy Policy.
1Acceptance of these Terms
By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use Rut. You also agree to the Apple App Store or Google Play terms that apply to your download, and to any community guidelines we publish in the app.
2Who we are
Rut (“Rut,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is operated by Reflecting Pool Software LLC, based in the United States. You can reach us at rutapp@proton.me. Rut is currently offered only to users in the United States.
3Eligibility & age (18+)
Rut is strictly for adults. You must be 18 years of age or older to use the Service. By using Rut, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18, that you can form a binding contract, and that you are not barred from using the Service under applicable law. We may terminate any account we reasonably believe belongs to a person under 18. Rut is not directed to and may not be used by anyone under 18.
4Your account
- You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for all activity under your account.
- You agree to provide accurate information, including a truthful date of birth, and to keep it up to date.
- You may not create an account using false information, impersonate anyone, or maintain more than one account to abuse the Service or evade enforcement.
- You may delete your account at any time in Settings → Delete account. Some information may be retained for a limited period as described in the Privacy Policy.
5Community rules
Rut only works if people treat each other with respect. You agree that you will not, and will not attempt to, use the Service to:
- harass, threaten, bully, stalk, intimidate, defame, or abuse anyone;
- post or promote hate speech, or content that attacks or degrades people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or serious disease;
- share another person’s private or identifying information, or “out” anyone, without their consent;
- share intimate or sexual images of any person without that person’s consent (see also CSAM and Content standards);
- solicit or offer commercial sexual services, engage in sex trafficking, or promote prostitution;
- send spam, scams, phishing, chain messages, or promote money-making, investment, or fundraising schemes;
- engage in fraud or misrepresent who you are;
- post content that is illegal, promotes violence or self-harm, or facilitates illegal activity such as the sale of drugs or weapons;
- infringe anyone’s intellectual property or other rights;
- use bots, scrapers, or automation, access the Service through unauthorized means, or interfere with or attempt to breach the security of the Service; or
- evade a block, suspension, or ban.
6Content standards
You are responsible for everything you post, share, or send. The following standards apply everywhere on Rut:
- Everyone depicted must be a consenting adult. For any content you provide, you represent that you have the right to share it, that every person shown is 18 or older, and that everyone shown has consented both to the content and to your sharing it on Rut.
- No non-consensual intimate content. You may not share, threaten to share, or request intimate or sexual imagery of any person without that person’s consent. Violations may be reported to law enforcement.
- Keep public spaces non-explicit. Public profile photos and other publicly visible content may not contain nudity or sexually explicit material. We automatically screen public photos and reject those that appear to violate this.
- No illegal content. You may not post or share content that is unlawful, or that depicts or promotes child sexual abuse, non-consensual sexual activity, sexual violence, or the sexual exploitation of any person.
7Zero tolerance for child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
Rut has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and for any content that sexualizes, exploits, or endangers a minor. You may not upload, share, send, request, or solicit any such content anywhere on Rut, at any time, for any reason.
Any account involved in this activity will be immediately terminated. Where we become aware of apparent CSAM, we will preserve the relevant content and account information and report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and to law enforcement as required by law, and we cooperate fully with law enforcement investigations.
8Private albums & messages
Rut lets you share a private album with people you choose, and to exchange direct messages. When you grant someone access to a private album or send them a message or photo, you are sharing that content with another person and you are responsible for that choice. We can restrict who can view private content and revoke access, but we cannot control what a recipient does with content once they have seen it. Only share what you are comfortable sharing, and never share intimate content of anyone without their consent. All content standards and community rules above apply fully to private albums and messages.
9Reporting, moderation & enforcement
You can report content or a user, and block any user, at any time from within the app. We use automated tools (such as nudity screening of public profile photos and spam/bot detection) and human review of reports to find content and behavior that violate these Terms.
We may, at our discretion and without prior notice, screen, remove, or refuse to store any content, and warn, suspend, or permanently terminate any account, to enforce these Terms and protect the community. We aim to review reports of objectionable content or abusive behavior and to remove violating content and remove offending users promptly, generally within 24 hours. Using automated screening does not make us the author of user content, and we do not undertake a general obligation to monitor all content; however, when we become aware of violating content we will act as described here.
10Your content & license
You retain ownership of the content you create and share on Rut (“your content”). You grant Rut a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, adapt (for example, to create thumbnails and to remove metadata), and display your content solely to operate, provide, secure, and improve the Service — for example, to show your profile to other users and to deliver your messages. This license ends when you delete the content or your account, except for content already shared with others, for copies retained in routine backups for a limited time, and where we must retain content to comply with law or address safety or abuse. You are solely responsible for your content and represent that you have all rights necessary to share it.
11Subscriptions & payments
Rut is free to use and supported by ads for users who are not on a paid plan. We may offer optional paid subscriptions (for example, an ad-free plan). Purchases are processed by the Apple App Store or Google Play, and are subject to their terms; we do not receive your full payment card details. Subscriptions may automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and you can manage or cancel a subscription in your App Store or Google Play account settings. Except where required by law or the applicable store’s policies, payments are non-refundable. Prices and features may change on a going-forward basis.
12Safety & interactions with others
Rut helps you meet people, but we do not conduct criminal background checks or verify the identity of users, and we are not responsible for the conduct of any user on or off the Service. You are solely responsible for your interactions with others. Use good judgment: be cautious about sharing personal or financial information, meet new people in public places, tell someone where you’ll be, and stop communicating with anyone who makes you uncomfortable. If you feel you are in danger, contact local emergency services. You interact with other users at your own risk.
13Our intellectual property
The Service — including the Rut name, logo, app, design, and software — is owned by us and protected by intellectual-property laws. We grant you a limited, personal, non-transferable, non-exclusive, revocable license to use the app for its intended purpose in accordance with these Terms. You may not copy, modify, reverse-engineer, resell, or create derivative works from the Service, except as permitted by law.
14Suspension & termination
You may stop using Rut and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access at any time if you violate these Terms, if we are required to by law, or to protect the Service or other users. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ends. Sections that by their nature should survive — including content licenses already granted to others, disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification, and dispute terms — survive termination.
15Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, THAT CONTENT WILL BE ACCURATE, OR THAT ANY USER IS WHO THEY CLAIM TO BE. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY FOR THE CONDUCT OF ANY USER.
16Limitation of liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RUT AND ITS OPERATOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) THE SERVICE OR YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER USERS. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM RELATING TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM OR US $100. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS, SO SOME OF THESE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
17Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Rut and its operator from any claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your content, your use of the Service, your interactions with other users, or your violation of these Terms or of any law or the rights of a third party.
18Governing law & disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and applicable U.S. federal law, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. You agree that any dispute not resolved informally will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Pennsylvania, and you consent to venue there. Nothing in these Terms limits any right you cannot waive under applicable law. We encourage you to contact us first at rutapp@proton.me so we can try to resolve any issue.
19Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app. Your continued use of Rut after an update means you accept the revised Terms.
20Contact us
Questions about these Terms? Contact us at rutapp@proton.me.