TERMS & CONDITIONS
Last Updated: August 19, 2026
This Service is an independent, non-commercial project created by University of Minnesota students and is not a registered business entity, and is not officially sponsored, endorsed, or operated by the University of Minnesota.
Please read these Terms of Service "Terms" carefully before using Goldy's Study Buddies (the "Service"). BY CREATING AN ACCOUNT OR OTHERWISE ACCESSING THE SERVICE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT USE THE SERVICE.
These Terms should be read together with our [Privacy Policy], which explains how we collect and use your information.
1. Eligibility and Account Registration
Google Sign-In Only. The Service is accessed exclusively through "Sign in with Google" using your University of Minnesota (`@umn.edu`) Google Workspace account. There is no separate username/password system, and we do not accept sign-ups from non-UMN Google accounts.
One Account Per Person. You may not create or maintain more than one account, and you may not create an account on behalf of another person.
Accuracy of Information. You agree that any information you provide (profile details, academic information, availability) is accurate and that you will keep it reasonably up to date.
Age. The Service authenticates users through UMN's SSO system, which does not verify age to us. If you are under the age of 13, you may not use the Service (see our Privacy Policy, Section 7). If you are between 13 and 18, please review the Privacy Policy's disclosures about profile visibility and chat features with a parent or guardian before using the Service.
2. The Service
The Service allows verified UMN students to create a profile, be matched with peers for study groups, and communicate via in-platform chat to coordinate meetups. The Service is provided for academic coordination purposes only and is not a general-purpose social network or dating platform.
3. Acceptable Use
By using the Service, you agree that you will not:
- Impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity, major, courses, or academic affiliation.
- Harass, threaten, stalk, or abuse another user, on or off the platform.
- Use the Service to solicit, advertise, or sell products or services unrelated to academic study coordination.
- Attempt to scrape, bulk-download, mass-export, or programmatically harvest other users' contact information or profile data (see our Privacy Policy, Section 2D). Doing so will result in immediate and permanent account termination.
- Attempt to bypass, disable, or interfere with the Service's authentication, rate-limiting, or security systems.
- Post another person's private contact information (phone number, home address, etc.) without their consent.
- Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable UMN student conduct policy.
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account that violates these Terms, with or without notice, at our sole discretion.
4. User Content
Ownership. You retain ownership of any content you post (profile information, chat messages, etc.). By posting content, you grant us a limited license to store, display, and transmit that content solely for the purpose of operating the Service.
Responsibility. You are solely responsible for the content you post. We do not pre-screen content and are not responsible for the accuracy, legality, or appropriateness of user-submitted content.
Removal. We may remove content or restrict an account at any time if we reasonably believe it violates these Terms or applicable law.
5. Safety, Reporting, and Moderation
You may block or report another user directly within the Service at any time.
We reserve the right to review chat logs and other account activity when investigating a reported violation of these Terms, as described in our Privacy Policy, Section 4.
We are not responsible for the conduct of any user, on or off the platform, including at in-person meetups arranged through the Service. You are solely responsible for your own safety when meeting other users in person, and we strongly encourage meeting in public, well-lit campus locations, especially for a first meetup.
6. Third-Party Services
The Service relies on the following third-party providers to operate:
Google — for authentication ("Sign in with Google").
Supabase — for database and authentication backend infrastructure.
Vercel — for hosting.
Your use of these providers' underlying services is also subject to their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for outages, data handling, or policy changes made by these third parties.
7. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that any match, meetup, or interaction arranged through the Service will be safe, successful, or appropriate.
This Service is run as an independent student project without a dedicated support team, uptime guarantee, or service level commitment.
8. Limitation of Liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, the creators of this Service will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, arising out of or related to your use of the Service — including but not limited to harm arising from interactions, meetups, or communications with other users. Because this Service is offered free of charge and operated as an independent, non-commercial student project, our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the fullest extent permitted under Minnesota law.
9. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the creators of this Service from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your interactions with other users.
10. Account Termination
By You. You may delete your account at any time. Deletion is permanent and irreversible, and your data will be removed as described in our Privacy Policy, Section 6.
By Us. We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without cause or notice, including for violations of Section 3 (Acceptable Use).
Inactivity. Accounts inactive for more than 24 consecutive months are automatically purged, as described in our Privacy Policy, Section 6.
11. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last Updated" date above and, where appropriate, posted as a notice on the Service. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
12. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles, without prejudice to any consumer protection rights you may have under the laws of your place of residence.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us through our email:
goldysstudybuddies@gmail.com