SELF Terms of Service

Last Updated: August 18, 2026

Version: 9.8.0

What SELF Is

SELF is your private and productive set of digital tools. Protected content is encrypted client-side before it reaches our servers. You hold the keys.

Progressive Web App (PWA)

SELF is available as a Progressive Web App. This means:

Installable - You can install SELF on your device like a native app
Offline capabilities - SELF can work offline for basic functions (planned feature)
Service workers - Live background processes for caching and notifications
Cross-platform - Works on desktop, mobile, and tablet devices
Browser install - You can install from your browser without app store restrictions

We Cannot Read What You Encrypt

SELF uses zero-knowledge encryption for specific protected content. Your device encrypts this content with keys we never receive:

AI conversation history and Memory Bank entries
Messenger content and attachments
Vault file contents, file metadata and folder names
Calendar event content
Mail sent between SELF accounts
Chain validator private keys

The server stores ciphertext for this protected content and does not hold the keys needed to decrypt it.

Information Needed to Run SELF

SELF can access limited service information, including your account email address, message routing identifiers and timing, calendar reminder times and event types, mail envelope data such as timestamp, size and folder, public wallet addresses, and billing or subscription status. Standard internet mail exchanged with external providers is readable while crossing the service boundary. Live AI prompts are processed on SELF-controlled EU GPU infrastructure to generate responses.

Your Data Stays Yours

We don't sell or mine your data - No advertisers, advertising profiles, or cross-site tracking
Client-side encryption - Named protected content is encrypted in your browser using the WebCrypto API (AES-256-GCM)
Recovery phrase-based encryption - Encryption keys are derived from your 12-word recovery phrase using BIP39
You can leave anytime - Export available data or delete your account anytime

You Can Always

Access your data - Export and decrypt supported protected content with your recovery phrase
Delete your account - Request deletion of your account and associated data under our retention rules
Export your data - Download supported account and protected content before leaving
Update information - Update your username or payment details anytime

We Can't And Won't

Try and access your messages or files
Track your browsing for advertising, or build cross-site profiles from your activity
Add SELF account identifiers to search requests - When you enable Connect-tier web search, search text is sent to a third-party provider without your SELF account ID, username, or email
Lock you into our service

What You Can't Do

To keep SELF safe for everyone, please don't:

Share illegal content or use SELF for anything unlawful
Try to hack or interfere with our service or other users
Spam or harass other users through messaging features
Resell access to your SELF account

Your Content

The protected content named above is encrypted with keys only you hold:

You own everything you create, upload, or store in SELF
You're responsible for ensuring you have rights to any content you add
Protected content stays private - the encrypted content named above remains unreadable to SELF
Keep it legal - don't store anything that violates laws

Intellectual Property

SELF software - We own the SELF application, interface, and core technology
Your content - You retain full ownership of everything you create using SELF
AI outputs - You own the results generated by customized SELF AI models within your Memory Bank
Open source - SELF uses open-source components under their respective licenses
No claims - We make no claims to your intellectual property or creative works

Security & Encryption

How We Protect Your Data

Client-side end-to-end encryption - Named protected content is encrypted in your browser using the WebCrypto API (AES-256-GCM) before transmission
Zero-knowledge architecture - The server stores encrypted blobs and cannot decrypt the protected content named above
Recovery phrase-based encryption keys - Encryption keys derived from your 12-word recovery phrase using BIP39 (mnemonic to seed)
TLS encryption in transit - Service traffic, including encrypted blobs, is protected by HTTPS during transmission
Stripe payment security - All payment processing uses Stripe's PCI-compliant encryption and security protocols
Both tiers - Zero and Connect tiers use identical client-side E2E encryption for maximum privacy
No server access to protected content - Server cannot read your AI conversation history, Memory Bank entries, messenger content, Vault content, calendar event content, SELF-to-SELF mail, or validator private keys

App Permissions

SELF requests only the permissions necessary for core functionality:

File system access - To save and sync your documents and data locally
Network access - To connect to your Memory Bank and sync data
Notification permissions - To alert you about important updates or security issues
Optional: Camera/microphone - Only when you choose to upload media or use voice features
Core functionality works - SELF operates fully even if you deny optional permissions

Authentication, Encryption and Recovery

Authentication and encryption use separate mechanisms. WebAuthn passkeys authenticate you to your SELF account. Your 12-word BIP39 recovery phrase derives your encryption keys on your device.

Primary authentication - WebAuthn passkeys provide secure, passwordless account access, with device support such as Face ID, Touch ID, or fingerprint recognition
Secondary authentication - Email and a single-use OTP provide a fallback sign-in path when a passkey is unavailable
Email privacy - We store a lookup-only email hash and a server-decryptable encrypted copy of your email for account access and operational communications. Plaintext email is not returned by APIs, and admin tools show a masked address.
Encryption key derivation - Your browser derives encryption keys from your recovery phrase using BIP39. Passkeys and OTPs do not derive those keys.
Optional recovery password - You may choose to store a server copy of your recovery phrase wrapped client-side with a password-derived key using 600,000 PBKDF2 iterations. SELF receives the wrapped blob and does not receive your password.
Multi-device access - The same recovery phrase derives the same encryption keys on each device
Recovery limits - A passkey or email OTP may restore account access without restoring access to encrypted content. Without the recovery phrase or the optional recovery-password path, encrypted content cannot be recovered by you or SELF.

Vulnerability Reporting

Found a security issue? We want to hear from you:

Security vulnerabilities - Report code and security issues to security@self.app (see Bug Bounty program). For all other inquiries use Settings → Contact Us
Responsible disclosure - We'll acknowledge reports within 48 hours and work with you on fixes
Security updates - Critical security patches are released immediately and pushed to all users
No penalties - Good faith security research is welcomed and protected

Third-Party Services

Memory Bank Definition

Your Memory Bank uses client-side end-to-end encryption on both tiers, with encrypted blobs stored in PostgreSQL on single-tenant bare metal infrastructure in the EU:

Both Tiers - AI conversations and Memory Bank entries are encrypted in your browser using the WebCrypto API (AES-256-GCM) before transmission. The server stores ciphertext and cannot decrypt it.
Data Export - Both tiers can export supported decrypted content through Settings. Decryption happens in your browser.
Recovery Options - Keep your recovery phrase secure. You may also enable the optional recovery-password feature, which stores a client-side wrapped phrase copy as described above. SELF cannot recover encrypted content without one of those paths.

Service Dependencies

Service availability depends on frontend CDN delivery, EU-based infrastructure providers, and Stripe billing
Performance may vary based on CDN delivery, single-tenant bare metal backend infrastructure, and dedicated EU GPU hardware conditions
Data sovereignty is maintained through zero-knowledge encryption, Memory Bank isolation, and EU-based single-tenant bare metal infrastructure
Payment security - Payments use Stripe's certified infrastructure
Frontend reliability depends on third-party CDN hosting of static assets (JS, CSS, HTML)
Backend reliability depends on EU-based single-tenant bare metal infrastructure
AI processing reliability depends on dedicated GPU infrastructure in EU data centers

Frontend Delivery (CDN)

SELF uses a third-party CDN for frontend hosting and global delivery of static assets (JS, CSS, HTML)
The CDN delivers public application files only. It does not receive your encrypted user content.
We are not responsible for CDN service interruptions or changes
CDN providers may change over time; these terms will be updated accordingly

EU Infrastructure

SELF backend API, database, encrypted Memory Bank, messaging, mail, and signaling run on single-tenant bare metal servers in the EU
Client-side encrypted Vault files, messenger attachments and SELF-to-SELF mail blobs use dedicated EU object storage (S3-compatible)
AI text and image processing uses dedicated (non-shared) GPU hardware in EU data centers
Infrastructure providers operate systems and do not receive the keys for client-side encrypted protected content
Providers may change over time; these terms will be updated accordingly
When your account is deactivated, associated storage is permanently deleted per our retention policy

Memory Bank Lifecycle

Your Memory Bank follows this lifecycle:

Creation - Storage is created when you first use SELF (available for both Zero and Connect tiers)
Isolation - Your storage is completely isolated from other users' data
Runtime - Storage holds your conversations and AI processes them securely
Encryption - Memory Bank conversations and entries are stored as client-side encrypted blobs on single-tenant bare metal infrastructure in the EU
Automatic deletion - Associated Memory Bank storage and content are permanently deleted when you deactivate your account
No recovery - Once deleted, storage data cannot be recovered

SELF App Validator Infrastructure

SELF App uses browser-based validators with backend chain coordination.
Browser validators participate in validation and consensus while backend orchestrator and coordinator services support rounds, chain state, availability, and prize draw coordination.
Validator private keys are derived from your recovery phrase, remain encrypted on your device, and are not provided to the coordination services.
Validator and prize draw participation may be temporarily unavailable if backend coordination services are interrupted.

AI Model Processing

SELF uses SELF AI models on dedicated GPU infrastructure in EU data centers
Live prompts are processed to generate responses; stored conversation history remains client-side encrypted in your Memory Bank
Memory Bank conversation history is stored as client-side encrypted blobs; the server cannot decrypt your content
No data sharing with model providers - Your conversations and AI interactions are not used to train third-party models
No model training - We do not use your conversations to train models
Model performance and availability depend on dedicated EU GPU infrastructure

Web Search Services (Connect Tier)

Availability - Connect tier only (including the 3-day free trial); not available on Zero
Search requests - Search text and URL retrieval requests are sent to a third-party provider without your SELF account ID, username, or email
Search results are provided "as-is" and we do not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
We are not responsible for the content or accuracy of search results from third-party sources.
Service availability depends on third-party infrastructure and may be temporarily unavailable.

Search Service Limitations

Third-party dependency - Search services depend on external providers
No guarantees - We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of search results
User responsibility - You are responsible for evaluating and verifying information from search services
Service interruptions - Search services may be unavailable due to third-party issues
No liability - We are not liable for decisions made based on search results
Content changes - Search provider behavior may change without notice

Stripe Payment Processing

SELF uses Stripe for secure payment processing and subscription management
During signup, we use Stripe's fraud detection (Stripe Radar) to verify payment methods
Stripe may analyze transaction patterns and geographic data for fraud prevention
We do not store IP addresses or payment details on our servers; IPs may be used briefly for login security
Your use of payment services is subject to Stripe's Terms of Service
For more information about Stripe's security practices, visit docs.stripe.com/security
For detailed information about Stripe's privacy practices, visit stripe.com/privacy-center

SELF App Prize Draw Program

SELF App operates a Category 4 promotional game under Queensland's Charitable and Non-Profit Gaming Act 1999, where users earn prize draw entries through validator participation.

Program Duration and Token Allocation

Prize draw duration - The prize draw program runs for 48 months (4 years) from launch
Separate programs - Prize draws operate separately from the Early Adopter Program and its 50,000,000 SELF allocation

Prize Draw Overview

No purchase necessary - Free Zero tier users are eligible to participate
Entry mechanism - 1 entry per vote (typically about 1 per minute while your node is active). When your node is active, you're casting votes in the blockchain. Each vote earns you 1 prize draw entry.
Vote rounds - Votes happen once per round (~60s). If you're reconnecting you may miss a round and won't earn an entry for it.
Prize tiers - Daily (5,000 SELF), Weekly (50,000 SELF), Monthly (200,000 SELF)
Cryptographically verifiable randomness - Winners selected via cryptographically verifiable randomness (verifiable on-chain)
Age requirement - Must be 18 years or older to participate

Prize Draw Terms Summary

Entries - Earned automatically through validator votes (1 entry per vote, typically about 1 per minute while your node is active). Votes happen once per round (~60s). If you're reconnecting you may miss a round and won't earn an entry for it.
Eligibility - Open to all SELF users 18+ where permitted by law
Winner notification - Winners notified via in-app alert within 24 hours
KYC verification required - Winners must complete KYC (Know Your Customer) verification before prize distribution. We will send instructions in the in-app alert if you win.
Prize delivery - Prizes are distributed within 7 days of successful KYC verification; pre-TGE prizes are distributed after the Token Generation Event and KYC verification
Record keeping - Draw records are retained for 5 years to support applicable record-keeping obligations
Full terms - Complete Prize Draw Official Rules available in-app (SELF Wallet > Prize Draw)

