Terms and Conditions

Agreement to these terms

By accessing the Service Assistant website, purchasing or accepting a membership, creating an account, joining a private room or otherwise using the service, you agree to these Terms and Conditions.

If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use Service Assistant.

These terms should be read together with the:

• Privacy Notice;
• Refund Policy;
• Privacy and Security information;
• Online Safety Guide; and
• any plan, payment or feature information displayed during checkout.

About Service Assistant

Service Assistant provides subscription-based access to private communication features, member account tools, private rooms, invitation functions, protected-message features and related services.

Features may change as the service is developed, improved, secured or updated.

Service Assistant does not guarantee that every feature will be available at all times or on every browser, device, network or operating system.

Eligibility

You must be legally capable of entering into a contract to purchase or use a Service Assistant membership.

Where a membership is created or purchased for another person, the person arranging the membership must have lawful authority to provide the required account information.

Service Assistant may impose minimum age, consent or authorisation requirements where reasonably necessary.

Membership plans

Service Assistant may offer monthly, yearly, organisation, complimentary or manually issued memberships.

The price, billing period and available features for a paid membership will be displayed before payment.

A membership gives the account holder a limited, personal, revocable and non-transferable right to access the member features available under the applicable plan.

A membership does not transfer ownership of the Service Assistant software, website, systems or intellectual property.

Registration through subscription

Service Assistant does not provide unrestricted public account registration.

For new paid members, the account-creation process occurs through the membership checkout process.

A new account should not be activated unless the applicable payment has been successfully verified.

If payment is cancelled, declined, reversed or cannot be verified, Service Assistant may decline to create or activate the account.

Organisation and complimentary memberships

Service Assistant may create memberships manually for organisations, community groups, support services or selected individuals.

A manual, organisation or complimentary membership may have:

• a fixed start date;
• a fixed expiry date;
• ongoing access until withdrawn;
• different renewal arrangements;
• no individual payment by the member; or
• conditions agreed with the sponsoring organisation.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise, an organisation that pays for or arranges a membership does not gain access to the member’s private conversations, access codes or Safety Code.

Account responsibilities

Members are responsible for:

• providing accurate account information;
• keeping their email address current;
• protecting their username and password;
• not sharing their login with another person;
• using a secure password;
• logging out after using a shared device;
• not allowing another person to control their account;
• not attempting to access another person’s account; and
• notifying Service Assistant of suspected unauthorised account access.

Service Assistant may require a password reset or temporarily restrict an account where unauthorised access is suspected.

Payments

Paid memberships must be paid using an available payment method.

You authorise the applicable payment provider to process the amount displayed during checkout.

Service Assistant may retain transaction references, payment status, amount, currency, membership period and related records.

Complete card details may be handled by the external payment provider rather than Service Assistant.

Recurring subscriptions

Where a plan is described as recurring, you authorise the applicable membership payment to be processed at the stated interval until the subscription is cancelled.

Renewal arrangements, payment dates and cancellation options may depend on the selected payment provider.

You are responsible for cancelling a recurring subscription before the next payment date if you do not wish it to renew.

This clause does not limit rights available under the Australian Consumer Law.

Cancellations and refunds

Membership cancellation and refund requests are handled in accordance with the Refund Policy and applicable law.

Cancelling a membership normally prevents future renewal but does not automatically refund the unused part of a current paid period.

Nothing in these terms excludes a right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Important safety limitations

Service Assistant is intended to support more private communication, but no online platform can guarantee complete secrecy, safety or protection.

A person may still be able to observe information through:

• physical access to a device;
• screen recording or screenshots;
• browser history;
• saved passwords;
• email access;
• device monitoring software;
• keyboard monitoring;
• network monitoring;
• notifications or previews;
• shared cloud accounts; or
• another compromised account or device.

Not an emergency or professional service

Service Assistant is not:

• an emergency service;
• a police service;
• a medical service;
• a counselling service;
• a domestic-violence response service;
• a child-protection service;
• a legal service; or
• a substitute for professional advice.

