Skip to main content

Terms of Service

Back to Home

Effective Date: April 30, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account or using HugsyAlert, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, do not use the service.

2. Service Description

HugsyAlert is a human safeguard system for pet owners. It monitors the pet owner—not the pet—to detect when they may be unable to care for their animals. When the system detects a potential issue through missed check-ins or behavioral signals, it escalates through your pre-designated helper network via Telegram and email.

The core mechanism is a periodic check-in system. If you miss a check-in beyond your configured threshold, the system triggers a multi-stage escalation to your helpers. The system also includes an AI-powered conversational interface ("Talk to Watchdog") that uses Google Gemini to classify message intent and assess safety context.

3. Safety Disclaimer

IMPORTANT: HugsyAlert is NOT a medical alert system, a personal safety device, or a guaranteed emergency service. It is a best-effort companion tool designed to provide an additional layer of safety for your pets. Specifically:

  • HugsyAlert does not replace 911, animal control, veterinary services, or any professional emergency service.
  • Notifications are delivered through third-party services we do not control — specifically Telegram's Bot API and the Resend email infrastructure. We cannot guarantee that any message will be delivered, delivered promptly, or placed in the recipient's primary inbox. Delays, undelivered messages, spam-folder placement, server outages, and account or rate-limit suspensions imposed by these providers are outside our control. We assume no liability for physical, emotional, or financial harm resulting from delayed, blocked, or undelivered alerts.
  • The system cannot guarantee that your helpers will be available, reachable, or able to respond.
  • Internet connectivity issues, device failures, or browser state may delay or prevent check-in detection.
  • AI-based intent classification may produce incorrect assessments.
  • You should always maintain backup plans beyond this service for pet care emergencies.

4. Eligibility & Age Restriction

You must be at least 13 years of age to use HugsyAlert. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If we learn that a user is under 13, we will promptly delete their account and associated data.

5. User Responsibilities

  • Provide accurate contact information and keep your Telegram bot connected.
  • Designate at least one emergency helper and ensure they have agreed to participate.
  • Check in regularly according to your configured schedule.
  • Share physical address and access details directly with helpers (not through the app).
  • Keep your account credentials secure and do not share them.
  • Do not use the service for any unlawful, abusive, or harmful purpose.
  • Respond to safety check-ins and escalation prompts in good faith.

6. Helper Responsibilities

By accepting a helper invitation, you agree to make a good-faith effort to respond to emergency alerts. You understand that response is voluntary and you may opt out at any time by contacting the pet owner. Helpers receive limited pet care information ("Rescuer's Dossier") during emergencies to facilitate animal welfare.

7. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree not to:

  • Use HugsyAlert for any unlawful or fraudulent purpose.
  • Intentionally trigger false emergencies to harass helpers or emergency contacts.
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts or data.
  • Use automated scripts, bots, or scrapers to interact with the service.
  • Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the service.
  • Interfere with or disrupt the service infrastructure.
  • Use the AI chat ("Talk to Watchdog") to generate harmful, abusive, or illegal content.

8. AI-Powered Features

HugsyAlert uses Google Gemini AI to power the "Talk to Watchdog" conversational interface. Your messages are processed by Google Gemini for intent classification, safety assessment, and contextual responses. By using this feature, you acknowledge that:

  • Your messages are sent to Google's Gemini API for processing.
  • AI responses are generated and may not always be accurate or appropriate.
  • Certain keywords (e.g., "help", "emergency", "SOS", "911") may be treated as potential emergency signals and may contribute to escalation decisions depending on context and system availability.
  • AI-generated safety assessments are one of several signals used in escalation decisions and are not infallible.
  • AI technology is inherently subject to errors, hallucinations, and misinterpretation of user intent. The AI does not possess human comprehension and must not be relied upon as the sole signal in life-threatening situations. Use unambiguous language when communicating safety-relevant information and maintain backup safety plans outside this service.

9. Privacy

Your use of HugsyAlert is governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data. Sensitive information such as home addresses and access codes are shared directly between users and helpers and are never stored in our systems.

10. Account Termination

You may delete your account at any time from your Safety & Settings page. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in abusive behavior, or are inactive for an extended period. Upon deletion, your data will be soft-deleted immediately (hidden from all queries) and permanently purged within 30 days.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, HugsyAlert and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, use, or profits, arising from your use of the service. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Failure of the notification system to deliver alerts in a timely manner.
  • Incorrect AI safety assessments or intent classifications.
  • Helpers failing to respond to escalation alerts.
  • Service interruptions caused by third-party provider outages.
  • Data loss during beta testing or service updates.

