Terms of Service

Last updated: 1 July 2026  ·  Effective: 1 July 2026

By creating an account or using TrueCrimeCodex, you agree to these Terms. Please read them carefully. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the TrueCrimeCodex platform (the "Service") operated by TrueCrimeCodex Inc. ("TrueCrimeCodex", "we", "us", "our"). By accessing or using the Service, you confirm that you are at least 16 years old and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

2. What TrueCrimeCodex Provides

TrueCrimeCodex is a global true crime intelligence platform providing access to documented criminal cases, investigative tools, AI-powered case analysis, community discussions, and real-time crime news.

Content on TrueCrimeCodex is provided for educational and research purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, law enforcement guidance, or professional investigative services. TrueCrimeCodex is not affiliated with any law enforcement agency.

Free tier

All users (including unregistered visitors) may access the full case database, killer and victim profiles, crime news feed, YouTube documentaries, podcast links, book links, the interactive crime map, and basic search — all free of charge, indefinitely.

CrimeVault Pro subscription

Certain features require a paid subscription: AI Case Analyst, Evidence Board canvas, community theory posting, real-time case alerts (push notifications), and semantic/vector search. The current price and features are listed on the Subscribe page.

3. Account Registration

• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and all activity under your account
• You must notify us immediately at hello@truecrimecodex.com if you suspect unauthorised access
• One account per person. Sharing accounts is not permitted
• You must be at least 16 years old to create an account

4. Subscriptions and Billing

4.1 Subscription terms

• Subscriptions are billed monthly in advance and auto-renew until cancelled
• Cancellations take effect at the end of the current billing period — you retain access until then
• Prices may change with 30 days' notice. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance
• All payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store your full payment card details

4.2 Free trial

Where offered, a free trial provides full Pro feature access for the trial period. Cancellation before the trial ends incurs no charge. After the trial, the subscription auto-renews at the standard price.

4.3 Refunds

Subscription fees are generally non-refundable. Exceptions at our discretion include: duplicate charges, technical failures preventing platform access for more than 48 consecutive hours, and other situations required by applicable consumer protection law.

4.4 Payment failure and grace period

If a payment fails, we will retry up to 4 times over 7 days ("grace period"). Pro access remains active during the grace period. If payment is not resolved within 7 days, Pro access is suspended until the payment is resolved.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Post content that harasses, threatens, or defames any individual
• Name or accuse living, unindicted individuals as suspects in criminal cases
• Share personally identifiable information about private individuals without consent
• Post graphic crime scene imagery, gore, or content designed to shock rather than inform
• Use the platform to coordinate real-world harassment campaigns ("doxxing")
• Reverse-engineer, scrape, or systematically download content from the platform
• Attempt to bypass authentication, rate limiting, or access controls
• Use automated bots to post community content
• Impersonate law enforcement, legal professionals, or other users
• Post content that violates any applicable law

Violations may result in content removal, temporary suspension, or permanent account termination, at our sole discretion.

6. Third-Party Platform Compliance (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram)

TrueCrimeCodex integrates with third-party platforms including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram to publish content on behalf of authorised account holders. By connecting a third-party account or using any feature that posts to an external platform, you agree to the following:

• All content published to TikTok via TrueCrimeCodex must comply with TikTok's Community Guidelines and TikTok's Terms of Service
• You are the authorised account holder (or have explicit permission from the account holder) of any TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram account connected to TrueCrimeCodex
• You take full legal responsibility for all content posted to third-party platforms via our service — TrueCrimeCodex is a publishing tool, not the content creator
• You understand that TrueCrimeCodex's access to your third-party account is limited strictly to the permissions you explicitly grant
• You can revoke TrueCrimeCodex's access to any connected account at any time via that platform's own settings — this does not delete your account on that platform
• TrueCrimeCodex is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a partner of TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, or their parent companies (ByteDance, Google/Alphabet, Meta)
• We comply fully with TikTok's Developer Terms of Service and Developer Guidelines
• Your data shared with third-party platforms belongs to you — TrueCrimeCodex does not claim ownership of any content or data you publish to external platforms

TrueCrimeCodex will not use your connected account to post content you have not explicitly approved. If you believe unauthorised content was posted to your account via TrueCrimeCodex, contact us immediately at hello@truecrimecodex.com.

7. Community and User-Generated Content

6.1 Moderation

All community posts (theories, comments) are subject to AI-assisted moderation before publication. We reserve the right to remove content that violates these Terms or our content standards, without prior notice.

6.2 Your content licence

By posting content on TrueCrimeCodex, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, distribute, and moderate that content as part of operating the platform. You retain ownership of your original content.

6.3 Content accuracy

You are responsible for the accuracy of theories and claims you post. Do not present speculation as established fact.

8. AI Features

The AI Case Analyst (a Pro feature) is powered by Claude (Anthropic). AI responses are generated from our case database and are intended to assist with research. They may contain errors. Do not rely on AI responses as a substitute for primary source research, legal advice, or professional investigation services.

AI-generated content is not stored after your session ends. Your queries are not used to train AI models.

9. Crime Tips

The tip submission feature routes information directly to the appropriate law enforcement or investigative authority. We do not store tip content. Submitting false information to law enforcement is a criminal offence in most jurisdictions. Do not submit tips as a mechanism for harassment.

10. Intellectual Property

The TrueCrimeCodex platform, design, logo, codebase, and original editorial content are owned by TrueCrimeCodex Inc. and protected by copyright law. Case data derived from public sources (Wikipedia, Wikidata, court records) remains subject to the licences of those sources. You may not reproduce, distribute, or commercially exploit our platform content without prior written consent.

11. Third-Party Content and Links

The platform links to external content including YouTube documentaries, podcasts, books, and streaming services. We are not responsible for the accuracy, availability, or compliance of third-party content. Links do not constitute endorsement.

We participate in affiliate programmes (Amazon Associates, Audible, CuriosityStream). Some links are affiliate links — we earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships are disclosed where required by applicable advertising standards.

12. Privacy

Our collection and use of your personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, incorporated into these Terms by reference.

13. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." To the maximum extent permitted by law, TrueCrimeCodex disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

We do not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or harmful components.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, TrueCrimeCodex and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Service. Our total liability for any claim arising from these Terms shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold TrueCrimeCodex harmless from any claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any third-party rights.

16. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, USA, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes shall be resolved by binding arbitration under the JAMS rules, except that either party may seek injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.

For users in the European Union or United Kingdom, mandatory consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction apply and are not limited by this clause.

17. Modifications to the Service

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time. We will provide reasonable notice of material changes where feasible. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

18. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms or for any other reason with reasonable notice. You may delete your account at any time via Account → Data & Privacy → Delete my account. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will survive.

19. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify registered users by email and in-app notice for material changes. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

20. Contact Us

For questions about these Terms: