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‎‎RuPEP.ORG TERMS AND CONDITIONS‎

Updated on 25 March 2024

We are RuPEP.org, a project initiated in 2018 with the mission of identifying Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) of Russia, Belarus and other countries, exposing corrupt practices, and providing information for public and commercial interests. In this document, “RuPEP.org”, “we”, “us”, or “our” refers to our organization and its initiatives.

These Terms and Conditions (collectively, the “Terms”') govern your use of the online services (the “Online Services”) and materials available therein (the “Materials”) provided on our website, rupep.org (the “Website”). By continuing to access and use the Website you are deemed to have understood and agreed to the Terms.

2. OUR SERVICES

You are granted a nonexclusive, non transferable, limited right to access and use for research purposes the Online Services and Materials made available to you. Subject to all applicable provisions of the Supplemental Terms, the rights granted to each registered user are specified in Section “PERMITTED ACTIVITIES''. 

The information provided when using the Online Services is not intended for distribution to or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject us to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Accordingly, those persons who choose to access the Online Services from other locations do so on their own initiative and are solely responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable.

By accessing and using the Online Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to comply with these Terms. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, you must cease using the Online Services immediately.

3. USER REGISTRATION

The Services are intended for users who are at least 18 years of age. Individuals under 18 are not permitted to use or register for the Online Services. Access to the RuPEP.org database for searching individuals is available after registration, which is free of charge. Users must keep their passwords confidential and are responsible for all activity on their account.

4. USER OBLIGATIONS

By using the Online Services, you hereby represent and warrant that:

  • All registration information you submit is true, accurate, current, and complete. You commit to maintaining the accuracy of such information and promptly updating any registration information as necessary to keep it accurate and complete.
  • Legal Capacity: You have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms and you agree to comply with all the terms and conditions herein.
  • Age Requirement: You are not a minor in the jurisdiction in which you reside, confirming that you have reached the age of majority as per your local jurisdiction.
  • Human Interaction: You will access and use the Services only through manual, non-automated means. Access through bots, scripts, or other automated methods is strictly prohibited.
  • Lawful Use: You will not use the Online Services for any illegal or unauthorized purpose; your use of the Online Services will not violate any applicable law or regulation in your jurisdiction.
  • Corporate Representation: If you are registering as a representative of a legal entity, you agree to use an official corporate email account associated with the entity for registration purposes. This email should be linked to the domain of the legal entity you represent.

If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Online Services (or any portion thereof).

5. PROHIBITION OF COMMERCIAL USE

Commercial use of the Online Services is prohibited. Under these Terms, “Commercial use” refers to use with any purposes that are not personal, journalistic, scientific, or of other non-commercial nature (i.e. purposes which are not intended for, or directed toward, the generation of revenue or business advantage).

However, we permit the Online Services to be used in a non-systematic manner, without copying, extracting and citing the Materials or the Online Services by commercial organizations in the following cases:

  • For internal compliance procedures by commercial entities, including legal firms, service companies, and other business organizations;
  • By banks, cryptocurrency platforms (such as cryptocurrency exchanges) and other financial institutions to carry out mandatory procedures such as “Know Your Client” (KYC) and other regulatory compliance and controls;
  • By other commercial entities or for any commercial purposes under the above mentioned limitations.

Should there be any suspicion of a violation of this section, we reserve the right to impose specific limitations, including, but not limited to, time-based or amount-based restrictions on access to and use of the Materials available through the Online Services, and the blocking of accounts suspected of prohibited Commercial Use. Additionally, we retain the right to claim damages for any losses incurred due to prohibited Commercial Use of our services.

6. PERMITTED ACTIVITIES

As a user of the Online Services, you have the right: 

  • to use the Online Services under one single account. Sharing of accounts or simultaneous access by multiple users under a single account is prohibited to maintain the security and integrity of user information;
  • to search our extensive database for information on PEPs. This right enables you to perform detailed searches using our search tool;
  • to access in-depth information about each PEP listed in our database. This includes comprehensive data on their political connections, known associates, and any recorded instances of corrupt practices;
  • to navigate through various PEP profiles by exploring their connections; 
  • to copy the Materials onto your personal disk drives or to print material for personal, non-commercial use;
  • to reproduce and share information obtained from our services in media sources, provided that RuPEP.org is clearly and explicitly credited as the source.

7. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

You may not access or use the Online Services for any purpose other than that for which we make the Online Services available. The Online Services may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by us.

As a user of the Online Services, you agree not to:

  • Systematically retrieve the Materials or other content from the Online Services to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us.
  • Copy the Materials, any data or other content of the Online Services, except reproducing the information obtained from the Online Services in media sources, provided that RuPEP.org is clearly and explicitly credited as the source;
  • Use or resell any information obtained from the Online Services in any form, advertise or offer it for commercial resale or commercial redistribution in any medium or use the Online Services or the Materials to compete with the business of RuPEP.org.
  • Use the Online Services or Materials in any fashion that infringes the intellectual property rights, privacy rights or proprietary interests of RuPEP.org or any third party. Your use of the Online Services and Materials must comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
  • Trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords.
  • Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Online Services, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Materials or enforce limitations on the use of the Online Services and/or the Materials contained therein.
  • Disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Online Services.
  • Use any information obtained from the Online Services in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person.
  • Make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct. 
  • Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming (continuous posting of repetitive text), that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of the Online Services or modifies, impairs, disrupts, alters, or interferes with the use, features, functions, operation, or maintenance of the Online Services.
  • Access or use the Online Services via mechanical, programmatic, robotic, scripted or any other automated means, including generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) solutions.
  • Delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Materials. 
  • Attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user.
  • Harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Online Services to you.
  • Attempt to bypass any measures of the Online Services designed to prevent or restrict access to the Online Services, or any portion of them.
  • Copy or adapt the Online Services' software, including but not limited to HTML, JavaScript, or other code.
  • Except as may be the result of standard search engine or Internet browser usage, use, launch, develop, or distribute any automated system, including without limitation, any spider, robot, cheat utility, scraper, or offline reader that accesses the Online Services, or use or launch any unauthorized script or other software.
  • Use the Online Services as part of any effort to compete with us or otherwise use the Online Services and/or the Materials for any revenue-generating endeavor or commercial enterprise.
  • Sell or otherwise transfer your profile.

8. OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

RuPEP.org holds exclusive ownership of the compilation of the Materials and any other information contained in the Online Services aggregated from various sources and the results of investigative work conducted by our team. This ownership extends to the distinct manner in which the data is developed, compiled, prepared, revised, selected, and arranged. The intellectual property rights of these compilations, along with the methodologies and analytical processes employed, are the sole intellectual property of RuPEP.org.

RuPEP.org owns the trademark "RuPEP.org" (referred to as the “Mark”). This includes, but is not limited to, the name, logo, and any other graphical or textual representations associated with RuPEP.org. The Mark is protected under trademark laws. 

You agree to respect the intellectual property rights of RuPEP.org and third parties. Violation of these rights, including unauthorized use of RuPEP.org’s intellectual property or that of third parties, may lead to legal actions including, but not limited to, account suspension or termination, and financial penalties.

9. USER DATA

We will maintain certain data that you transmit to the Online Services for the purpose of managing the performance of the Online Services, as well as data relating to your use of the Online Services. Our use of personal data is strictly for legitimate purposes as specified at the time of collection, or as expressly permitted by the applicable regulations. We implement robust technical and organizational measures to safeguard personal data against unauthorized or unlawful processing, and against accidental loss, destruction, or damage. 

During the use of the Online Services, some personal data is collected automatically. The data collected by the Users may include information such as the Internet Protocol address of your device (IP address), browser type and version, time and date of visit, time spent on the application, device operating system and other diagnostic data.

We may use the personal data of the User (“Personal Data”) to provide all the functionalities of the Online Services. The legal basis for such processing is Article 6(1) letter b) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the “GDPR”) (performance of a contract). In particular, we may use the Personal Data for the following purposes:

  • provide and manage the access of the Online Services or the Materials; 
  • manage User accounts (registration, access to the various features);
  • contact Users by email, with reference to the use of the Online Services;
  • manage User’s requests.

We may also use your personal data for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and evaluating and improving the Online Services, or any other products and services, and for other analytics purposes on the basics of legitimate interest.

By registering for the Online Services, you expressly give your consent to RuPEP.org to receive marketing communications, including newsletters, information about additional services, and promotional materials. We will process your personal data (such as your name and email address) for this purpose in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, either by sending an email to [email protected] or by clicking the unsubscribe link provided in any of the newsletters you receive. Please note that withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of the processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

Data subjects have the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict the processing of their personal data, in line with GDPR provisions. RuPEP.org ensures these rights are easily exercisable by Users.

