Terms of Service

By accessing and using Gwirachau ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you disagree with any part of these terms, you may not access the Service.

Gwirachau is a collaborative genealogical platform dedicated to Welsh family history, featuring:

• A comprehensive database of Welsh tribal genealogies and patriarchal lines
• Source Integrity & Anti-Duplication Protection system
• Collaborative research tools and community discussion features
• Historical source documentation and verification
• Connection to Welsh cultural and ancestral heritage

The Service is provided free of charge and is supported by the Welsh genealogical research community.

Account Creation:

• You must provide accurate and complete information when creating an account
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password
• You must be at least 13 years old to create an account
• One person may only maintain one account

Account Responsibilities:

• You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account
• You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account
• You may not share your account credentials with others
• You may not use your account for any illegal or unauthorized purpose

Collaborative Research Standards:

• Accuracy First: All genealogical contributions must be based on verifiable sources
• Respectful Discussion: Engage respectfully when discussing conflicting evidence or interpretations
• Good Faith Collaboration: Work toward consensus rather than pushing personal agendas
• Source Citation: Properly cite all sources and provide evidence for genealogical claims
• Living Individual Privacy: Respect privacy guidelines for living people

Dispute Resolution:

When genealogical conflicts arise, users are expected to engage in good-faith discussion, present evidence clearly, and work toward community consensus. Personal attacks or attempts to "win" rather than find truth are not acceptable.

Your Contributions:

• You retain ownership of original content you create (research notes, analysis, etc.)
• By contributing, you grant Gwirachau a license to use, display, and preserve your contributions
• Historical genealogical facts and relationships cannot be copyrighted and become part of the community database
• You warrant that your contributions do not infringe on others' intellectual property rights

Historical Sources and Citations:

• When uploading or referencing historical documents, ensure you have proper rights to share them
• Respect copyright on modern published genealogical works
• Always provide proper attribution for sources and other researchers' work
• Fair use applies to brief quotes and citations for research purposes

Living Individual Protection:

• Information about living individuals (born within 100 years or no death date recorded) is restricted
• You may not add detailed information about living people without their explicit consent
• Family relationships involving living people require special privacy considerations

Community Transparency:

While we protect personal privacy, collaborative genealogical research requires transparency. Your research contributions and discussions become part of the community record to maintain the integrity and verifiability of Welsh genealogical data.

For complete details on data handling, please review our Privacy Policy.

Service Availability:

• We strive to provide consistent access to the Service but cannot guarantee 100% uptime
• Scheduled maintenance may temporarily interrupt service
• We reserve the right to modify or discontinue features with reasonable notice

Data Preservation:

Welsh genealogical data represents cultural heritage. We are committed to preserving this information for future generations and will make reasonable efforts to maintain data integrity and accessibility.

Genealogical Information Disclaimer:

While we strive for accuracy through our community-driven verification process, genealogical research involves interpretation of historical sources that may be incomplete or contradictory. Users should verify information independently for important decisions.

Service Limitations:

• Gwirachau is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind
• We are not liable for decisions made based on genealogical information found on the platform
• Users bear responsibility for verifying information before use in legal or official contexts
• We are not liable for content contributed by other users

User-Initiated Termination:

You may delete your account at any time. However, contributions to the collaborative genealogical database may be retained (with personal identifying information removed) to preserve the integrity of Welsh heritage records.

Service-Initiated Termination:

We may suspend or terminate accounts for violations of these terms, including but not limited to: deliberately adding false information, harassment of other users, or attempts to circumvent our protection systems.

Before termination, we will typically provide warnings and opportunities to correct behavior, except in cases of severe violations.

We may modify these Terms of Service to reflect changes in the law, our practices, or the Service. Significant changes will be communicated via email or prominent site notice at least 30 days before taking effect.

Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the new terms. If you disagree with changes, you may terminate your account.

These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of Wales and the United Kingdom. Any disputes shall be resolved through good-faith negotiation first, followed by binding arbitration if necessary.

For genealogical disputes specifically, we encourage community-mediated resolution through our collaborative research process rather than formal legal proceedings.