Terms of Service

Heard is operated by Michael Scott Hayes (“Heard,” “we,” “us”). Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information and is part of these terms.

• You must be at least 13 years old.
• If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian must agree to these terms on your behalf and is responsible for your use of Heard.
• Give accurate information about yourself, keep one personal account, and don't create accounts by automated means.
• Elected officials and candidates may claim an official account only through a verified invite.

Keep your password private and turn on two-factor sign-in if you can. You're responsible for what happens under your account. If you think someone else has access to it, change your password and email us.

You agree not to:

• Impersonate another person, including any elected official or candidate
• Harass, threaten, or incite violence against any user or official
• Post anyone else's private information, such as a home address or phone number
• Post unlawful, defamatory, or deliberately false content, including false information about when, where, or how to vote
• Post content that infringes someone else's copyright or other rights
• Scrape, spam, or otherwise abuse the platform, or run automated accounts
• Attempt to access accounts or data that aren't yours, or to get around our security or rate limits
• Use campaign-finance information shown on Heard to solicit contributions or for any commercial purpose — federal law (52 U.S.C. § 30111(a)(4)) forbids it

You own the posts, comments, and other content you create, and you're responsible for it. By posting, you confirm you have the right to, and you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, store, display, and distribute that content only as needed to operate Heard. We don't use your content to advertise, and we don't sell it.

When you delete a piece of content, it comes down and the license for it ends. Content you started that stays up after you delete your account (see the Privacy Policy) remains under this license, attributed to “Deleted User”.

Heard exists to connect constituents with elected officials in public. Posts, comments, reactions, follows, and similar activity are public and tied to your display name, town, and state. Don't share anything here you wouldn't want associated with you publicly.

If you claim an official or candidate profile, you confirm you are the named person or an authorized staff member acting on their behalf. Your record, posts, and statements are public and tied to your office or campaign. Hosting an official's account is not an endorsement by Heard of any official, candidate, or party.

Anyone can report content with the report button. We may remove content or restrict, suspend, or close accounts that break these terms or the law, with notice where reasonably possible. We apply these rules the same way regardless of viewpoint or party. We aren't required to review everything posted, and content from other users is theirs, not ours.

If you believe content on Heard infringes your copyright, send a notice to our designated agent, Michael Scott Hayes, at info@heard.one that includes:

• Your physical or electronic signature
• The copyrighted work you say is infringed
• The content you want removed and where it is on Heard (a link is best)
• Your name, address, phone number, and email
• A statement that you believe in good faith the use isn't authorized by the owner, its agent, or the law
• A statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized to act for them

If your content was removed and you believe that was a mistake, you can send a counter-notice to the same address, as described in 17 U.S.C. § 512(g). We close the accounts of repeat infringers.

Voting records, bills, and campaign-finance data on Heard come from public sources such as Congress.gov, state legislatures, Open States, and the Federal Election Commission. Heard is independent: we are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any government body, party, candidate, or data source. We work to keep this information accurate but can't guarantee it — check anything important against the official source.

You can delete your account from settings at any time (officials, candidates, and administrators email us to close theirs). We may suspend or close accounts that violate these terms. Sections 05, 12 through 15, and 17 continue to apply after your account ends.

Heard is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, and non-infringement, and we don't promise the service will be uninterrupted or error-free.

To the fullest extent the law allows, Heard and its operator will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost data or profits, arising from your use of Heard or content posted by others. Our total liability for any claim relating to Heard is limited to fifty U.S. dollars ($50).

Some places don't allow these limits, so they may not all apply to you. Nothing in these terms limits liability that can't be limited by law, or your rights under consumer-protection laws that can't be waived.

If someone brings a claim against Heard because of content you posted or your violation of these terms or the law, you agree to cover the reasonable costs of that claim, including legal fees, to the extent the law allows.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Vermont and applicable U.S. federal law, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Before filing any claim, please email us at hello@heard.one and give us 30 days to try to resolve it informally. Any dispute that isn't resolved will be heard in the state or federal courts located in Vermont, and you and we consent to their jurisdiction. Either of us may instead bring an individual claim in small-claims court where you live. This doesn't take away protections your home state's consumer laws give you.

If we change these terms in a meaningful way, we'll update the version and effective date, and the next time you visit we'll ask you to review and accept the new version before continuing. If you don't agree, you can delete your account instead.

These terms and the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between you and Heard about the service. If any part is found unenforceable, the rest still applies. Not enforcing a term right away doesn't waive it. We may transfer these terms only to a successor operator who takes on both these terms and the Privacy Policy, including its promise never to sell your data.

Questions about these terms: hello@heard.one. Copyright notices: info@heard.one.