Terms of Service
vau
Effective 14 Jul 2026 · Version 2026-07-14
1. The service and these terms
vau ("the Service", "we") is a media vault: storage and galleries for photos and videos, with private upload links for receiving deliveries and revocable links for giving access. The Service is operated by [OPERATOR — legal entity at incorporation; until then, the founder as sole operator]. By creating a vault, ticking the agreement box, or continuing to use the Service, you accept these terms. You must be at least 16 years old (or the age of digital consent in your country, if higher) to hold an account.
2. Your content stays yours
You own the media you store. Senders who deliver through an upload link agree to the usage terms shown at upload; that agreement is recorded with the delivery and travels with the files. We take only the limited licence we need to operate the Service for you: storing your files, making thumbnails and previews, streaming and serving them to the people you give access to, and the safety processing described in section 4. We never sell your content, never use it for advertising, and never use it to train AI models.
3. Acceptable use
The following have zero tolerance and lead to immediate termination and, where the law requires or permits, a report to the authorities:
- Child sexual abuse material, or any sexual content involving minors. No warnings, no second chances.
- Content you do not have the rights to store or share.
- Malware, or content used for fraud, doxxing, harassment, or threats.
- Any content or use that is illegal in your jurisdiction or ours.
You are responsible for what you store and what the people you invite do with the access you give them.
4. Safety scanning
We may match stored and served content against databases of known abusive material (such as industry hash lists) and may review content that is the subject of a credible abuse report. By using the Service you consent to this processing. On a match or a confirmed report we may block access, preserve evidence, terminate accounts, and report to the relevant authorities.
5. Working with law enforcement
We preserve and disclose content and records — including the delivery and access history attached to your vault — in response to valid legal process, and we proactively report apparent child sexual abuse material as required by law. We honour legal holds: content under investigation is preserved even if you delete your account.
6. Reporting abuse; notice and action
Anyone can report content at abuse@vau.ltd — a report link is on every public page. We act on credible notices expeditiously, targeting review within 24 hours: access to the reported content may be suspended while we review. If your content was disabled by mistake, reply to the notice you received and we will review the counter-notice promptly.
7. Repeat infringers
We terminate the accounts of repeat infringers. A vault used more than once to store or distribute infringing or prohibited content loses the Service.
8. Not your only copy
We keep your media very safe: encrypted in transit and at rest, on infrastructure designed for eleven nines of durability, exportable by you at any time. But no service is infallible, and the Service is a custody layer on top of your own storage, not a replacement for it. For anything irreplaceable, keep your own copy too. You are responsible for maintaining your own backups of irreplaceable content; to the maximum extent permitted by law we are not liable for loss of data where you kept no copy of your sole original.
9. Export, suspension, and termination
Export of your content is always available while your account is in good standing. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms, preserving evidence as needed. On termination for cause, we will honour export of your lawful content; content held as evidence is excluded until the hold lapses. You can delete your vault and account at any time.
10. Liability
The Service is provided "as is" to the fullest extent permitted by law. To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability for any claim is limited to the greater of the amounts you paid us in the twelve months before the claim and €50. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, or affects consumer rights that cannot be waived. You indemnify us against claims arising from your content or your breach of these terms.
11. Changes
We version these terms by date. If we make material changes, you will be asked to accept the new version before creating your next vault, and continued use after notice constitutes acceptance. The version you accepted is recorded with your account.
12. Governing law
[GOVERNING LAW AND VENUE — set at incorporation.] Mandatory consumer-protection law of your country of residence remains unaffected.
Contact: legal@vau.ltd · Abuse reports: abuse@vau.ltd