Callisto’s mission is to use technology to empower survivors of sexual violence. For us to fulfill our mission, our website, Callisto Vault tool, and associated services need to be safe, and we must ensure that they are used as intended.
These Terms of Service (“these Terms”) are a set of rules that we enforce to keep our website, Callisto Vault, and associated services safe for our users, for us, and for third parties. They also outline rights and responsibilities of you and of Callisto.
Binding Agreement: By using the projectcallisto.org website, or creating an account for Callisto Vault, you agree to abide by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not access or otherwise use any of our services.
If you are accessing our website and Callisto Vault as a Legal Options Counselor, these Terms do not apply to you. Instead, please refer to the Legal Options Counselor Handbook that has been provided to you by Callisto.
1. Creating Your Account
Callisto Vault is for survivors at whitelisted campuses.
You will need a Callisto Vault account to create an Incident Log or a matching entry. In order to be able to create the account, you have to have a .edu email address from a US higher education institution as verified by Callisto. This is because we want to make sure that our services are not used by individuals who are not college students, staff, or faculty.
Callisto Vault is for individuals only
You must be an individual person to use Callisto Vault. You may not create an account or use the services for or on behalf of a company, organization, government, or other legal entity.
Callisto Vault is offered only in the US
While we would love to help survivors all around the world, our platform and services are designed only for people who live in the United States, regardless of your immigration status (living in the United States qualifies you for our service).
Minimum age to use Callisto Vault
You have to be at least 18 years or older to create an account.
Account information must be accurate
When using Callisto Vault, you must provide accurate and complete information. When creating an account, an Incident Log, or matching entry, don’t impersonate anyone, act on behalf of anyone or use a false name or fake contact information. Do not purposefully enter inaccurate information in a matching entry, as this could have a negative impact on other survivors.
2. Use of the Website, Callisto Vault, and Services
Entries must be made by survivors
Even if you consider yourself the supporter or ally of a survivor of sexual assault, do not create a matching entry on behalf of someone else. It is important that every entry is created and submitted by the survivors themselves, so that these survivors fully agree to submit their entry information and enter into the matching system, directly receive the advice of the Legal Options Counselors, and are fully empowered to make decisions about coming forward. If we discover that an entry has been made by a person who was not the survivor of the reported assault, this entry will be removed from the Matching System.
No fraudulent accounts or activities
We believe survivors and we expect that all entries created by our users are truthful. We also know, however, that certain offenders use fraud and deception to access information about their victims, and that certain people would seek to discredit our mission. While we have included many safeguards to prevent an offender who fraudulently uses our system from connecting to a survivor, if we suspect that an account or entry has been created fraudulently, or that our platform is used in a way that is not aligned with our mission to protect and support survivors, we may immediately block the account.
Callisto’s right to ban accounts or block access
Callisto has discretion in enforcing these Terms. We may terminate or suspend your access to our website, Callisto Vault, or services with or without notice to you, for any material or repeated violation of these Terms, or for engagement by you in fraudulent or illegal activities. You agree that we will have no liability to you or any third party for removal of your entry information or blocking of your access to our website and services.
3. User Entries and Links to Resources
No responsibility for the content or actions of our users
Callisto Vault enables any student at a designated campus to create an Incident Log or matching entry to document their sexual assault or coercion and/or to identify the perpetrator. Matching entries enable survivors to gain access to the advice of Legal Options Counselors and to potentially coordinate their actions to seek justice with survivors who have also named the same offender.
We do not investigate claims or accusations made by our users in their Incident Logs or matching entries. We simply store Incident Logs on behalf of survivors, match survivors who named the same offender in their matching entries, and refer each of them to third party Legal Options Counselors to advise them. We are not in a position to monitor or determine the veracity or accuracy of Incident Logs or matching entries. As such, we are not responsible for the reliability, validity, accuracy, or truthfulness of any Incident Logs or matching entry. We make no representation or promise that a survivor with whom you have been matched has a valid claim.
