الشروط والأحكام

المنصّة

The Palestinian Roots Platform website, application, and all associated services.

نحن

The operators and administrators of the Palestinian Roots Platform.

أنت / المستخدم

Any person who creates an account and uses the Platform.

شجرة العائلة الفردية

A family tree created and managed by a registered User.

الشجرة العائلية الأم

The unified Palestine Family Tree formed by linking all connected Individual Family Trees.

المسؤول

The designated person with overall management authority and sole write access to the Master Family Tree.

المحتوى

All data, text, photographs, documents, and other material submitted to the Platform by Users.

GEDCOM

Genealogy Data Communication — a standard file format for genealogical data.

معالجة نهاية اليوم

End-of-day automated processing, including duplicate detection and tree-linking operations.

• 2.1 The Platform is open to all individuals of Palestinian heritage or who have a genuine connection to or interest in Palestinian families and history.
• 2.2 To create an account, you must be at least 16 years of age.
• 2.3 To obtain Read / Write / Edit access to a specific Individual Family Tree, you must provide satisfactory evidence of your belonging to that family, as determined by the Administrator.
• 2.4 View / Read-Only access to the Master Family Tree is available to all registered Users with valid credentials, regardless of family affiliation.
• 2.5 You may only register one account. Creating multiple accounts is prohibited and may result in suspension.

• 3.1 You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure. Do not share your password.
• 3.2 You are responsible for all activity under your account. If you believe it has been compromised, notify us immediately.
• 3.3 You must provide accurate information when registering and keep it up to date.
• 3.4 You may close your account at any time by contacting us. Genealogical data contributed to the Master Tree may be retained in anonymised form per the Privacy Policy.
• 3.5 We reserve the right to suspend or close accounts that violate these Terms, that we have reason to believe contain false or fraudulent information, or that are used harmfully.

• 4.1 You are responsible for ensuring the information you add is, to the best of your knowledge, accurate and truthful. Knowingly submitting false, fabricated, or misleading genealogical information is a serious breach of these Terms.
• 4.2 When you add information about other people — living or deceased — you represent that you have the right to submit it and that doing so does not violate any other person’s rights.
• 4.3 By submitting Content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to store, process, display, and use it for operating the Platform and fulfilling its mission. You retain ownership of your Content.

4.4 You must not submit Content that is false, misleading, or fabricated; infringes the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party; is defamatory, abusive, threatening, or hateful; contains malware or harmful code; or is used to impersonate another person.

5.1 The Platform operates a structured access rights framework:

أي شخص (دون حساب)

Can view public pages and browse general information.

مستخدم مسجّل

Can search the Master Family Tree and view individual records (subject to privacy restrictions on living individuals).

مالك شجرة موثَّق

Can read, write, and edit their own Individual Family Tree.

المسؤول

Has full read/write/edit access to the Master Family Tree. No other User has write access to the Master Family Tree.

• 5.2 Any privacy restrictions or access controls you apply to your Individual Family Tree also apply to that portion of the Master Family Tree.
• 5.3 Editing of individual records must be carried out within the Individual Family Tree to which they belong. Changes pass to the Master Family Tree during end-of-day processing. No User other than the Administrator may edit records directly in the Master Family Tree.
• 5.4 If you wish to access another family’s tree, you may request permission from that family’s tree owner through the messaging system. The tree owner is not obligated to grant access.

6.1 The Platform enforces the following rules when Users record marriages and spousal relationships. These rules reflect Islamic family law and Palestinian social and cultural norms.

6.2 Restrictions on women: A woman may not be recorded as being married to more than one man at the same time.

6.3 Restrictions on men: A man may not be recorded as being married to:

• More than four women at the same time.
• His daughter, his sister, his mother, or his grandmother.
• His paternal aunt or his maternal aunt.
• His mother-in-law while he is married to her daughter.
• His sister-in-law while he is married to her sister.
• His stepsister or his stepmother.

6.4 The Platform will prevent Users from recording marriages that violate these rules. Attempts to circumvent these restrictions are a breach of these Terms.

7.1 The Platform runs an automated duplicate detection process at the end of each day, comparing records across all Individual Family Trees using a weighted scoring system. You agree that your submitted records may be compared against other Users’ records for this purpose.

