Terms of Service

1. What HowTo is

HowTo ("the Service", "we", "us") is a platform for narrow, technique-only how-to videos — a single procedure demonstrated clearly, not a general tutorial channel. Publishing is open to any eligible user from day one; there is no editorial pre-approval of content before it appears on the Service.

The Service is operated by [RAGIONE SOCIALE DA DEFINIRE] ("the Operator"). This section will be updated with the Operator's full legal name, registered address, and registration details once finalized.

2. Eligibility and account levels

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. By registering, you confirm you meet this requirement.

Accounts progress through levels as you verify more about yourself: a base account (email address, protected by a captcha challenge) lets you browse, vote, and comment; a Creator account (additionally verified by SMS to your phone number) lets you publish videos; a Certified Professional account (additionally verified through a third-party identity/credential check) earns a verified badge tied to your stated profession. Each level's requirements are enforced technically, not just by policy — see our Privacy Policy for what data each step collects.

3. Your content

You retain ownership of any video, image, text, or other content you upload or post ("User Content"). By posting User Content, you grant the Operator a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, display, and distribute it as part of operating the Service — including showing it to other users, in search results, and in any preview or promotional context directly related to the Service.

You're responsible for making sure you have the rights to everything you post (footage, music, likenesses of other people, etc.) and that it doesn't infringe anyone else's rights.

You may delete your own content at any time; removal from active display is immediate, though residual copies may persist briefly in backups before being purged.

4. Content rules

Beyond the general prohibitions below, three categories carry additional, non-negotiable restrictions because of the real-world harm incorrect or unqualified content in them can cause:

• Health & Wellness — no diagnoses, no medication dosing instructions, and no content presented as a substitute for professional medical advice.
• Personal Finance — no specific investment or trading advice (buy/sell recommendations, guaranteed-return claims, etc.).
• Military — no content involving firearms, edged weapons, explosives, or combat tactics, under any framing. This exclusion is categorical and applies regardless of context, intent, or any other setting.

5. General prohibited content and conduct

In addition to the category-specific rules above, you may not use the Service to:

• Post content that is illegal, infringes someone else's intellectual property, or violates someone else's privacy or publicity rights.
• Harass, threaten, or impersonate any person or entity.
• Attempt to bypass the account-level verification requirements (e.g., automated/bot signups, fraudulent identity or credential submissions).
• Post spam, or manipulate voting, follower counts, or badge criteria.
• Attempt to access another user's account or data without authorization.

6. Voting, comments, and reporting

The "helpful / not helpful" vote on a post is shown to viewers only as an aggregate percentage — individual votes and raw counts are never displayed publicly, to discourage coordinated review-bombing.

Comments function as public technical corrections as much as discussion — flagging an inaccuracy or confirming a procedure worked is an expected use of the comment section.

Any signed-in user can report a post they believe violates these Terms. Reports are reviewed by the Operator's moderation team, who may leave a post as-is, flag it, or remove it, and who may take action on the reporting account for abusive or bad-faith reports.

7. Badges

Community Verified, PRO, and Certified Professional badges are trust signals based on the criteria described on the Service (follower thresholds, subscription status, and third-party credential verification respectively) — they are not a guarantee of the accuracy, safety, or quality of any specific piece of content, and the Operator does not independently fact-check verified creators' posts.

8. Subscriptions and paid verification

A PRO subscription (recurring, cancellable) and Certified Professional verification (a paid, one-time or periodic credential review through a third-party provider) may be offered as part of the Service. Pricing, billing terms, and cancellation mechanics will be presented at the time these features launch and are incorporated into these Terms by reference once published.

9. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service, remove content, or downgrade your account level if we reasonably believe you've violated these Terms, misused the Service, or created risk for other users. You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time.

10. Disclaimers

The Service hosts user-generated instructional content. Content is created and published by individual users, not by the Operator, and reflects those users' own methods and judgment — it is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, and is not a substitute for professional advice in any field, including but not limited to medical, legal, financial, or licensed-trade advice.

Some content on the Service may describe procedures involving real physical, electrical, chemical, or other hazards (for example, home electrical or plumbing work). You are solely responsible for evaluating whether you have the skill, tools, and judgment to safely attempt anything you see on the Service, for following applicable local codes and regulations, and for consulting a licensed professional where appropriate. The Operator is not responsible for injury, property damage, financial loss, or any other harm resulting from your use of — or reliance on — content posted by other users.

11. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Operator will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, revenue, or profits, arising from your use of the Service or any content on it.

12. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify registered users. Continuing to use the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.

13. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Italy, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, and any dispute not resolved informally will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Italy — subject to any mandatory consumer-protection rules of your country of residence that cannot be excluded by agreement.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to [EMAIL DA DEFINIRE].