Links to third party resources
When you use our website or Callisto Vault, you will find links to other websites and publications that we suggest as resources for survivors. While we are careful about curating resources that will be helpful, we do not own or control these websites or publications, and therefore we are not responsible for the content or any other aspect of these third party sites, including their collection of information about you. You should read their terms and conditions and privacy policies.
4. Legal Options Counselors
Callisto’s Legal Options Counseling program for matched survivors
Callisto partners with attorneys (“Legal Options Counselors”) who have agreed to advise matched users of Callisto Vault on their options to seek justice. If you create a matching entry and if you are matched with another user who also created an entry and reported the same offender, a Legal Options Counselor will reach out to you using the preferred means of communication you indicated in your entry. The Legal Options Counselor will offer you legal advice on your options to seek justice. The Legal Options Counselor will help you navigate these options, and their pros and cons, to help you to decide what is the right course of action for you.
Throughout the process, you will remain in control of your choices and options. You will never be obligated to take the advice of the Legal Options Counselor or follow through with advice or suggestions from the Legal Options Counselors. Our goal is to empower you with information so that you retain agency in deciding if and how you come forward.
Engagement of Legal Options Counselors
You will be asked to sign an engagement letter with your Legal Options Counselor. You will not have to pay any fees to the Legal Options Counselor. All lawyer fees are pro bono or paid by Callisto as part of Legal Options Counselors’ participation in our program.
Since Legal Option Counselors are attorneys and you will be communicating with them to seek and receive legal advice, the secrecy of your communications about your legal options will be protected under the attorney-client privilege, as long as you don’t disclose the content or nature of these communications with anyone else, including another survivor.
If you desire, your Legal Options Counselor may also work with the Legal Options Counselor of other survivors who designated the same offender that you designated. This facilitates the coordination of actions between you and the other survivor(s), based on your respective desired outcomes. If, after being advised by your respective Legal Options Counselors, both you and the other survivor agree, you can share your identities and you can meet and communicate via the Legal Options Counselors. This would all be done after signing a special type of agreement between you, the other survivor, and both Legal Options Counselors, called a “common interest representation agreement”. This would enable you to share information without losing the protection of the attorney-client privilege.
The scope of legal advice services provided by the Legal Options Counselor will be limited. They will only help you understand all aspects of the various options you may have to come forward and seek justice. If, after talking with your Legal Options Counselor, you wish to pursue a specific action, the Legal Options Counselor will endeavor to refer you to a relevant attorney or resource.
Independent Legal Counsels
We will be selective in accepting attorneys in our Legal Options Counseling program, to ensure that we work with lawyers who understand how to work with survivors and who also align with our survivor centered mission. However, Legal Options Counselors remain independent attorneys. This means that you will have a direct relationship with your Legal Options Counselor, and if you are not satisfied with the services of your Legal Options Counselor, your recourse will be against the Legal Options Counselor and not against Callisto. Callisto makes no representation guarantee, or warranty (express or implied) as to the legal ability, competence, or quality of representation which may be provided by any of the attorneys, law firms, or legal service providers who participate in our Legal Options Counselors program. Callisto does not sanction any advice given, statements made, or work product delivered to you by any Legal Options Counselor.
Callisto does not offer any legal advice, recommendations, mediation, or counseling through the Callisto platform or services. Content available on our website and through posted resources is for information only and does not constitute legal advice.
Interacting with your Legal Options Counselor
Your Legal Options Counselor is there to advise you as you are their client, and we expect that your Legal Options Counselor will deliver you advice in a trauma-informed manner. If you are not satisfied with the services of your Legal Options Counselor or do not like the way your Legal Options Counselor is interacting with you, please let us know by emailing us at support@projectcallisto.org. Please note that any email you send to Callisto may be discoverable in a court proceeding, so be careful about information you include in your emails to us. Do not include any information about the assault or coercion, or about the perpetrator.