7.2 Where the system identifies a match between records in two different Individual Family Trees, matches above the Platform’s confidence threshold are linked into the Master Family Tree, and matches below the threshold are added to the Administrator’s daily review queue for manual assessment.

7.3 When two Individual Family Trees are linked, you will be notified. The connected records will be visible in the Master Family Tree and the connected portions of both Individual Family Trees.

7.4 If you believe a link has been made in error, you may contact the Administrator through the messaging system to request a review.

• 8.1 You may import genealogical data into your Individual Family Tree using GEDCOM files. By importing, you represent that you have the right to submit all the data and that it is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
• 8.2 You may export your Individual Family Tree as a GEDCOM file at any time for your personal use. You may not use exported data to populate a competing platform or for any commercial purpose without our express written consent.
• 8.3 Imported GEDCOM files are subject to the same duplicate detection processing as manually entered data.
• 8.4 The Platform is not responsible for errors or data loss arising from the import of incorrectly formatted GEDCOM files.

9.1 You must not use the Platform in any way that:

• Is unlawful or fraudulent.
• Deliberately introduces false or fabricated genealogical data.
• Attempts to gain unauthorised access to another User’s account or to the Master Family Tree.
• Harasses, threatens, or intimidates other Users.
• Attempts to circumvent access controls, privacy settings, or marriage validation rules.
• Uses automated tools, bots, or scripts to extract data at scale without our written permission.
• Attempts to disrupt, damage, or overload the Platform’s infrastructure.
• Uses the Platform for any commercial purpose not expressly authorised by us.

9.2 Violations may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account, and may be referred to relevant authorities where the violation involves criminal conduct.

• 10.1 The Platform’s software, design, structure, and original content (excluding User-submitted genealogical data) are owned by or licensed to us and protected by intellectual property law.
• 10.2 You retain ownership of the genealogical data, photographs, and documents you submit. By submitting them, you grant us the licence described in Article 4.3.
• 10.3 The Master Family Tree as a whole — a unified, structured, de-duplicated record of the Palestinian people — is a collective work. No individual User has ownership rights over it as a whole.
• 10.4 You must not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any part of the Platform’s software, design, or original content without our express written permission.

• 11.1 The Platform is provided in good faith to serve the Palestinian people. We do not guarantee it will be available at all times, error-free, or that the genealogical data it contains is always accurate (since it is contributed by Users).
• 11.2 We do not provide legal advice. While the Platform generates records that may be useful in legal contexts — including right of return and land claims — you should always consult a qualified legal professional for your specific situation.
• 11.3 We are not responsible for disputes between Users about accuracy, for the outcome of any legal claim that uses Platform data as evidence, or for any loss arising from the use of exported data.
• 11.4 To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability for any loss or damage arising from your use of the Platform shall not exceed the amount you have paid to use the Platform in the 12 months preceding the claim.

• 12.1 You may close your account at any time by contacting us.
• 12.2 We may suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms; if we have reasonable grounds to believe your account contains false or fraudulent information; if your use harms the Platform, other Users, or the integrity of the genealogical record; or if we are required to do so by law.
• 12.3 On termination, your access ends immediately. Genealogical data you contributed may be retained in the Master Family Tree per the Privacy Policy.

• 13.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Platform is legally registered (to be confirmed upon incorporation).
• 13.2 We are committed to resolving disputes fairly and efficiently. If you have a complaint, contact us first and we will try to resolve it informally.
• 13.3 If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, it shall be referred to mediation before any legal proceedings, unless either party requires urgent injunctive or interim relief.
• 13.4 Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer under the laws of your country of residence.

• 14.1 Entire agreement: These Terms, with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us relating to your use of the Platform.
• 14.2 Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.
• 14.3 Waiver: Our failure to enforce any provision on any occasion does not waive our right to enforce it later.
• 14.4 Changes: We may update these Terms from time to time and will notify registered Users of significant changes by email and a notice on the Platform. Continued use after notification constitutes acceptance.
• 14.5 Language: These Terms are available in Arabic and English. In the event of any inconsistency, the Arabic version shall prevail.
• 14.6 Contact: Questions about these Terms — legal@palestinianroots.org (placeholder — to be confirmed upon launch).