Policies | Acceptable Use

ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY 

PLEASE READ THE TERMS OF THIS POLICY CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THE PLATFORM. BY ACCESSING THE PLATFORM, YOU ACCEPT THESE TERMS WHICH BIND YOU.  

Date Last Modified: 30th April 2025

What’s in these Terms? 

This acceptable use policy sets out the content standards that apply when you use our service, including (but not limited to) the input of data and information, or uploading content, to our platform, creating surveys, contacting other users on our platform, linking to our platform, or interacting with our platform in any other way (these “Terms”). 

This platform is licensed by Care Research Limited (“us / we / our”) t/a Care Research. 

By using our platform you accept these Terms 

By using our platform, you confirm that you accept the Terms of this policy and that you agree to comply with them. 

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use our platform. 

We recommend that you print a copy of these Terms for future reference. 

There are other terms that may apply to you, and it is your responsibility to ensure that you have read and understood these Terms in conjunction with such other terms. However, where such other terms between you and a third party governing use of the platform conflict with these Terms, these Terms take precedence.  

We may make changes to the Terms of this policy 

We amend these Terms from time to time. Every time you wish to use our platform, please check these Terms to ensure you understand the Terms that apply at that time.  

Prohibited uses 

For the purposes of this section, the defined term “Intellectual Property Rights” shall mean rights to inventions, copyright and related rights, moral rights, trade marks, business names and domain names, rights in get-up and trade dress, goodwill and the right to sue for passing off or unfair competition, rights in designs, rights in computer software, computer generated works, algorithms, database rights, rights to use, and protect the confidentiality of, confidential information (including know-how and trade secrets), and all other intellectual property rights, in each case whether registered or unregistered and including all applications and rights to apply for and be granted, renewals or extensions of, and rights to claim priority from, such rights and all similar or equivalent rights or forms of protection which subsist or will subsist now or in the future in any part of the world. 

You may not use our platform: 

  • In any way that breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation. 
  • In any way that is unlawful or fraudulent or has any unlawful or fraudulent purpose or effect. 
  • For the purpose of harming or attempting to harm or manipulate persons in any way. 
  • To bully, insult, intimidate or humiliate any person. 
  • To send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use or re-use any material which does not comply with our content standards [careresearch.co.uk/policies/contentstandards] 
  • To transmit, or procure the sending of, any unsolicited or unauthorised advertising or promotional material or any other form of similar solicitation (spam). 
  • To knowingly transmit any data, send or upload any material that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time-bombs, keystroke loggers, spyware, adware or any other harmful programs or similar computer code designed to adversely affect the operation of any computer software or hardware. 
  • In any way that involves child sexual exploitation or abuse. 
  • To upload terrorist content. 
  • To process or disclose personal data which has not been requested by us (“personal data” has the meaning given to it in the Data Protection Act 2018);  

Except as specifically allowed for by law or within these Terms, you shall not, (and shall not attempt to); 

  • copy, modify, duplicate, create derivative works from, frame, mirror, republish, publish, download, display, transmit, or distribute all or any portion of the platform including any (or any part of its) contents in any form or by any means, except where permitted within the functionality of the platform; or 
  • reverse compile, disassemble, reverse engineer or otherwise reduce to human-perceivable form all or any part of the platform; or 
  • access all or any part of the platform (including any modules) in order to build a product or service which competes with the platform; or 
  • use the platform to commit plagiarism; or  
  • license, sell, rent, lease, transfer, assign, distribute, display, disclose, or otherwise commercially exploit, or otherwise make the platform available (and/or any of its contents) to any third party; or 
  • use the platform within a software application, website or software which competes with our operations; or 
  • exceed the indicated storage capability of the platform (as notified to you from time to time); 
  • use screen-recording technology to record and/or capture your use of the platform; or 
  • attempt to obtain, or assist third parties in obtaining, access to the platform; or 
  • in respect of the platform, perform stress tests or similar load testing. 

You must not: 

  • Infringe our Intellectual Property Rights, including those arising in the platform or its contents, or the Intellectual Property Rights of any third party in relation to use of the platform or its contents; 
  • use our Intellectual Property Rights, other than as permitted under these Terms, without our prior written consent; 
  • permit any third party, to infringe our Intellectual Property Rights or the Intellectual Property Rights of any third party in relation to their use of the platform; 
  • scrape any part of the platform or its contents;  
  • use the platform in a way that could damage, disable, overburden, impair or compromise our systems or security or interfere with other users; and 
  • collect or harvest any information or data from the platform or our systems or attempt to decipher any transmissions to or from the servers.  