We understand that speaking with an attorney can be a very difficult challenge for survivors. We however request that you remain cordial with your Legal Options Counselor. You may not be disrespectful, offensive, rude, aggressive, or threatening in any way when interacting with your Legal Options Counselor. If this happens, the Legal Options Counselor will have the right to no longer provide services to you and Callisto will not provide another Legal Options Counselor.
5. Callisto’s Rights and Licenses
Our rights to our platform and services
All rights, title, and interest in and to the Callisto website and Callisto Vault including our future applications, our databases, and the content our employees or partners provide through our website, web applications and services are and will remain the exclusive property of Callisto and its licensors. Our website, Callisto Vault, and services are protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws of the United States. Nothing gives you a right to use the Callisto name or any of the Callisto trademarks, logos, domain names, and other distinctive brand features.
You may not do any of the following while accessing or using the Callisto website, Callisto Vault, and associated services:
access, tamper with, or use non-public areas of the website or Callisto Vault, Callisto’s computer systems, or the technical delivery systems of Callisto’s service providers or access our APIs via any means other than through the intended use of the Callisto website and Callisto Vault
disable, interfere with, or try to circumvent any of the website or Callisto Vault features related to security or probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of any of our systems
copy, modify, create a derivative work of, reverse engineer, reverse assemble, or otherwise attempt to discover any infrastructure, server configuration or private keys of Callisto Vault, its users, or its Legal Options Counselors
access or search or attempt to access or search Callisto Vault by any means (automated or otherwise); scrape, spider, use a robot, or use other automated means of any kind to access the website, platform or services
in any way use the Callisto website or Callisto Vault to send altered, deceptive, or false source-identifying information (such as sending email communications falsely appearing as Callisto); or interfere with, or disrupt (or attempt to do so), the access of any user, host, or network, including, without limitation, sending a virus, overloading, flooding, spamming, mail-bombing the platforms or services, or in any other manner interfering with or creating an undue burden on the services.
Your license to Callisto for your content
When you post comments, questions, reviews, and when you submit to us ideas and suggestions for new features or improvements, you authorize Callisto to use and share this content with anyone, distribute it and promote it on any platform and in any media, and to make modifications or edits to it as we see fit. This includes using your testimonials to promote our services. You also agree to all such uses of your content with no compensation paid to you. We promise however that we will never post any sensitive information that identifies you without your consent. See our website Privacy Policy and Callisto Vault Privacy Policy for more details.
6. Legal Protection of Callisto
No guarantee of continued service
We may decide to cease making available the Callisto Vault, Callisto website, or associated services or any portion thereof at any time and for any reason. In such case, we will do our best to notify our users via the Callisto Website, and social media and partnering campuses so you have the opportunity to retrieve any information stored in Callisto Vault. Under no circumstances will Callisto or its affiliates, suppliers, partners or agents be held liable for any damages due to the lack of availability of our services.
We will not be liable to you for any delay or failure to perform any obligation we have under these Terms if the delay or failure is due to events which are beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to any strike, blockade, war, act of terrorism, riot, natural disaster, failure or diminishment of power or of telecommunications or data networks or services, or refusal of approval or a license by a government agency.
As is service
Use of Callisto Vault, website and services is at your own risk. These (including the content you find) are provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis. Callisto and its affiliates, suppliers, partners, and agents expressly disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
No warranty
Callisto and its affiliates, suppliers, partners and agents make no warranty that (i) its website, Callisto Vault or any services provided will meet your requirements; (ii) the website, Callisto Vault or services will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free or that Callisto will fix any errors; (iii) you will obtain any specific results from use of the website, Callisto Vault or services; or (iv) any content on the website, Callisto Vault or services is accurate, complete, reliable, current or error-free. Any content obtained through use of the website, Callisto Vault or services is obtained at your own discretion and risk and Callisto shall not be responsible for any damage caused to your computer or data or for any bugs, viruses, Trojan horses or other destructive code resulting from use of the website, Callisto Vault or services. Some states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusion may not apply to you. You may also have other legal rights, which vary from state to state.
