TERMS OF SERVICE

Preamble

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") govern access to and use of the Meet & Explore mobile app and the services provided by the Association MEET AND EXPLORE PAU (SIREN: 105 880 199), whose registered office is in Pau (64000), France.

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms without reservation. If you do not accept them, you must not use the Service.

The French version of these Terms is the reference version. Translations are provided for convenience.

Article 1. The Service and the Association

Meet & Explore is a mobile community platform designed to make it easier to organise and take part in local, real-world social activities and meet-ups (hikes, dinners, language exchanges, workshops, etc.) in small groups and events.

The Association provides the technical infrastructure that lets members connect, create events and run communities. The Association does not itself organise the events that members publish.

Article 2. Eligibility and account creation

2.1 Eligibility (18+)

The Service is strictly for adults aged at least 18. By signing up, you guarantee that your date of birth is accurate. Any account created by a minor will be suspended as soon as it is detected.

2.2 One account and security

Each user may hold only one account.

Intentionally creating multiple accounts, impersonating someone or circumventing security measures may lead to the account being restricted, suspended or terminated, after the circumstances have been reviewed and subject to any immediate measures needed to protect users.

Article 3. Access rules and verification model

You need to verify your identity to sign up for or create an event, unless the event belongs to a private group, and to create a public group; private groups and their events need only a verified phone number. Creating an organization needs a verified identity document. Direct messages between two members with no other connection need both to have verified with an identity document. How it works, what data is processed and what happens if you decline are explained before the verification starts.

Access to the Service's features is structured as follows:

1. Open access (no verification): exploring public events and groups, joining a group, reading and taking part in the discussion threads of groups you have joined, sending friend requests (requires a profile photo).

2. Private messages: sending direct private messages is strictly limited by your connections (between accepted friends, between an event organiser and a confirmed participant, between a group owner and a member, or between two members who have both verified their identity with an ID document).

3. Events and public groups: signing up for or creating an event requires identity verification, unless the event belongs to a private group; so does creating a public group. A verified email address, a profile photo and SMS phone verification are also required, as explained in the app.

4. Demo and app-store review accounts: official demo accounts and app-store review accounts are exempt from verification.

Article 4. Member commitments and Code of Conduct

By using Meet & Explore, you agree to behave respectfully, courteously and responsibly, both online and when meeting in person.

4.1 Strictly prohibited behaviour

You must not:

• make hateful, discriminatory, defamatory, abusive or obscene statements, or incite violence;

• harass, intimidate or stalk anyone, or make unwanted sexual or commercial advances;

• publish pornographic, violent or illegal content;

• try to circumvent security mechanisms, extract data (scraping) or disrupt the app;

• organise illegal or dangerous events, or events promoting prohibited substances;

• improperly hold places at events through fake sign-ups or repeated unannounced absences (no-shows).

4.2 Gender-restricted events and groups

When an organiser creates an event or group restricted to a specific gender (for example a "Women-only event"), members agree to respect the group's theme. The Association asks everyone to show kindness and respect towards all gender identities.

4.3 Zero tolerance for objectionable content

We have zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive behaviour. Any member can report a profile, an event, a group, an event chat or a single message from the "..." menu, and can block a member at any time from that member's profile. Reports are reviewed by our moderation team as soon as possible; content that breaches these Terms is removed and the member responsible may be suspended or banned without prior warning. You can also write to support@meetandexplore.com.

Article 5. The role of event organisers

Event organisers are independent members of the community who create and run activities under their own responsibility.

• The organiser alone is responsible for choosing the venue, running the event and setting its safety instructions.

• The organiser does not represent the Association MEET AND EXPLORE PAU.

• The organiser agrees not to receive any unlawful commercial payment for events they create, other than genuine shared costs clearly announced in advance (for example splitting a restaurant bill or car-sharing).

