Terms of Service

CheckedBy — checkedby.org
Effective Date: 30 March 2026

1. Introduction and Acceptance

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the CheckedBy platform operated by CheckedBy (Pty) Ltd (“CheckedBy”, “we”, “us”, “our”), a company registered in the Republic of South Africa, accessible at checkedby.org (the “Platform”). The Platform's purpose is “Every Output Verified” and its core purpose is providing human expert verification of AI-generated content.

By registering an account, accessing the Platform, or using any services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and CheckedBy.

We may amend these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated by email or prominent Platform notice. Continued use after such notice constitutes acceptance.

2. Definitions

• “Platform” means the CheckedBy website, application, and all associated services at checkedby.org.
• “Author” means any registered user who uploads documents and purchases review services.
• “Reviewer” means a vetted, independent expert approved by CheckedBy to provide document review services.
• “Job” means a document review engagement created by an Author and fulfilled by a Reviewer.
• “Findings” means the line-by-line review output, annotations, corrections, and suggestions produced by a Reviewer across the seven review dimensions.
• “Proposal” means a Reviewer's bid on a Job, including an introduction and AI-calculated match score.
• “Certified Report” means the PDF document generated by the Platform incorporating the Reviewer's Findings, credentials, and CheckedBy's certification.
• “Prompt Crafting” means the service whereby a Reviewer crafts an expert prompt and AI generates document content for an Author.
• “Escrow” means funds held by the Platform pending completion and approval of a Job.
• “POPIA” means the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (South Africa).
• “AI-Generated Content” means any document or content primarily produced by an artificial intelligence tool, including but not limited to large language models.

3. Eligibility and Account Registration

3.1 Age Requirement

You must be at least 18 years of age to register on and use the Platform. By registering, you warrant that you are 18 or older. The Platform is not directed at minors.

3.2 Account Creation

You may register via email and password or via Google OAuth. Email registration requires a password of at least 8 characters, containing at least one uppercase letter and one number. Email verification via magic link is required before accessing the Platform. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity under your account.

3.3 Account Integrity

You may not create multiple accounts, impersonate any person, or provide false registration information. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts where we reasonably suspect fraud, misrepresentation, or breach of these Terms.

4. The Platform and Its Services

4.1 Platform as Marketplace Intermediary

CheckedBy operates as a technology marketplace and intermediary. We facilitate connections between Authors and Reviewers and provide the infrastructure for payments, communication, review workflows, and delivery. We are not a party to the substantive review engagement between an Author and a Reviewer.

4.2 The Seven Review Dimensions

Reviewers assess documents across the following seven quality dimensions:

4.3 Job Workflow

The standard review workflow proceeds as follows:

1. Author uploads a document (PDF, DOCX, or plain text, maximum 20MB) and creates a Job specifying content type, reviewer tier preference, deadline, industry, AI tools used, known weaknesses, target audience, and any sensitivity flags.
2. The Platform calculates the price based on word count, tier rate, and deadline multiplier. Matching Reviewers submit Proposals.
3. Author selects a Reviewer and pays via Paystack. Funds are held by CheckedBy and aren't issued to the Reviewer until the Job is complete.
4. Reviewer reviews the document using the in-platform editor, submitting Findings categorised across the seven dimensions.
5. Author reviews Findings: approving, requesting changes, or disputing each finding. Real-time in-app chat is available for clarification on the Job and further context.
6. Reviewer provides final sign-off. A Certified PDF is generated with the Reviewer's credentials embedded.
7. Once the Author signs off on a Job, Escrow-held payment is released and the Reviewer receives payment.

4.4 Job Expiry

If no Reviewer submits a Proposal within the Platform's defined waiting period, the Job will expire and the Author will be prompted to submit the Job again. No payment is requested to submit a Proposal.

5. Pricing and Payment

5.1 Pricing Model

Review pricing is calculated as: word count (per 1,000 words) multiplied by the Reviewer's tier base rate, multiplied by a deadline urgency multiplier. Minimum prices are enforced per tier and currency.

Deadline multipliers:

5.2 Payment Processing

Payments are processed via Paystack. CheckedBy does not store card or bank account details on its servers. Payment data is handled entirely by Paystack, subject to Paystack's own terms and security standards. By paying, you also agree to Paystack's terms of service.

5.3 Escrow and Revenue Split

Upon payment, funds are held in escrow by CheckedBy. Upon approval of the review (active or auto-approval), funds are disbursed as follows: approximately 77.7% to the Reviewer (80% of gross minus approximately 2.9% gateway fee), 20% platform commission to CheckedBy, and the remainder to Paystack as the gateway fee.

5.4 Finding Review

Once a Reviewer submits Findings, the Author must actively review and act on each Finding (approve, request changes, or reject). The Author cannot finalise the review until all Findings have been processed. Escrow funds are only released after both the Reviewer's expert sign-off and the Author's manual completion of the review. No automatic approval or escrow release occurs due to inactivity.

5.5 Currencies

The Platform supports ZAR (primary). The currency applicable to a Job is set at Job creation. Cross-border currency conversion is handled by Paystack at applicable exchange rates.

5.6 Tax Obligations

Each party is responsible for taxes on their own income from the Platform. Authors are responsible for any applicable VAT on purchases. Reviewers are responsible for declaring and paying income tax on earnings. CheckedBy is responsible for tax on its platform commission. CheckedBy may issue tax documentation where legally required.

6. Author-Specific Terms

6.1 Document Upload Warranties

By uploading a document, you warrant that:

• You are the author or have obtained all necessary rights and permissions to upload the document for review;
• The document does not infringe any intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party;
• The document does not contain illegal, defamatory, obscene, or harmful content;
• You have accurately disclosed which AI tools were used in creating or substantially contributing to the document (disclosure is mandatory during Job creation).

6.2 AI Disclosure Obligation

CheckedBy's core service is the verification of AI-generated content. Authors must accurately disclose AI tool usage. Failure to disclose material AI involvement where requested.

6.3 Approval Responsibility

Authors are solely responsible for reviewing submitted Findings within the 48-hour window. CheckedBy will send a series of communications to notify the Author of the completed Job.

6.4 Verified Report Usage

Authors may use the Verified Report for their own professional, academic, or commercial purposes. The Verified Report may not be altered to misrepresent the scope or conclusions of the review, and may not be sold as a standalone product.

7. Reviewer-Specific Terms

In addition to these Terms, Reviewers are bound by the Reviewer Agreement, which governs independent contractor status, payment, confidentiality, intellectual property, training requirements, and professional conduct. In the event of conflict, the Reviewer Agreement prevails for Reviewer-specific matters.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Platform IP

All rights in the Platform, its technology, design, algorithms, review framework, certification formats, branding, and AI matching system vest exclusively in CheckedBy. Nothing herein grants you rights beyond the limited licence to use the Platform in accordance with these Terms.

8.2 Author Content

Authors retain ownership of uploaded documents. By uploading, you grant CheckedBy a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to process, store, transmit, and use the document solely to provide the services described herein. This licence terminates upon document deletion, subject to applicable retention obligations.

8.3 Review Findings

Review Findings are created by Reviewers. Upon full payment and approval of a Job, the Reviewer assigns to the Author all intellectual property rights in the Findings for that Job. This assignment is worldwide, perpetual, and royalty-free.

8.4 AI-Generated Content

Ownership of AI-generated content produced through the Prompt Crafting service is governed by the AI Disclosure and Terms document. Authors acknowledge current legal uncertainty in this area and accept responsibility for verifying the suitability of AI-generated content for their intended use.

8.5 Anonymised Platform Data

CheckedBy reserves the right to use anonymised, aggregated, non-identifiable data from Platform usage to improve its services, algorithms, and matching systems.

9. Confidentiality

Reviewers expressly agree to treat all reviewed documents as strictly confidential and not to disclose, reproduce, or use such information outside the review scope. Full confidentiality obligations are set out in the Reviewer Agreement.

10. Prohibited Conduct

You may not use the Platform to:

• Directly engage Authors or Reviewers encountered through the Platform outside the Platform's systems for equivalent services (circumvention), for a period of 24 months following the last Job;
• Upload documents containing malicious code or harmful content;
• Attempt unauthorised access to any part of the Platform or another user's account;
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users through the Platform's communication tools;
• Submit false, manipulative, or bad-faith Proposals, Findings, or ratings;
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or extract source code or trade secrets from the Platform;
• Scrape or extract Platform data without prior written authorisation;
• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose.

11. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW:

• CheckedBy's total aggregate liability to any user shall not exceed the fees paid by that user to CheckedBy in the 12 months preceding the claim;
• CheckedBy shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, or business opportunities;
• CheckedBy does not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for purpose of any Findings, Certified Reports, or AI-generated content;
• CheckedBy is not liable for losses arising from reliance on AI-generated content from the Prompt Crafting service;
• CheckedBy is not liable for acts or omissions of Reviewers, who are independent contractors.

Nothing in this clause limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless CheckedBy and its officers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, costs, and expenses arising from: your breach of these Terms; your content infringing third-party rights; your fraudulent or unlawful use of the Platform.

13. Dispute Resolution

Disputes between Authors and Reviewers regarding a Job are addressed through the Platform's formal dispute mechanism, governed by the Refund and Dispute Policy. Disputes between you and CheckedBy shall be resolved through the following escalating process:

1. Good Faith Negotiation: The parties shall first attempt to resolve the dispute through good faith negotiation. Where the dispute concerns the quality or accuracy of a review output, an independent expert from the relevant field or industry shall be appointed by mutual agreement to assess the output. That expert's assessment shall be final and binding on both parties with respect to the substantive quality determination.
2. Mediation: If the dispute is not resolved through negotiation within 30 days of written notice of the dispute, either party may refer it to mediation administered by the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA).
3. Arbitration: If mediation is unsuccessful, the dispute shall be resolved by binding arbitration under AFSA's rules, seated in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa. The arbitrator's award shall be final and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction.

14. Account Termination and Deletion

CheckedBy may suspend or terminate accounts with immediate effect for breach of these Terms, fraudulent conduct, or where required for Platform security. We will provide notice where reasonably practicable. Account deletion is currently processed by CheckedBy's team on request at info@checkedby.org. Deletion is permanent and cascading; note that deletion will be blocked where active reviews are in progress. Termination does not affect obligations from completed Jobs or accrued payment rights.

15. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Legal proceedings not resolved through arbitration shall be brought in the courts of the Republic of South Africa.

16. General Provisions

• Force Majeure: Neither party is liable for delays beyond their reasonable control.
• Severability: Invalid provisions do not affect the remainder of these Terms.
• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, role-specific agreements, and policies form the complete agreement between you and CheckedBy.
• Waiver: Failure to enforce any right is not a waiver of that right.
• Assignment: You may not assign rights or obligations without our prior written consent.