No waiver
Even if we are delayed in exercising our rights or fail to exercise a right in one case, it does not mean we waive our rights under these Terms, and we may decide to enforce them in the future. If we decide to waive any of our rights in a particular instance, it does not mean we waive our rights generally or in the future.
No assignment
These Terms, and any rights and licenses granted to you under these Terms, may not be transferred or assigned by you, but may be assigned by us to another organization, company or person without restriction.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted under law, Callisto and its affiliates, suppliers, partners and agents have no obligation or liability (whether arising in contract, warranty, tort (including negligence), product liability, or otherwise) for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages or liabilities (including, but not limited to, any loss of data or content, revenue or profit, or personal injury or death) arising from or related to your use of the website, platform, or services, or any content provided, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages in advance. This limitation applies to damages arising from (i) your use or inability to use the website or Callisto Vault and access the services; (ii) cost of procurement of substitute products or services; (iii) unauthorized access to or alteration or distribution of content you submit through the platforms; (iv) third party content made available to you through the platform or services; or (v) any other matter relating to any aspect of the website, platform or services, including any future applications, email communications, and Callisto content on third party sites. Some countries and states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of incidental, consequential, or other types of damages, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Callisto’s liability and the liability of each of its affiliates, suppliers, partners, and agents to you or any third parties under any circumstance is limited to the greater of one hundred dollars ($100).
Indemnity
You agree to indemnify, defend (if we so request), and hold harmless Callisto and its affiliates, suppliers, partners, and agents from and against any claims, demands, losses, damages, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from the information you post or submit, your use of and connection to the Callisto website, Callisto Vault, or services, your violation of these Terms or your violation of any rights of any third party. Your indemnification obligation will survive the termination of these Terms and your use of the website, platform and services.
Termination and survival
These Terms are in force and applicable to you for as long as you continue to use Callisto and as long as you have a Callisto Vault account. Sections 3 through 7 shall survive the expiration or termination of these Terms.
7. Dispute Resolution
Callisto is a California-based organization and these Terms are governed by laws of the State of California and the United States of America, without regard to their conflict of law principles. If a court having proper authority decides that any portion of these terms, policies, and guidelines are invalid, only the part that is invalid will not apply and the rest will still be in effect.
In the event of any dispute between you and us arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of Calisto Vault, website or service, we shall use our respective best efforts to settle the dispute. If a dispute arises, the complaining party shall provide written notice to the other party in a document specifically entitled “Notice of Dispute,” specifically setting forth the precise nature of the dispute. Please send any Notice of Dispute to us via email at support@projectcallisto.org. Following Callisto’s receipt of the Notice of Dispute, the parties shall consult and negotiate with each other in good faith and, recognizing their mutual interest, attempt to reach a just and equitable solution of the dispute that is satisfactory to both parties.
If the parties are unable to reach a resolution of the dispute through this dispute resolution mechanism within 90 days of the receipt of the Initial Notice of Dispute, then any subsequent claim, legal proceedings, or litigation arising in connection with the Callisto services will be brought solely in the federal or state courts located in San Francisco County, California, United States, and you consent to the jurisdiction of and venue in such courts and waive any objection as to inconvenient forum.
8. Updating These Terms
From time to time, we may update these Terms to clarify our practices or to reflect new or different practices (such as when we add new features), and Callisto reserves the right in its sole discretion to modify and/or make changes to these Terms at any time. If we make any material change, we will notify you using prominent means such as by posting a notice through our website. Modifications will become effective on the day they are posted unless stated otherwise.
Your continued use of our website, platform or services after changes become effective shall mean that you accept those changes. Any revised Terms shall supersede all previous Terms.
9. How to Contact Us
We would love to hear your questions, concerns, and feedback about these Terms and our website, platform, and services. If you have any questions or suggestions for us, or need help, feel free to contact our support team at support@projectcallisto.org.
Because email communications are not always secure, please do not include sensitive information in your messages to us.