You understand that any information, data or content input onto the platform will be viewable by us, the primary licensee and such other authorised persons that we may permit from time to time.  

For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in these Terms should be construed as authority for you to use our Intellectual Property Rights, save for access and use of the Platform (which is provided as is) and/or as otherwise agreed by us.  

You are not permitted to use our branding, trade marks and/or logos and we reserve our right to enforce our intellectual property rights against you should you do so.  

Third party websites and content 

You acknowledge that our platform and services may enable or assist you to access the website content of, correspond with, and purchase products and services from, third parties including via third-party websites and that you do so solely at your own risk. We make no representation, warranty or commitment and shall have no liability or obligation whatsoever in relation to the content or use of, or correspondence with, any such third-party, or any transactions completed, and any contract entered into by you, with any such third party. Any contract entered into, and any transaction completed via any third-party is between you and the relevant third party, and not us. We recommend that you refer to the third party’s terms and conditions and privacy policy prior to using the relevant third-party’s services. We do not endorse or approve any third-party nor the content of any of the third-party website made available via the platform. 

You agree: 

  • Not to reproduce, duplicate, copy or re-sell any part of our platform. 
  • Not to access without authority, interfere with, damage or disrupt: 
  • any part of our platform; 
  • any equipment or network on which our platform is stored; 
  • any software used in the provision of our platform; or 
  • any equipment or network or software owned or used by any third party. 

Content standards 

These content standards apply to any and all: 

  • material which you contribute, interact with and/or otherwise upload to our platform; 
  • any surveys you create and/or distribute via the platform; and  
  • in general, your use of the platform 

(“Contribution”). 

These content standards must be complied with in spirit as well as to the letter. The standards apply to each part of any Contribution as well as to its whole. 

We will determine, in our discretion, whether a Contribution breaches these content standards. 

A Contribution must: 

  • Be accurate (where it states facts). 
  • Be genuinely held (where it states opinions). 
  • Comply with the law applicable in England and Wales and in any country from which it is used and/or posted. 

A Contribution must not: 

  • Be defamatory of any person. 
  • Be obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory. 
  • Bully, insult, intimidate or humiliate. 
  • Promote sexually explicit material. 
  • Include child sexual abuse material. 
  • Promote violence. 
  • Promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age. 
  • Infringe any copyright, database right or trade mark of any other person. 
  • Be likely to deceive any person. 
  • Breach any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence. 
  • Promote any illegal content or activity, including but not limited to financial crime. 
  • Be in contempt of court. 
  • Be threatening, abuse or invade another’s privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety. 
  • Be likely to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm or annoy any other person. 
  • Impersonate any person or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person. 
  • Give the impression that the Contribution emanates from us, if this is not the case. 
  • Advocate, promote, incite any party to commit, or assist any unlawful or criminal act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse. 
  • Contain a statement which you know or believe, or have reasonable grounds for believing, that members of the public to whom the statement is, or is to be, published are likely to understand as a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. 
  • infringe Intellectual Property Rights. 

For the avoidance of doubt, for any Contribution in the form of video content: 

  • You must tell us immediately, if you upload a video containing any of the following: criminal material (relating to terrorism, sexual exploitation of children, child pornography, racism and xenophobia), unclassified or unclassifiable videos, videos rated R18 or suitable for R18 rating and other material that might impair the physical, mental or moral development of persons under the age of 18 (restricted material). 
  • You must not upload a video containing harmful or illegal material. 

Breach of this policy 

When we consider that a breach of this acceptable use policy has occurred, we may take such action as we deem appropriate. 

Failure to comply with this acceptable use policy constitutes a material breach of any other agreement entered in respect of the platform, and may result in our taking all or any of the following actions: 

  • Immediate, temporary or permanent withdrawal of your right to use our platform. 
  • Immediate, temporary or permanent removal of any Contribution uploaded to or created by you on our platform. 
  • Issue of a warning to you. 
  • Legal proceedings against you for reimbursement of all costs on an indemnity basis (including, but not limited to, reasonable administrative and legal costs) resulting from the breach. 
  • Further legal action against you. 
  • Disclosure of such information to law enforcement authorities as we reasonably feel is necessary or as required by law. 

We exclude our liability for all action we may take in response to breaches of this acceptable use policy. The actions we may take are not limited to those described above, and we may take any other action we reasonably deem appropriate. 

How this contract can be transferred 

We can transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to any third party, provided this does not adversely affect your rights under these Terms. 

Which country’s laws apply to any disputes? 

The Terms of this policy, its subject matter and its formation (and any non-contractual disputes or claims) are governed by English law. We both agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.