Terms of service
Last updated: 9 July 2026
These terms are a contract between you and Fork Studio Limited (company number 726783), registered at Rathmore, Baltimore, Co Cork, P81 HW84, Ireland, operating as tidings.
By using tidings you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.
The service
tidings is a letter-writing service. You can write private letters, receive replies, keep letters in your drawer, and publish open letters if you choose.
Private letters are encrypted in your browser before they reach us. We store encrypted letter data and delivery records so the service can work, but we cannot read the private letter contents because the keys stay with you.
Your account and sealkey
Your account opens with your sealkey. The sealkey is your login and holds the private key needed to read your letters. You are responsible for keeping it secure, backed up, and private.
If you lose your sealkey, we cannot reset it or recover private letters for you. If someone else gets your sealkey, they may be able to access your account and letters.
You may add an email address so people can send you private letter links by email and so we can notify you about letters. Email is optional unless a feature clearly asks for it.
We may suspend or close an account if it breaks these terms, creates security risk, causes legal risk, or interferes with the service. We will tell you why unless the law or a security issue prevents us from doing so.
Your letters belong to you
Everything you write in tidings belongs to you: your letters, replies, images, styling, and open letters. We do not claim ownership or intellectual property rights over your content.
You give us permission to store, process, publish, and transmit your content only as needed to provide the service. For example, tidings needs to store encrypted private letters so you and your recipients can retrieve them, and it needs to serve open letters publicly when you publish them.
Keep your own copies
tidings is not your primary backup. Keep your own copies of letters that matter to you somewhere you control.
We take care with the service and infrastructure, but no online service can guarantee zero data loss. If a storage period ends and no matching stamp is available, a letter may become download-only.
Open letters
Private letters are intended for the people who have the link and the key material needed to read them. Open letters are public. Do not publish anything as an open letter unless you are comfortable making it available to anyone with the link.
You are responsible for making sure you have the right to publish anything you include in an open letter.
Acceptable use
Do not use tidings to:
- Break any law.
- Send or publish content you do not have the right to use.
- Send spam or bulk messages.
- Harass, threaten, exploit, or harm others.
- Send or publish content that exploits or harms minors.
- Attempt to access another person's account, sealkey, letters, or data.
- Interfere with or disrupt the service.
- Abuse trials, stamps, payments, refunds, or rate limits.
We may remove open letters, restrict features, or close accounts that violate these rules.
Storage stamps and payments
Some parts of tidings require storage stamps. A stamp keeps a private letter, reply, or open letter visible for the stated storage period. Unused paid stamps do not expire.
Stamps are sold through Stripe. Prices, stamp counts, storage periods, and currencies are shown before you buy. Payment card details are handled by Stripe; tidings does not store full card numbers.
Trial stamps may be offered for free. Trial stamps can be limited by account, device, network, or other anti-abuse controls.
Refunds are handled case by case. If something has gone wrong, email us and we will sort it out fairly. This does not affect any cancellation, refund, repair, replacement, price reduction, or other consumer rights you have under Irish or EU law.
The service as it is
We work hard to keep tidings running well, but we provide the service as it is. We do not guarantee that it will be available at all times, error-free, or that it will meet every need you have.
To the maximum extent permitted by Irish and EU law, our total liability to you for any claim related to the service is limited to the amount you have paid us in the 12 months before the claim arose, or €50, whichever is greater.
This does not limit liability that cannot legally be limited, and it does not affect any rights you have under EU consumer protection law that cannot be waived by contract.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time. If we make a significant change, we will give reasonable notice by email, by a notice on the site, or both. Continued use after a change means you accept the new terms.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of Ireland. Any disputes will be handled by the courts of Ireland, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer protection rules in your country of residence.
Contact
Questions about these terms? Email hello@tidings.app.
Fork Studio Limited, Rathmore, Baltimore, Co Cork, P81 HW84, Ireland.