Organizations

Anyone who creates an organization page or accepts a role on its team confirms that they are authorised to represent that organization. Its owners are responsible for its page and for the groups and events it runs, under the same rules as any organiser. The type badge describes the kind of organization; it is not a verification of its identity. Creating an organization page requires its SIREN or RNA number, which is checked against the French public registers. That check confirms that the organization exists, not that you represent it. Claiming an organization you are not authorised to represent is a breach of these Terms, and the page will be removed. If an organization, its groups or its events break these Terms, moderators may hide them, suspend them for 7 or 30 days (hidden, and nothing new can be posted, joined or booked), or remove them; a removal can cancel their upcoming events, and attendees are told. The owners are notified and can contest the measure at legal@meetandexplore.com.

Article 6. Reputation, reliability, moderation and appeals

1. Reliability: your Reliability rate (%) changes according to how consistently you attend the events you sign up for. If you cannot attend, you must cancel your RSVP as early as possible to free the place for members on the waitlist.

2. Waitlists: on full events, automatic promotion from the waitlist is prioritised by the Reliability rate (%) of waiting members.

3. Reports and moderation: any member can report inappropriate content or behaviour. Reports are reviewed by human moderators. The Association may issue warnings, restrict access or suspend an account if these Terms are breached.

4. Right of appeal and human review: any challenge to participation data, a no-show, a waitlist position or a moderation measure can be sent to legal@meetandexplore.com. It is reviewed by an authorised person with the power to have the data corrected or the consequence reconsidered. We acknowledge receipt within a reasonable time and reply no later than the deadline the GDPR sets for rights requests, unless special circumstances apply, in which case we will tell you.

Article 7. Intellectual property

7.1 Platform elements

The Meet & Explore app, its features, interface, content, brand, logo, source code, design, databases and algorithms are protected by applicable intellectual property rights.

Unless stated otherwise, using, reproducing, adapting, extracting, distributing or making them available is prohibited without the prior written authorisation of the rights holder or the Association, where it is authorised to grant that permission.

The Association MEET AND EXPLORE PAU operates the Service within the scope of its associative purpose and the rights granted to it for that operation.

7.2 Content published by users

You keep all your rights to the text, photos and content you publish in the app. By uploading content, you grant the Association a free, non-exclusive, worldwide licence to host, display and reproduce that content strictly for the purposes of operating and promoting the Service. This licence ends when the content or the account is deleted.

Article 8. Limitation of liability and disclaimer

1. Operator and host: the Association MEET AND EXPLORE PAU acts as operator of the platform and technical host of the content published by members, within the limits set by law (in particular the French Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy, LCEN no. 2004-575).

2. Real-world meetings: you use the Service and attend real-world events at your own risk. The Association does not guarantee the safety, quality, legality or compliance of events organised by members. Each participant is responsible for being careful and using good judgement when meeting other members in person.

3. Scope of this disclaimer: nothing in these Terms is intended to, or has the effect of, excluding or limiting any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

4. Technical availability: the Association tries to keep the Service available 24 hours a day but cannot be held responsible for temporary interruptions, cloud network outages or maintenance.

Article 9. Account closure and suspension

9.1 Closure by the user

You can close your account at any time in the app's settings (Settings › Delete account). Closure takes effect after a 30-day cancellation period (see the Privacy Policy, Section 10).

9.2 Suspension or termination by the Association

The Association may restrict, suspend or terminate your account in the event of:

• a serious or repeated breach of these Terms or the Code of Conduct;

• intentionally creating multiple accounts, impersonating someone or circumventing security measures;

• behaviour that endangers the safety of other members;

• detection of a user under 18.

Article 10. Governing law, mediation and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by French law, subject to any more protective mandatory provisions of the country where the consumer habitually lives.

In the event of a dispute, the competent courts are determined in accordance with the applicable mandatory rules. Nothing in these Terms deprives a consumer of the right to bring proceedings before the courts of their place of residence where that right exists.

For any legal question, challenge or formal notice, you can contact the Association at: legal@meetandexplore.com.