In no event shall the total liability of HugsyAlert and its operators to you, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, exceed the greater of (a) fifty U.S. dollars (US$50.00) or (b) the total amount you have paid us in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. This cap applies even where a remedy fails of its essential purpose.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless HugsyAlert and its operators from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the service, your violation of these Terms, or your infringement of any third-party rights.

Helper-specific indemnification. You represent and warrant that you have obtained valid consent from each Helper before sharing their contact information with HugsyAlert. You further agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless HugsyAlert and its operators from any claim, demand, liability, or expense arising from a Helper's actions in connection with the service, including but not limited to: property damage, physical injury (whether to the Helper, to your pet, or to a third party), emotional distress, or trespass claims resulting from a Helper's response to (or failure to respond to) an escalation alert, or from a Helper's entry into your residence. Helpers are individuals you have personally selected and instructed; HugsyAlert acts solely as a notification conduit and is not their employer, agent, or dispatcher.

13. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes via email or in-app notification. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. The "Effective Date" at the top of this page indicates when these Terms were last revised.

14. Governing Law & Venue

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States of America, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Venue for any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the service lies exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Virginia, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts. The parties shall first attempt to resolve any dispute through good-faith negotiation before pursuing any formal legal remedy.

15. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at support@hugsyalert.com.

Beta Program Addendum

16. Beta Program & Early Access

HugsyAlert is currently in beta and is provided on an "As-Is" and "As Available" basis. By participating in the beta program, you acknowledge and agree that:

  • The service is under active development and no warranties of any kind are made regarding its reliability, availability, or fitness for any purpose.
  • Features may change, be removed, or behave unexpectedly without prior notice.
  • Data collected during beta, including check-in history and configuration, may be wiped or reset as part of development.
  • You assume all risk associated with the use of pre-release software.
  • The safety disclaimer in Section 3 and liability limitations in Section 11 apply with full force during the beta period.

17. Beta Data Collection & R&D Use

During the beta period, we collect additional usage data for research and development purposes. This includes:

  • Device and browser telemetry (battery level, connection type, tab visibility, motion detection).
  • Behavioral patterns (check-in timing, response latency, escalation outcomes).
  • AI conversation logs for improving intent classification accuracy.
  • Anonymized aggregate analytics on feature usage and system performance.

By using HugsyAlert during the beta period, you explicitly consent to this data collection for the purpose of improving the service. You may opt out at any time by deleting your account. See our Privacy Policy for full details on data handling.

18. Invite Code Terms

Access to the beta program is granted through personal invite codes. Your invite code is for personal use only and may not be shared, published, sold, or transferred to third parties without authorization. Unauthorized distribution of invite codes may result in immediate revocation of access. HugsyAlert reserves the right to invalidate any invite code at any time.

19. Bug Reporting & Feedback

Beta participants are encouraged to report bugs, provide feedback, and suggest improvements. Any feedback, bug reports, suggestions, or ideas you submit through any channel—including the Telegram /feedback command, in-app interfaces, and support@hugsyalert.com—become the property of HugsyAlert. You grant HugsyAlert an unrestricted, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free right to use, modify, distribute, and incorporate such feedback into the service or any future product without obligation or compensation.

20. Beta Termination

HugsyAlert reserves the right to revoke your beta access, invalidate invite codes, or shut down the beta program entirely at any time and for any reason, with or without notice. Upon transition to general availability, we will make reasonable efforts to preserve your data and migrate your account, but no guarantees are made regarding data continuity between the beta period and the production release.

21. License & Permitted Use

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, HugsyAlert grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the service solely for personal pet safety purposes. This license does not include the right to use the service for any commercial purpose, resale, or redistribution.

22. Pricing & Future Fees

The service is currently provided free of charge during the closed beta period. We reserve the right to introduce paid features, subscriptions, or one-time fees in the future. We will provide at least thirty (30) days advance notice by email or in-app notification before any charge is applied to your account, and you will be given the opportunity to decline and stop using the paid features or terminate your account before any fee takes effect. Beta participation does not constitute a guarantee of preferential or grandfathered pricing when paid tiers launch. All prices, when introduced, will be exclusive of applicable taxes, levies, or duties imposed by taxing authorities, which will be your responsibility. Any future payment processing will be handled by a third-party processor (such as Stripe), subject to that processor's separate terms.

23. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. The unenforceable provision shall be replaced with an enforceable provision that most closely matches the original intent of the parties. The failure of HugsyAlert to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision.