Terms of Service

Last updated: December 2025

1. Acceptance of Terms

By using Tone ("the Service"), you agree to these Terms of Service. If you disagree, please do not use the service.

2. Service Provider

Tone ("we", "us", "our") is an AI-powered communication coach service that operates as a bot for Slack. Tone is provided by Andrii Kobtsev, operating as AK Software (Gewerbe registration pending, Hamburg, Germany) ("the Provider").

Contact Information:

• Name: Andrii Kobtsev
• Business Name: AK Software
• Address: Alsterkrugchaussee 560, 22335, Hamburg, Germany
• Gewerbe Registration: Registration pending
• Email: support@checktone.app

3. Description of Service

Tone analyzes your message tone and provides suggestions to improve workplace communication.

4. User Responsibilities

You agree to:

• Use Tone for its intended purpose
• Not abuse or attempt to harm the service
• Provide accurate information
• Comply with Slack's Terms of Service
• Use Tone suggestions responsibly and at your own discretion

4.1 Integration for Slack

• Tone requires a valid Slack workspace connection
• Subject to Slack's Terms of Service
• We only access messages you explicitly submit for tone analysis via /tone command or auto-analysis (if enabled)
• Workspace admins can revoke Tone's access at any time through Slack settings
• You are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions from your workspace admin

4.2 Acceptable Use Policy

You agree NOT to use Tone to:

• Harass, threaten, or harm others
• Generate or analyze spam, unsolicited messages, or malicious content
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or hack the service
• Share your account credentials with others
• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Circumvent usage quotas or payment/access limits

5. Service Disclaimer

Tone provides suggestions only. Tone analysis and suggestions are AI-generated and may not always be accurate or appropriate for your specific context. You are responsible for reviewing and approving all messages before sending.

5.1 AI-Specific Limitations

• Tone analysis is AI-generated and may contain errors or inaccuracies
• AI suggestions may not understand cultural context, sarcasm, or workplace-specific nuances
• Tone is NOT a substitute for human judgment or professional communication advice
• You must review and approve all messages before sending
• We make no guarantees about the appropriateness of AI suggestions for your specific situation
• We are not responsible for miscommunication resulting from following AI suggestions

6. Service Availability

We strive for 99.9% uptime but cannot guarantee uninterrupted service. We are not liable for service interruptions.

7. Subscription and Billing

• Free tier includes limited usage as specified in the app
• Paid access is a one-time payment via Stripe; no recurring subscription
• Run /tone-billing to view receipts or contact support for refunds
• Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period
• No refunds for partial months or unused quota
• We reserve the right to change prices with 30 days advance notice
• Failed payments will result in service suspension after 7 days
• Subscription automatically renews unless cancelled

8. Data Processing and Privacy

• Tone processes message content ONLY to provide real-time tone analysis
• We do NOT store your message content (only aggregated statistics)
• Message data is sent to third-party AI providers for analysis:
  • Anthropic Claude API: Messages processed transiently, NOT stored or used for training, automatically deleted within 7-30 days from backend logs
  • Google Gemini API: Messages retained for up to 55 days for abuse monitoring only, NOT used for model training
• See our Privacy Policy at https://checktone.app/privacy.html for complete data handling details
• Your data rights under GDPR: access, deletion, portability (contact support@checktone.app)
• Data retention: Aggregated statistics retained while you use the service; can be deleted on request

9. Limitation of Liability

Tone is provided "as is." We are not liable for any consequences resulting from use of Tone's suggestions or analysis. You are solely responsible for the messages you send.

10. Intellectual Property

All content and features are property of AK Software ("the Provider"). You may not copy, modify, or distribute Tone's content, features, or intellectual property without permission.

11. Termination

We reserve the right to terminate accounts that violate these terms or abuse the service.

12. Changes to Terms

We may update these terms. Continued use constitutes acceptance of changes.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of Germany. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of Hamburg, Germany.

14. Force Majeure

We are not liable for service failures due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to: natural disasters, wars, internet outages, third-party API failures (Slack, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Stripe, Supabase), or government actions.

15. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

16. Contact

For questions: support@checktone.app