1. Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing, accessing, or using the Kant software, protocol, client applications, documentation, website, or any relay infrastructure operated by the Kant Project (together, the “Software” or the “Service”), or by accepting a consent screen presented by the Software or this website, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Software.

These Terms incorporate by reference the Kant Dual-Use Licence and the privacy and data-residency policy. The Licence controls on matters of copyright and permitted use of the code; these Terms control on everything else, including liability and acceptable use.

2. What Kant Is — and What the Kant Project Is Not

Kant is peer-to-peer software. Two devices running Kant establish an end-to-end encrypted session directly with one another; message content is encrypted and decrypted only on user devices. Where a relay helps peers find and reach each other, it forwards only encrypted ciphertext and signed registry metadata — it is not a message store and cannot see plaintext content.

The Kant Project has no server-side custody of your messages, no plaintext to inspect, and no technical ability to monitor, filter, moderate, or remove content exchanged between users. The Kant Project is a software publisher and, where it operates optional relay infrastructure, a connectivity-facilitation service — not a messaging platform or content host in the sense that centralized services are, and it does not review, endorse, or control what any user says to another user.

3. Eligibility

You represent that you are able to form a binding contract with the Kant Project in your jurisdiction (or have a parent or guardian's permission to be bound on your behalf), that your use of the Software complies with all laws applicable to you, and that you are not barred from using the Software under the export control and sanctions terms in Section 10.

4. Licence to Use the Software

Your rights to use, copy, modify, and distribute the Software's source code and binaries are governed exclusively by the Licence. Non-commercial use (personal, academic/research, journalism, and security research) is free under Part I. Commercial use of any kind requires a separate written Commercial Licence Agreement under Part II — see Section 11 for additional terms that apply to commercial and enterprise users.

5. Your Responsibility for Use

You are solely and entirely responsible for your own conduct, for any content you send, receive, store, or relay through the Software, and for your compliance with all laws applicable to you. The Kant Project does not monitor, review, moderate, or control communications between users and has no technical means to do so given the Software's end-to-end encrypted, serverless architecture. It makes no determination about the lawfulness of any particular use in your jurisdiction, and it disclaims all responsibility and liability for how any person uses the Software, to the maximum extent applicable law permits (Sections 8–9).

Providing general-purpose encryption and peer-to-peer connectivity tooling does not constitute endorsement, facilitation, or approval of any specific use. Kant is dual-use technology — the properties that make it valuable for journalists, security researchers, and privacy-conscious individuals and organizations are available to any user, and the Kant Project has no visibility into which use case applies to any given installation.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Software to:

violate any applicable law, regulation, or third party's legal rights;
generate, store, transmit, or distribute child sexual abuse material, or solicit or exploit a minor in any way;
plan, facilitate, or carry out an act of terrorism or other serious violence against persons or property;
traffic in persons, controlled substances, weapons, or other contraband where prohibited by applicable law;
commit fraud, extortion, or unauthorized access to computer systems, including using the Software as a malware delivery mechanism; or
interfere with, degrade, or attempt unauthorized access to relay infrastructure not under your own control.

This list is illustrative, not exhaustive, and does not create any monitoring or enforcement obligation on the Kant Project's part given the architectural limits described above — see Section 7. Violating this section is independently a material breach of the Licence and of these Terms.

7. No Monitoring; Abuse of Relay Infrastructure

Because message content never reaches a relay in plaintext, the Kant Project cannot review message content and has no mechanism to act on content-based abuse reports for peer-to-peer traffic. If you believe a Kant Project–operated relay is facilitating an ongoing attack against your infrastructure, contact us at the address below; the Kant Project may, at its sole discretion, take operational measures against a specific client (for example, rate-limiting a registry entry) where that doesn't require inspecting content. Operators running their own relay instance are independently responsible for the abuse and legal-request process for their own deployment.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. THE KANT PROJECT DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF SECURITY VULNERABILITIES, OR THAT ANY RELAY WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE.

9. Limitation of Liability; No Responsibility for User Conduct

To the maximum extent applicable law permits:

the Kant Project will not be liable for any act, omission, content, or conduct of any user or third party in connection with the Software, including unlawful use by another user;
the Kant Project will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages arising out of or relating to the Software or these Terms; and
the Kant Project's total cumulative liability for all claims arising under these Terms will not exceed the greater of the amount paid for a Commercial Licence in the preceding twelve months, or one hundred euros (EUR 100).

10. Export Control and Sanctions

The Software includes cryptographic functionality and may be subject to export control and economic sanctions laws. You represent that you are not located in, and are not a national or resident of, any country subject to a comprehensive trade embargo, and that you are not on any restricted-party list maintained by a government with jurisdiction over the Kant Project or over you.

11. Additional Terms for Commercial and Enterprise Users

If you use the Software under a Commercial Licence, or otherwise in a commercial or organizational capacity, in addition to Sections 1–10:

you are the data controller for your own deployment, and are solely responsible for data-protection compliance applicable to your organization (e.g. GDPR, CCPA);
the Kant Project provides no uptime, availability, or support commitment absent a separate signed agreement;
you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Kant Project and its contributors from claims arising out of your use of the Software, your violation of these Terms or applicable law, or content transmitted through infrastructure you operate;
the Kant Project may audit your Commercial Licence compliance on reasonable notice — a licence-compliance audit only, with no access to your message content; and
you are responsible for enforcing Section 6 within your own organization's deployment.

Sections 8 and 9 apply equally to commercial and enterprise users.

12. Breach and Termination

A breach of Section 6 or of the Licence is a material breach of these Terms. Where the Kant Project operates relay infrastructure you rely on, it may suspend or terminate a specific client's access to that infrastructure for a breach, to the extent it can do so without inspecting content. This does not affect your ability to continue running self-hosted Kant infrastructure you control.

13. Changes to These Terms

The Kant Project may revise these Terms from time to time. Material revisions are published with an updated version number and effective date, and clients that require acceptance will re-prompt affected users.

14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of Bulgaria, without regard to conflict-of-law provisions, and any dispute is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Bulgaria — consistent with the Licence.

15. Contact

Questions about these Terms, or requests relating to a Commercial Licence, can be sent to licensing@kant.network.

Terms of Service