In an emergency in Australia, call Triple Zero on 000.

Where personal safety is involved, users should seek assistance from an appropriate qualified or specialist service.

Private rooms

Members may be permitted to create private rooms and invite other authorised participants.

The person creating or operating a room is responsible for:

• inviting only intended participants;
• checking invitation details before sending them;
• protecting room access details;
• not publishing private invitation links;
• ending a room when it is no longer required;
• not using the room for unlawful conduct; and
• understanding that a recipient may copy or disclose information they are able to view.

Cover text and protected messages

Service Assistant may display harmless or neutral cover text in place of protected message content.

Users must understand that:

• cover text is not the genuine protected message;
• protected content may require an authorised action or code to reveal;
• incorrectly entered access information may prevent decryption;
• revealing protected content on an unsafe device may expose it;
• another participant may record content after revealing it; and
• Service Assistant cannot control what another participant does outside the platform.

Safety Code feature

Safety Code is an optional feature intended to help a user signal whether a protected message was entered using an expected private prefix.

Safety Code is disabled by default and must be deliberately configured by the user.

When Safety Code is armed:

• genuine protected messages must begin with the user’s selected Safety Code;
• the Safety Code is removed before the genuine message is processed;
• a message sent without the expected code may cause the room to be permanently marked as potentially compromised;
• the user’s screen may continue displaying harmless cover conversation without showing the compromise warning;
• the other authorised participant may receive a compromise warning;
• the recipient may be able to terminate the room immediately; and
• the room may not return to fully trusted status after a compromise event.

Compromise protection

If an expected Safety Code is not used, Service Assistant may permanently mark the room as compromised.

Once a room is marked compromised:

• the room may remain compromised after refresh or login;
• protected messages may be locked;
• previous trust may not be restored;
• later correctly coded messages may be treated only as restricted recovery messages;
• the recipient may terminate the room without displaying an obvious warning to the compromised side; and
• a fully trusted conversation may require a new room, invitation and security keys.

These controls are designed to prioritise safety but cannot guarantee that a user is physically safe.

Quick-exit and concealment features

Service Assistant may provide a quick-exit or neutral-screen feature.

A quick-exit feature may change the visible page or redirect the browser, but it may not:

• erase browser history;
• remove records from an internet provider;
• delete screenshots;
• remove browser downloads;
• disable device-monitoring software;
• remove saved passwords;
• remove cached information; or
• prevent another person from examining the device.

Acceptable use

You must use Service Assistant lawfully, responsibly and in a way that does not harm another person or the platform.

You must not use Service Assistant to:

• threaten, intimidate, stalk or harass another person;
• facilitate domestic, family or sexual violence;
• impersonate another person;
• commit fraud or deception;
• distribute unlawful content;
• exploit or harm a child;
• plan or facilitate criminal conduct;
• send malware or malicious code;
• gain unauthorised access to an account or room;
• interfere with encryption or security controls;
• test the platform for vulnerabilities without permission;
• scrape or harvest account information;
• overload or disrupt the service;
• circumvent membership or payment controls;
• sell or transfer account access; or
• violate another person’s privacy or legal rights.

Illegal or harmful content

Service Assistant may restrict, suspend or terminate access where it reasonably believes the service is being used for unlawful, abusive, exploitative or seriously harmful conduct.

Where required or authorised by law, Service Assistant may preserve or disclose relevant account, payment or technical records to an appropriate authority.

Service Assistant does not promise to monitor every private room or message.

Suspension and termination

Service Assistant may suspend or terminate an account, membership or room where reasonably necessary to:

• protect a user or another person;
• address suspected unauthorised access;
• investigate fraud or payment reversal;
• respond to a serious breach of these terms;
• protect the platform from technical harm;
• comply with law; or
• address misuse of safety or privacy features.

Where appropriate, Service Assistant may give notice and an opportunity to respond. Immediate action may be taken where safety, security or legal risk requires it.

Availability and maintenance

Service Assistant may be unavailable during maintenance, upgrades, emergency security work, outages or circumstances outside reasonable control.

Service Assistant may change, replace, suspend or discontinue a feature where reasonably necessary.

Where a material paid feature is permanently removed, Service Assistant will consider any remedy required under applicable law.

Third-party services

Service Assistant may rely on third-party providers for payment processing, hosting, email delivery, security, network services or other technical functions.

Third-party services may have their own terms and privacy policies.

Service Assistant is not responsible for a third party’s independent acts or omissions except to the extent responsibility cannot lawfully be excluded.

Intellectual property

The Service Assistant name, software, website design, text, graphics, interface, code, security processes and other original materials are protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.

Except as permitted by law, users must not:

• copy or reproduce the platform;
• sell or sublicense access;
• reverse engineer protected software;
• remove ownership notices;
• create an unauthorised competing copy; or
• use Service Assistant branding in a misleading way.

User-supplied information

Users retain any rights they have in lawful information they enter into the service.

Users grant Service Assistant the limited rights reasonably required to process, transmit, protect and temporarily store that information for operation of the service.

Users are responsible for ensuring they have the right to share information they enter or transmit.

Privacy

Personal information is handled in accordance with the Service Assistant Privacy Notice and applicable law.

Users must not send passwords, Safety Codes, private room keys or decrypted conversation content through ordinary support forms.

Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified.

Where the Australian Consumer Law applies, Service Assistant’s services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded.

Any limitation or exclusion in these terms applies only to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Disclaimers

To the extent permitted by law, Service Assistant does not warrant that:

• the service will always be uninterrupted;
• every message will be delivered immediately;
• every device or browser will operate identically;
• an unsafe person cannot access a user’s device;
• cover text will prevent suspicion;
• encryption can prevent screenshots or copying;
• a Safety Code will prevent physical harm;
• a quick exit will erase browsing evidence;
• another participant will act safely or lawfully; or
• use of Service Assistant is suitable for every personal safety situation.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Service Assistant is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss arising solely from:

• a user sharing login or access details;
• another person accessing the user’s device;
• screenshots or recordings made by another participant;
• monitoring software outside Service Assistant’s control;
• incorrectly entered codes or access details;
• use of the service contrary to safety instructions;
• third-party network or payment-provider failure; or
• unlawful conduct by another user.

This section does not exclude liability where exclusion is not permitted by law.

Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, a user is responsible for loss reasonably caused by their unlawful use of Service Assistant, deliberate security interference, infringement of another person’s rights or serious breach of these terms.

This clause does not require a consumer to indemnify Service Assistant for loss caused by Service Assistant’s own unlawful, negligent or wrongful conduct.

Complaints and disputes

A user should contact Service Assistant first where reasonably possible so the issue can be investigated.

The user should provide:

• their name;
• their account email;
• a description of the issue;
• relevant dates;
• a payment reference, where relevant; and
• the outcome requested.

Users should not include private chat messages, passwords, room codes, invitation codes or Safety Codes.

Governing law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws applicable in Tasmania, Australia, and the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia that apply there.

Subject to any right a consumer has to bring proceedings elsewhere, the parties submit to the courts and tribunals having jurisdiction in Tasmania.

Changes to these terms

Service Assistant may update these Terms and Conditions where reasonably necessary to reflect:

• new or changed features;
• security improvements;
• changes to memberships or payment methods;
• changes to service providers;
• legal or regulatory requirements; or
• changes required to protect users or the platform.

The current version will be published on this page with its effective date.

Material changes affecting an active paid membership may also be communicated through the website, account area or registered email address where appropriate.

General provisions

If a provision of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, it will be read down or severed to the minimum extent required, and the remaining provisions will continue.

A failure to immediately enforce a term does not waive the right to enforce it later.

Headings are included for convenience and do not limit the meaning of a provision.

These terms, together with the policies incorporated by reference, form the agreement concerning use of Service Assistant.