10. DISCLAIMER

The Online Services are provided on an as-is and as-available basis. You agree that your use of the services will be at your sole risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, in connection with the services and your use thereof, including, without limitation, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non- infringement. We make no warranties or representations about the accuracy or completeness of the materials or any content of any websites or mobile applications linked to the materials and we will assume no liability or responsibility for any (1) errors, mistakes, or inaccuracies of the materials or any other content, (2) personal injury or property damage, of any nature whatsoever, resulting from your access to and use of the online services, (3) any unauthorized access to or use of our secure servers and/or any and all personal information and/or financial information stored therein, (4) any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from the online services, (5) any bugs, viruses, trojan horses, or the like, which may be transmitted to or through the online services by any third party, and/or (6) any errors or omissions in the materials and any other content related to the online services or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any content posted, transmitted, or otherwise made available via the online services. We do not warrant, endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for any product or service advertised or offered by a third party through the Online Services, any hyperlinked website, or any website or mobile application featured in any banner or other advertising, and we will not be a party to or in any way be responsible for monitoring any transaction between you and any third-party providers of products or services, as well as physical persons as with the purchase of a product or service through any medium or in any environment, you should use your best judgment and exercise caution where appropriate.

11. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

In no event will RuPEP.org, its directors, employees, or agents be liable to you or any third party for damages arising from your use of the Online Services. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Direct, indirect, consequential, exemplary, incidental, special, or punitive damages.
  • Loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of data, or other related damages, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Furthermore, RuPEP.org assumes no liability for:

  • Decisions made based on materials or information obtained from the Online Services, which may result in erroneous, mistaken, or illegal decisions.
  • Losses, missed profits, financial or other state or public sanctions related to the use of the Online Services or the materials provided.
  • Consequences arising from decisions made by third parties who utilize data obtained from the Online Services.

Warranty Exclusion: All implied warranties, including, but not limited to, satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security, and accuracy are excluded from these Terms to the extent that they can be legally excluded.

12. MODIFICATIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS

We reserve the right to change, modify, or remove the contents of the Online Services at any time or for any reason at our sole discretion without notice. Furthermore, we have no obligation to update any information on our Online Services. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, price change, suspension, or discontinuance of the Online Services.

We cannot guarantee the Online Services will be available at all times. We may experience hardware, software, or other problems or need to perform maintenance related to the Online Services, resulting in interruptions, delays, or errors. We reserve the right to change, revise, update, suspend, discontinue, or otherwise modify the Online Services at any time or for any reason without notice to you. You agree that we have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, or inconvenience caused by your inability to access or use the Online Services during any downtime or discontinuance of the Online Services. Nothing in these Terms will be construed to obligate us to maintain and support the Online Services or to supply any corrections, updates, or releases in connection therewith.

13. TERM AND TERMINATION

These Terms shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Online Services. Without limiting any other provision of these Terms, we reserve the right to, in our sole discretion and without notice or liability, deny access to and use of the Online Services (including blocking certain ip addresses), to any person for any reason or for no reason, including without limitation for breach of any representation, warranty, or covenant contained in these Terms or of any applicable law or regulation. We may terminate your use or participation in the online services or delete your account and any content or information that you provided at any time, without warning, at our sole discretion. 

If we terminate or suspend your account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new account under your name, a fake or borrowed name, or the name of any third party, even if you may be acting on behalf of the third party. In addition to terminating or suspending your account, we reserve the right to take appropriate legal action, including without limitation pursuing civil, criminal, and injunctive redress.

14. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms are governed by and interpreted following the laws of Lithuania, and the use of the United Nations Convention of Contracts for the International Sales of Goods is expressly excluded. RuPEP.org and yourself both agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Lithuania, which means that you may make a claim to defend your rights related to the Online Services or your personal data in regards to these Terms in Lithuania.

15. MISCELLANEOUS

These Legal Terms and any policies or operating rules posted by us on the Online Services or in respect to the Online Services constitute the entire agreement and understanding between you and us. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. The Terms operate to the fullest extent permissible by law. We may assign any or all of our rights and obligations to others at any time. We shall not be responsible or liable for any loss, damage, delay, or failure to act caused by any cause beyond our reasonable control. If any provision or part of a provision of these Terms is determined to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision or part of the provision is deemed severable from these Terms and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. There is no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship created between you and us as a result of these Terms or use of the Online Services. You agree that these Terms will not be construed against us by virtue of having drafted them. You hereby waive any and all defenses you may have based on the electronic form of these Terms and the lack of signing by the parties hereto to execute these Terms.

16. CONTACT US

In order to resolve a complaint regarding the Online Services or to receive further information regarding use of the Online Services, please contact us at: [email protected].