Terms of Use

Last updated: February 2026

Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using When Something Happens ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Service.

What This Service Is

When Something Happens provides a secure, encrypted digital vault where you can organize important life information for your loved ones. The Service is designed to help you document and share information that others may need access to in the event of your death, incapacitation, or other circumstances.

What This Service Is Not

This Service is not a substitute for proper legal, financial, or medical planning.The information you store in your vault is for reference purposes only. You should still:

• Work with an attorney to create a legally valid will and estate plan
• Maintain original copies of important legal documents
• Consult with financial and tax professionals for financial planning
• Follow proper legal procedures for healthcare directives and powers of attorney

Your vault should complement — not replace — these essential documents and professional services.

Your Responsibilities

Passphrase security: You are responsible for keeping your passphrase secure and sharing it only with people you trust. We cannot recover your passphrase or decrypt your vault if you lose access to it.

Read-only and write codes: When you create read-only or write access codes, you are responsible for sharing them only with people you intend to give access to. Read-only codes provide full viewing access to your vault contents. Write codes provide both viewing and editing access. You should revoke codes when they are no longer needed.

Accuracy of information: You are responsible for ensuring the information you store in your vault is accurate and up to date. We do not verify any information you provide.

Multiple profiles: Your vault can contain information for multiple people (such as family members). You are responsible for obtaining appropriate consent before storing personal information about others, and for ensuring that anyone you share access with should have access to all profiles in your vault.

Sharing with trusted individuals: You are responsible for deciding who to share your passphrase or read-only codes with and when. We recommend sharing with trusted individuals who may need access to your information.

Backup copies: While we maintain your encrypted vault on our servers, we recommend keeping backup copies of critical information in other secure locations.

Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Store illegal content or content that violates the rights of others
• Attempt to circumvent or disable the Service's security features
• Interfere with the Service's operation or other users' access
• Use the Service for any commercial purpose without our permission

Read-Only and Write Access

You can create two types of access codes to share your vault:

Read-Only Codes

Read-only access codes allow others to view but not modify your vault. Holders of read-only codes:

• Can view all information in your vault, including all profiles
• Cannot edit, add, or delete any information
• Cannot create or revoke other access codes
• Cannot delete the vault
• Cannot change the main passphrase

Write Codes

Write access codes allow others to view and modify your vault. Holders of write codes:

• Can view all information in your vault, including all profiles
• Can edit, add, and delete information
• Cannot create or revoke other access codes (only the vault owner can manage keys)
• Cannot delete the vault
• Cannot change the main passphrase

Write access is cryptographically enforced using Ed25519 digital signatures. The server verifies that all write operations are signed with the vault's signing private key, which only the master passphrase and write codes possess. This ensures that read-only codes cannot be used to modify your vault, even if client-side checks are bypassed.

You can set expiration times on both read-only and write codes (1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, or never) and revoke them at any time. Revoked or expired codes immediately stop working.

Rate Limiting

To protect the Service from abuse and ensure fair access for all users, we implement rate limiting on API requests. If you exceed the rate limits, your requests may be temporarily blocked. Normal usage patterns should never trigger these limits.

Service Availability

We strive to keep the Service available and reliable, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, updates, or circumstances beyond our control. We are not liable for any loss or inconvenience caused by service interruptions.

Age Requirement

You must be at least 18 years old to create or access a vault. If you are storing information about minors (such as your children), you represent that you are their parent or legal guardian and have the authority to store their information.

Limitation of Liability

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we shall not be liable for any:

• Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Loss of profits, data, business opportunities, or goodwill
• Loss of data or inability to access your vault
• Unauthorized access to your vault by third parties
• Security breaches, data leaks, or system failures
• Reliance on information stored in your vault
• Any decisions made based on information in your vault
• Interruption or cessation of the Service

In no event shall our total liability exceed the greater of (a) the amounts you have paid us in the twelve months prior to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless When Something Happens, its operators, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to:

• Your use of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any rights of another party
• Information you store about others without their consent
• Any claim that information you stored caused damage to a third party

Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

Please read this section carefully — it affects your legal rights.

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding arbitration, rather than in court, except that you may assert claims in small claims court if your claims qualify.

Class Action Waiver: You agree that any arbitration or proceeding shall be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class, consolidated, or representative action. If for any reason a claim proceeds in court rather than arbitration, you waive any right to a jury trial and agree that such claim may only be brought in your individual capacity.

The arbitration shall be administered by JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures. The arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. For any disputes not subject to arbitration, you agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Delaware.

Health Information Disclaimer

This Service is not a healthcare provider and is not subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or similar health privacy regulations. While your data is encrypted, you should be aware that:

• We are not a "covered entity" or "business associate" under HIPAA
• Health information you store is at your own discretion and risk
• You are responsible for compliance with any health privacy laws that may apply to you
• We recommend storing locations of health records rather than detailed medical information

No Guarantee of Security

While we implement strong encryption and security measures, no system is 100% secure. By using this Service, you acknowledge and accept that:

• Security breaches may occur despite our best efforts
• Your data could potentially be exposed through vulnerabilities we are not aware of
• Third parties may attempt to access your vault through various means
• You assume the risk of storing sensitive information in any digital system

We strongly recommend not storing highly sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, bank PINs, passwords, or full credit card numbers. Instead, store hints or locations where such information can be found.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms of Use from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. We encourage you to review these terms periodically.

Termination

You may stop using the Service and delete your vault at any time. Deleting your vault requires proof of ownership (your passphrase) to prevent unauthorized deletion by third parties. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate access to the Service for violations of these terms or for any other reason at our discretion.

Severability

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

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and When Something Happens regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, and communications, whether written or oral.

Contact

If you have questions about these terms, please contact us at wsh-admin@proton.me.