Terms & Conditions

By creating an account on or otherwise using VocalBox (the "Platform"), you agree to these Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not create an account or use the Platform.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account on or otherwise using VocalBox, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use VocalBox. If you are between 13 and 18, you must have permission from a parent or legal guardian.

By registering, you confirm that you meet these age requirements. Certain features, including purchasing Credits, marketplace transactions, therapy services and CivicDesk workspaces, may have additional age, eligibility or verification requirements.

3. About VocalBox

VocalBox is an independent civic engagement platform that enables citizens and communities to learn, connect, report issues, collaborate and take action.

VocalBox is not a government entity and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or representing any government, government agency or public institution.

Civic reports, community content and opinions posted on the Platform are contributed by users and do not constitute official government statements, announcements or services.

Where an institution uses CivicDesk, any official response published through that institution's authorised account is attributable to the relevant institution and not to VocalBox.

4. Accounts & Security

You agree to provide accurate and current information when registering and to keep your account information up to date.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your username, password and verification codes and for activity occurring under your account.

We encourage you to enable available security features, including two-factor authentication, to protect your account.

You should notify us immediately if you believe your account has been compromised or accessed without your permission.

5. User Conduct & Content Rules

You agree to use the Platform lawfully, respectfully and in good faith.

The following are prohibited and may result in content removal, suspension or termination of your account:

• Harassment, bullying, threats or intimidation.
• Hate speech or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or nationality.
• Spam, scams, misleading claims or impersonation.
• Posting illegal content or content that infringes the rights of others.
• Content or conduct relating to child sexual abuse or exploitation.
• Attempting to access another user's account.
• Attempting to disrupt, compromise or reverse-engineer the Platform.
• Impersonating a government, public institution, organisation or another person.
• Falsely claiming authority to speak on behalf of an institution.

You may report content or users that violate these rules using the in-app reporting tools.

We may remove content or suspend or terminate accounts where we reasonably believe that these Terms, applicable law or Platform safety requirements have been violated.

6. Your Content & Intellectual Property

You retain ownership of the content you post, including text, photos, videos, comments, polls, messages and files.

By posting content on VocalBox, you grant VocalBox a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, display, reproduce and distribute that content as necessary to operate, maintain and improve the Platform and its services.

You are responsible for ensuring that you have the necessary rights and permissions to post any content you share.

7. VocalBox Credits (VBC) & Payments

VocalBox Credits ("VBC" or "Credits") are digital credits used within eligible VocalBox features and services.

Credits may be earned through eligible activities, such as participation, reporting, voting, referrals or learning activities, or purchased with real money through supported payment providers where available.

• Credits are for use within the VocalBox Platform and have no cash value outside the Platform.
• Credits cannot be exchanged for cash except where required by applicable law.
• Credit purchases are subject to applicable consumer-protection and payment laws.
• Refunds are handled in accordance with applicable law and our refund rules.
• Purchase limits may apply and may change from time to time.
• Credits awarded through participation or referrals may be adjusted, withheld or revoked where obtained through abuse, manipulation or fraud.
• You are responsible for applicable taxes, fees or charges associated with your purchases.

8. Marketplace, Learning, Therapy & Other Paid Services

VocalBox may offer additional services, including a community marketplace, learning courses, wellbeing or therapy-related services and charitable giving features.

By using these services:

• You agree to the fees displayed at the time of purchase.
• Fees may be payable using VBC or, where available, supported payment methods.
• Marketplace transactions may occur directly between buyers and sellers. VocalBox does not guarantee the quality, legality, availability or delivery of third-party products or services except where required by law.
• Therapy and wellbeing features are provided for support and informational purposes and are not a substitute for emergency services or professional medical, psychological or legal advice.
• Courses, certificates and completion records are provided subject to the applicable course requirements.

9. AI-Powered Features

VocalBox includes AI-assisted features such as Parrot AI, Content Intelligence, fact-checking assistance, voice transcription and AfroGovIQ insights.

AI-generated or AI-assisted outputs may be inaccurate, incomplete, outdated or unsuitable for a particular situation.

You should independently verify important information before relying on it, particularly information relating to health, safety, legal matters, finances, government services or other consequential decisions.

VocalBox does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of AI-generated information and is not responsible for decisions made solely on the basis of AI outputs, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

10. Location & Nearby+

Nearby+ is an optional feature that allows you to discover citizens, issues, events and opportunities near you.

Where precise location access is required, VocalBox will request your permission before accessing your device location.

You can enable or disable location permissions through your device or account settings, subject to the functionality of the feature.

Location information is handled as described in our Privacy Policy.

11. Referrals & Rewards

You may invite others to join VocalBox using your unique referral link.

Where applicable, referral rewards may be issued when a referred user completes the required activation or qualifying activity.

Referral rewards are subject to applicable programme rules and may be changed, paused or revoked where the programme is abused or manipulated.

12. CivicDesk & Institution Workspaces

CivicDesk enables authorised institutions, including government agencies, ministries, organisations and other institutions, to manage civic reports and communicate with citizens.

Institution accounts must be authorised by the relevant organisation.

Users must not falsely claim to represent an institution or government body.

Responses published through an authorised institution account are the responsibility of that institution and do not constitute statements or endorsements by VocalBox.

VocalBox does not independently certify that every user claiming to represent an organisation has authority to do so beyond the verification processes it applies.

13. Private Locker

Private Locker allows users to privately store records and documents.

You are responsible for the content you store and for ensuring that your use of the feature complies with applicable laws and regulations.

You should not use Private Locker to store unlawful content or information that you do not have the right to possess or process.

14. Campus Mode

VocalBox offers an optional "Campus Mode" for students and educational communities. In Campus Mode, you may:

• Declare yourself as a student and select your school or institution.
• Connect and collaborate with other students and schools through a dedicated campus wall.
• Request that your school be added if it is not yet listed; such requests are reviewed by our team.

Your school or institution affiliation is self-declared. You must only select a school or institution you are genuinely affiliated with. Misrepresenting your affiliation, or using Campus Mode to impersonate a student, institution or school, is prohibited. If you are not affiliated with a school, you may join "VocalBox Lifelong Learning" and continue using the Platform in community mode. Students remain subject to all other provisions of these terms, including the eligibility, conduct and content rules.

15. Termination & Suspension

VocalBox may suspend, restrict or terminate accounts where we reasonably believe these Terms, applicable law or Platform safety requirements have been violated.

You may request deletion of your account and associated data through the available account-deletion process.

Upon termination, your access to the Platform and eligible unused Credits may cease, subject to applicable law and any rights you may have under applicable consumer-protection laws.

16. Government & Public Information

VocalBox may display information relating to countries, governments, public institutions, development indicators, population statistics, capital cities, currencies, geographic boundaries and other public-sector information.

VocalBox is not a government entity and does not represent, endorse or speak on behalf of any government or public institution.

Government and public-sector information displayed on VocalBox is obtained from publicly available sources, which may include:

• World Bank Open Data — https://data.worldbank.org/
• United Nations — https://www.un.org/
• UNDP Human Development Reports — https://hdr.undp.org/
• Natural Earth — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/
• Country JSON — https://github.com/samayo/country-json
• World Factbook — https://worldfactbook.co/countries.php

The particular source used may vary depending on the information displayed.

VocalBox does not claim ownership of government or public-sector information obtained from these sources. Where applicable, users should verify important information directly with the relevant source or official government/public institution.

17. Disclaimers

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

We do not guarantee that the Platform will always be uninterrupted, error-free, secure or available.

We do not endorse the content, opinions, products, services or conduct of users or third parties merely because they appear on or are accessible through the Platform.

Government-related information and AI-generated information may contain errors or become outdated. Users should verify important information independently.

Nothing on VocalBox should be interpreted as an official government statement or government service unless it is clearly identified as being published by the relevant authorised institution.

18. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, VocalBox, its operators, partners and affiliates shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for loss of profits, data or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of the Platform.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited under applicable law.

Where permitted by law, our total liability for a claim relating to the Platform shall not exceed the amount you paid to VocalBox for Credits or other paid Platform services during the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

19. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless VocalBox, its operators, partners and affiliates from claims, damages, liabilities and reasonable expenses arising from:

• Your use of the Platform.
• Content you submit or publish.
• Your violation of these Terms.
• Your violation of applicable law.
• Your infringement of another person's rights.

20. Privacy

Your use of VocalBox is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect your information.

We do not sell your personal data.

21. Third-Party Services

The Platform may integrate third-party services, including AI providers, payment providers, mapping services, data providers and notification services.

Your use of third-party services may be subject to their own terms and privacy policies.

VocalBox is not responsible for the availability, security, content or conduct of third-party services, except where required by applicable law.

22. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time.

Where required, material changes will be communicated through the Platform, by email or through another appropriate notification method.

The updated Terms will indicate the date on which they take effect.

Your continued use of VocalBox after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms, where permitted by law.

23. Governing Law & Disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nothing in these terms is intended to limit any mandatory consumer-protection rights you may have under the laws of the country in which you reside. Any dispute should first be raised with us informally by contacting us. If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, it will be subject to the courts of Nigeria, unless the laws of your country of residence require otherwise.

24. Contact

For questions, concerns or requests relating to these Terms, contact:

Email: parrot@vocalbox.media