Terms of Service

1. About nearoo

nearoo.de ("nearoo", "the platform", "we") is a free, non-commercial community tool operated by Priyanka Ann Mathew (see Impressum). It provides neighbourhood data for Berlin and hosts two anonymous community features:

• Community Threads — discussion boards organised by Berlin Kiez
• Schwarzes Brett — a building-level anonymous notice board for short-lived practical posts

nearoo earns no revenue, carries no advertising, and has no investors. These Terms govern your use of all parts of the platform.

2. Eligibility

You may use nearoo if you are at least 16 years old, or if you are under 16, only under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on your behalf. nearoo is intended for use within Germany and the European Union.

3. Anonymous Use & No Account

nearoo does not require registration. All community features are anonymous — no name, e-mail address, phone number, or account is collected. Because posts are anonymous, nearoo cannot attribute any post to a specific natural person. Users are solely responsible for the content they submit. Anonymity does not exempt users from applicable German or European law.

4. Acceptable Use

You may use nearoo to:

• Search for neighbourhood information in Berlin
• Submit anonymous Kita wait-time reports
• Post and read anonymous Community Threads about your Kiez
• Post and read anonymous Schwarzes Brett notices about your building or street
• Upvote helpful community content
• Report content that violates these Terms

5. Prohibited Content & Conduct

The following is strictly prohibited on nearoo. Violations may result in immediate removal of content and, where legally required, reporting to the relevant authorities.

6. Automated Content Moderation

All user-submitted text (Community Thread posts and replies, Schwarzes Brett notices) is automatically screened before publication by two layers of moderation:

1. Keyword filter — a local list of profanity and hate terms in English and German that blocks posts immediately without external data transfer.
2. OpenAI Moderation API — when an API key is configured, the text of each post is transmitted to OpenAI (api.openai.com/v1/moderations) for automated classification of hate speech, harassment, threats, sexual content, and violence. OpenAI does not use moderation-endpoint submissions for model training. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Automated moderation is not infallible. Users must report content that slips through using the ⚑ Report button. nearoo reviews reports and removes violating content manually.

7. Schwarzes Brett — Specific Rules

The Schwarzes Brett is a hyperlocal notice board for practical, time-limited community information at the level of a single building or street address. In addition to the general rules above:

• Posts are visible only to users who search the same specific building address (within approximately 20 metres)
• Posts automatically expire after a maximum of 48 hours
• Posts must relate to the specific location and be useful to immediate neighbours
• Posting personal data of specific residents (names, flat numbers, contact details) is prohibited
• nearoo does not verify the accuracy of Schwarzes Brett posts. Users act on posted information at their own risk

8. Accuracy of Data

nearoo aggregates data from public sources (OpenStreetMap, Berliner Kita-Navigator, community submissions). nearoo makes no guarantee as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of any data displayed. Neighbourhood scores, Kita vacancy statuses, and wait-time averages are indicative only and must not be relied upon as the sole basis for housing, school, or Kita decisions. Always verify important information through official channels.

9. User-Generated Content — Ownership & Licence

You retain any rights you may hold in content you post. By posting, you grant nearoo a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to store, display, and distribute your anonymous post on nearoo.de for the purpose of operating the platform. Because posts are anonymous, nearoo cannot attribute authorship and this licence cannot be individually revoked by author; however, you may request removal of a specific post by contacting nearoo.de@gmail.com with sufficient detail to identify the post.

10. Reporting Illegal or Violating Content

Every Schwarzes Brett post carries a ⚑ Report button. Community Thread posts can be reported via email to nearoo.de@gmail.com. Please include the content, location (Kiez or address), and the nature of the violation. We aim to review reports within 48 hours and remove violating content promptly. For urgent matters involving threats or CSAM, please also contact local authorities.

11. Platform Rights

nearoo reserves the right to:

• Remove any content that violates these Terms or applicable law, without prior notice
• Modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the platform at any time
• Update these Terms — continued use after publication of updated Terms constitutes acceptance
• Implement additional moderation measures as the platform grows

12. Limitation of Liability

nearoo is provided "as is" without any warranty, express or implied. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• nearoo is not liable for the accuracy, completeness, or legality of user-generated content
• nearoo is not liable for any loss or damage arising from reliance on neighbourhood data, scores, or community posts
• nearoo is not liable for service interruptions, data loss, or technical failures
• nearoo's liability for intentional misconduct or gross negligence remains unaffected per § 521 BGB

As a non-commercial community project operated voluntarily, nearoo is operated with the liability standard of a gratuitous service provider under German law.

13. Third-Party Services

nearoo integrates third-party services including Mapbox, Supabase, OpenAI, and Vercel. Use of nearoo implies acceptance of these providers' own terms to the extent they apply. nearoo is not responsible for the practices of these third parties. See the Privacy Policy for details of what each service processes.

14. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding its conflict-of-law rules. The place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from or in connection with these Terms is Berlin, Germany, to the extent permitted by applicable law. EU consumers retain the right to bring proceedings before the courts of their country of residence.

15. Contact

For any questions about these Terms, content removal requests, or legal notices:

Priyanka Ann Mathew
E-Mail: nearoo.de@gmail.com
See Impressum for full legal contact details.