Early Adopter Program (First 100,000 Users Only)

Eligibility - Limited to the first 100,000 SELF users
Connect subscriber reward - Eligible Connect subscribers can receive 100 SELF/month
Referral reward - Eligible users can receive 100 SELF/month for each qualifying active referral
Program end - Rewards end on 31 December 2029 or when the 50,000,000 SELF Early Adopter Program allocation is exhausted, whichever occurs first
Allocation ceiling - The 50,000,000 SELF allocation is a program ceiling, not a guaranteed or expected payout. Rewards are only created while unallocated Early Adopter Program funds remain
Final period - If the remaining allocation is not sufficient to cover all eligible rewards for a given month, rewards for that month may be allocated only in part, or not at all. Amounts not allocated for this reason do not accrue, do not carry forward, and are not payable later
No entitlement beyond the allocation - Participation in the Early Adopter Program does not create any right or entitlement to rewards beyond the 50,000,000 SELF allocation
Rewards already earned are not withdrawn - A reward that has already been allocated to you is not removed if you later change or cancel your subscription tier. Continuing to hold a Connect subscription is a condition of earning further monthly rewards, not of keeping rewards already earned
Prize draws continue separately - Prize draws are separate from the Early Adopter Program and continue under their own terms

Billing and Payments

Subscription Plans

SELF Zero (Free) - Memory Bank with client-side E2E encryption. 5 messages/day and seamless cross-device sync via recovery phrase (same phrase = same keys on all devices).
SELF Connect (USD $20/month via Stripe, 3-day free trial) - Memory Bank with client-side E2E encryption (same zero-knowledge security as Zero tier). Enhanced features include 100 messages/day, anonymous live web search, voice input, and AI personality customization.

Data Export and Recovery

Both Tiers - You can export supported decrypted content through Settings. Conversations and Memory Bank entries are decrypted in your browser and available for download in JSON format.
Data Recovery - Your recovery phrase derives the keys used to decrypt protected content. If you enable the optional recovery-password feature, a phrase copy is wrapped client-side using a password-derived key with 600,000 PBKDF2 iterations and the wrapped blob is stored on the server. SELF does not receive the password. Without the phrase or that optional recovery path, SELF cannot recover the encrypted content.

Payment Terms

Billing cycle - Monthly subscriptions renew automatically
Payment due - Charged immediately upon signup and each renewal
Failed payments - Service suspended after 7 days, cancelled after 30 days
Price changes - 30 days notice for existing subscribers

Refunds and Cancellation

Cancel anytime - No long-term contracts or cancellation fees
Immediate access - Use your paid features until the end of your billing period
No partial refunds - Subscriptions are billed monthly in advance
Refund exceptions - Technical issues preventing service use (use Settings → Contact Us)

Data Retention After Cancellation

Data export - Before deleting your account, you can download your conversations and memories anytime via Privacy. When your account is deleted, the data no longer exists.

Service Limitations

What We Can't Promise

100% uptime - Services may be unavailable due to maintenance or technical issues
Perfect performance - Speed and responsiveness depend on many factors beyond our control
Bug-free experience - We fix issues quickly but can't guarantee zero bugs
Third-party reliability - Infrastructure providers and Stripe issues may affect your experience

When Things Go Wrong

Planned maintenance - We'll give advance notice when possible
Unexpected outages - We'll work to restore service as quickly as possible
Data loss prevention - Service data is backed up, and you should also keep your own exports and recovery phrase secure
Security incidents - We'll assess incidents promptly and provide notices where applicable law requires them

Force Majeure

We are not liable for service interruptions caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including:

Natural disasters - Earthquakes, floods, fires, or other natural events
Infrastructure failures - Major outages by CDN providers, EU infrastructure providers, or Stripe
Government actions - Regulatory changes, sanctions, or internet restrictions
Cyber attacks - Large-scale attacks on internet infrastructure
Pandemics - Public health emergencies affecting global infrastructure

During force majeure events, we will work to restore service as soon as reasonably possible and keep you informed of our progress.

