deadletter is an underground postal service. It works because the people using it treat the city, the network, and each other with respect. This page is the contract for that.
SHORT VERSION: Be at least 13. Don’t harass. Don’t post anything illegal. Don’t share other people’s private information. There is zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users. Use the BLOCK and REPORT buttons. We aim to act on reports of objectionable content within 24 hours.
⚠ SAFETY — THIS APP SENDS YOU INTO THE REAL WORLD: Stay aware of your surroundings. Never use deadletter while driving. Don’t trespass. Don’t enter unsafe or unfamiliar places. If you meet another user, meet in public. You assume these risks — see Section 13A.
This policy (the “Use Policy”) is a binding agreement between you and Mad Infinitum Labs LLC, the operator of deadletter (“we,” “us”). When you tap TUNE IN, sign in, or interact with the app in any way, you accept these terms. If you don’t agree, don’t use the app.
You can use deadletter as an anonymous user (no sign-in required) for browsing and discovering drops. To leave a drop, you must sign in with Apple, Google, or an email link, and claim a username. This is an anti-spam measure.
You are responsible for activity on your account. Don’t share your sign-in credentials. If you suspect unauthorized access, email contact@dead-letter.com immediately.
The drops you leave should be the kind of message worth walking for. Letters, observations, questions, art, jokes, memorials, secrets that aren’t cruel. Use your judgment.
You may not post, share, or transmit through deadletter any content that:
ZERO TOLERANCE. We have zero tolerance for objectionable content and zero tolerance for abusive users. Violations result in drop removal and may result in account termination without warning.
Every drop has a REPORT action. Tap it to flag content that violates this policy. Reports go directly to our moderation queue. We review every report, and we aim to act on reports of objectionable content within 24 hours. Other reports are handled as soon as we reasonably can. If you are signed in with an email, we may follow up to ask for context (such as a screenshot).
Every drop has a BLOCK action. Tap it to hide all drops from that user from your view in every tab and on the radar map. Blocking is per-user (you only block them for yourself). Blocks are not undoable from inside the app today.
When we receive a report, we will:
You may not:
You own the drops you create. We don’t claim copyright in your text, your photos, or anything else you make.
That said: when you create a drop, you grant us a limited, worldwide, royalty-free license to host that drop on our servers, transmit it to the recipient(s), display it inside the app, and (for moderation purposes) review reported drops. This license exists only to the extent we need it to make the app work. It ends when you delete the drop or when the drop expires.
Direct drops are end-to-end encrypted between you and the recipient — we cannot read them. Circle drops are encrypted and locked to their group. This means:
Circle creators are responsible for the membership and conduct of their circles. We may dissolve circles that violate this policy.
deadletter can lead to in-person meetings, and that carries real risk. People arrange to meet through direct drops, circles, and the messages they leave for each other. We do not verify the identity, age, background, or intentions of any user. We do not screen circles, vet circle creators, or supervise gatherings. If you choose to meet anyone you encounter through deadletter:
You are solely responsible for your decision to travel to any location or meet any person. See Section 13A (Assumption of risk).
We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, without warning, if you violate this policy. We will make a reasonable effort to notify you, but we are not required to. You may terminate your account at any time by emailing contact@dead-letter.com; see our Privacy Policy for what happens to your data on deletion.
deadletter is in active development. Features will change. Some features may be removed. The app may be unavailable from time to time for maintenance or because of factors outside our control (cloud provider outages, your network, etc.). We do not guarantee uptime or feature stability during the beta period.
The app is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the app will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.
You use the app at your own risk. Travel safely. Don’t use the app while operating a vehicle. Don’t trespass while looking for a drop. Don’t enter dangerous areas to find a message.
deadletter directs you to real, physical locations. Please read this section carefully.
Unlike a purely on-screen app, deadletter encourages you to travel to specific places, look at your surroundings through a camera, and potentially encounter other people. These activities carry inherent risks of property damage, bodily injury, and death. Those risks include, without limitation:
You knowingly and voluntarily assume all of these risks. You are solely responsible for: your own safety and the safety of anyone with you; obeying all laws, traffic rules, posted signs, and property rights; assessing whether any location is safe to visit; and deciding whether to interact with or meet any other user.
Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Do not use deadletter while driving or operating any vehicle or machinery. Do not trespass. Do not enter any location you have not been authorized to enter, or that is unsafe. Nothing in deadletter is an invitation, permission, or representation that any location is safe, public, lawful to enter, or accessible.
We do not screen, verify, or supervise. We do not verify the identity, age, or background of users. We do not inspect drop locations. We do not control the physical world, and we make no representation that any place shown in the app is safe.
Release. To the maximum extent permitted by law, you release and hold harmless Mad Infinitum Labs LLC, and its owners, members, officers, employees, and agents, from any claim, demand, damage, loss, or liability of any kind — including for personal injury, emotional distress, property damage, or death — arising out of or relating to your physical presence at any location, your travel to or from any location, your use of the app in the physical world, or your interaction with any other user or third party, whether online or in person.
If you are a California resident, you knowingly waive California Civil Code § 1542, which reads: “A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party.”
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of liability for personal injury caused by negligence. Nothing in this policy limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, including liability for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event will we be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, or use, arising out of or in connection with your use of the app, whether based in contract, tort, or otherwise. Our total cumulative liability for all claims arising out of or related to the app will not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars (US$100) or the amount you have paid us in the past twelve months, whichever is greater.
You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from or related to (a) your drops or other content, (b) your violation of this policy, or (c) your violation of any rights of another person.
READ THIS CAREFULLY. This section requires you to resolve disputes with us through individual binding arbitration instead of in court, and waives your right to participate in class actions. You may opt out within 30 days of first accepting this policy.
Before either of us starts a formal proceeding, we both agree to try to resolve the dispute informally. To do this, send a written notice describing the dispute to contact@dead-letter.com with the subject line “Notice of Dispute.” Include your name, your account email or username, a description of the issue, and the relief you seek. We will do the same if we have a dispute with you, sent to the email address associated with your account. We agree to negotiate in good faith for at least 60 days before either of us proceeds to arbitration.
If informal resolution does not resolve the dispute, you and we agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to deadletter, this Use Policy, the Privacy Policy, or your use of the app (a “Dispute”) will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, available at www.adr.org. The arbitrator will have the authority to grant any remedy that would be available in court, subject to the limitations in this Use Policy.
The arbitration will be conducted by telephone, video conference, or written submissions where permitted by AAA rules. If an in-person hearing is required, it will take place in Sacramento County, California, unless you and we agree on another location. The arbitrator’s decision will follow the terms of this Use Policy and will be final and binding.
For Disputes where the amount in controversy is less than US$10,000, we will pay all AAA filing, administrative, and arbitrator fees, unless the arbitrator determines that your claim was frivolous. For Disputes where the amount in controversy is US$10,000 or more, AAA’s Consumer Arbitration Rules and fee schedules will apply. Each party is responsible for its own attorneys’ fees, except where applicable law or the arbitrator awards otherwise.
YOU AND WE AGREE THAT EACH OF US MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN OUR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, REPRESENTATIVE, OR CONSOLIDATED PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims and may not preside over any form of representative or class proceeding. If a court or arbitrator determines that this class action waiver is unenforceable with respect to a particular claim or remedy, then that claim or remedy (and only that claim or remedy) will be severed from arbitration and may proceed in court, while all other claims will continue to be arbitrated.
This arbitration agreement does not apply to: (a) claims that may be brought in small-claims court within that court’s jurisdictional limit, (b) claims for injunctive or other equitable relief related to intellectual property rights or unauthorized access to the app, or (c) claims that cannot be required to be arbitrated as a matter of law.
You may opt out of this arbitration agreement (Section 16) within 30 days of first accepting this Use Policy by emailing contact@dead-letter.com with the subject line “Arbitration Opt-Out.” Your email must include your name, your account email or username, and a clear statement that you wish to opt out of arbitration. Opting out will not affect any other part of this Use Policy. If you opt out, any future Disputes will be resolved in court under Section 17 below, but the rest of this Use Policy — including the class action waiver in 16.5 to the extent permitted by applicable law — will continue to apply.
This arbitration agreement survives termination of this Use Policy and your account. If any portion of this Section 16 is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.
This policy is governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. For any claim that is not subject to arbitration under Section 16 (such as small-claims actions or claims that fall under Section 16.6 exceptions), you agree to resolve such claims exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Sacramento County, California. You and we waive the right to a jury trial.
If you are a consumer in the European Economic Area or another jurisdiction with mandatory consumer protection rules, those rules may give you additional rights that override this section.
We may update this policy when the app changes or to reflect legal requirements. Material changes will be notified via in-app notice or email at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of the app after the effective date of an update means you accept the updated policy.
Questions, concerns, reports we missed?
Email contact@dead-letter.com.