Security Updates & Maintenance

Security patches - We provide prompt updates to fix any security vulnerabilities
Third-party updates - We monitor and update dependencies when security fixes are available
Automatic notifications - Critical security updates are pushed to users via our in-app notification system
Supply chain monitoring - We continuously monitor our infrastructure providers and Stripe for security updates

Removing SELF

Since SELF is a Progressive Web App (PWA), you can remove it anytime:

From your device - Remove the PWA from your device's app list or home screen
Browser data - Clear your browser's local storage and cache for SELF
Account closure - Use the Settings > Legal page in the app to request account closure and data deletion
Data export - Export your data before removing via Settings > Legal page

Important Disclaimers

Use SELF At Your Own Risk

While we work hard to make SELF reliable and secure:

SELF is provided "as is" - We can't guarantee it will meet all your specific needs
Your business decisions - Any choices you make based on SELF outputs are entirely your responsibility
Third-party issues - We're not responsible for problems caused by infrastructure providers or Stripe
Data safety - While we protect your data, you should maintain your own backups

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

No liability for indirect damages - We're not responsible for lost profits, data, or business opportunities
Maximum liability - Our total liability is limited to the amount you paid us in the past 12 months
Legal protection - This protects both you and us from unreasonable legal costs
Your local laws - Some jurisdictions don't allow these limitations, so they may not apply to you

Account Termination

When We May Terminate Your Account

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

Violate these terms - Breach any of our terms of service
Illegal activity - Use SELF for unlawful purposes
Security threats - Attempt to hack or compromise our systems
Payment issues - Repeated failed payments or fraudulent activity
Abuse - Harassment or harmful behavior toward other users

Termination Process

Notice - We'll give you reasonable notice before termination (except for serious violations)
Data export - You can export your data before termination
Appeal process - Use Settings → Contact Us to dispute termination decisions
Account data deletion - Your account data will be deleted within 30 days of account termination (separate from trial cancellation policies above)

We May Update These Terms

To clarify existing policies
Comply with legal requirements
But we will never change these terms to reduce your privacy, sell your data, or add tracking without your consent

Legal Stuff (The Necessary Parts)

General

These terms are governed by Australian law, where SELF Technology Pty Ltd is incorporated
We prefer to resolve issues directly with you, and if needed, disputes will be handled through binding arbitration
If any part of these terms is found invalid, the rest remains in effect
SELF is intended for users 18 years or older. We do not knowingly collect data from users under 18
By using SELF, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use our service
The SELF Token is offered via SELF Technology Limited, Intershore Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, VG1110, (BVI IBC Number 2169550)

International Data Transfers

Primary location - Australia (SELF Technology Pty Ltd)
AI processing - Dedicated GPU infrastructure in EU data centers
Backend API hosting - Single-tenant bare metal servers in the EU
Frontend delivery - Static frontend assets delivered via a third-party CDN
Payment processing - Stripe (US-based payment processor)
Legal framework - Australian privacy law applies to SELF Technology Pty Ltd, with additional privacy requirements applying where relevant to users in other regions
Transfer safeguards - We use appropriate transfer mechanisms with service providers where applicable. Encrypted Memory Bank storage uses EU-based single-tenant bare metal infrastructure.
Protected content - Memory Bank conversations and entries remain encrypted on single-tenant bare metal infrastructure in the EU
AI data residency - AI processing uses dedicated EU-based GPU infrastructure

Legal Basis for Processing (EU Users)

Contract performance - Processing necessary to provide SELF services
Legitimate interests - Service optimization and security
Consent - For optional features and communications

Data Retention

Account data - Retained while your account is active
Memory Bank data - Automatically deleted when your subscription is deactivated
Payment data - Retained by Stripe as required by law
Error logs - Retained for 30 days for debugging purposes

Contact Us

The SELF team will never DM you or reply to DMs. To contact us, create a free account at self.app, then open Settings → Contact Us to submit partnership proposals, job inquiries, support requests, or anything else. When the team respond, it will appear in your in-app Alerts.

For app bugs use Settings → Bugs. For feature ideas use Settings → Ideas. To report security vulnerabilities email security@self.app (Bug Bounty program).

Mail: SELF Technology Pty Ltd, 194 Varsity Parade, Varsity Lakes, Queensland 4227, Australia

SELF Terms of Service ​