Terms of Service

Welcome to SoulStep. By accessing or using the SoulStep website at soul-step.org on desktop or mobile web (collectively, the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and SoulStep. By creating an account, checking in at a location, submitting a review, or otherwise using any feature of the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, along with our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference.

SoulStep is a sacred sites discovery platform that enables users to explore mosques, temples, churches, gurdwaras, synagogues, and other houses of worship worldwide. The Service allows you to discover sacred sites across multiple religions, check in at locations you visit, write and read reviews from fellow travelers, save favorite places, create journey groups, and plan pilgrimages with friends and family.

The Service is available through our desktop and mobile website. While the core discovery features are available without an account, certain features such as check-ins, reviews, favorites, journey groups, and notifications require a registered account.

To access certain features of the Service, you must create an account by providing your name, email address, and a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to provide accurate and complete information during registration and to keep your account information up to date.

Each person may maintain only one account. Creating multiple accounts for the purpose of manipulating reviews, check-in counts, journey leaderboards, or any other Service feature is prohibited and may result in the suspension or termination of all associated accounts.

You must notify us immediately at contact@soul-step.org if you suspect any unauthorized use of your account. SoulStep is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to protect your account credentials.

The Service allows you to submit content including reviews, ratings, and journey descriptions (collectively, "User Content"). By submitting User Content, you grant SoulStep a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute your User Content in connection with the operation of the Service. This license continues even if you delete your account, to the extent that your User Content has been shared with or relied upon by other users.

You represent and warrant that your User Content is truthful, based on genuine personal experience, and does not infringe on the intellectual property or other rights of any third party. Reviews must reflect your honest assessment of the place you visited. Fake reviews, reviews of places you have not visited, and reviews submitted in exchange for compensation or incentives are prohibited.

User Content must not contain hate speech, incitement to violence, threats, discriminatory language targeting any religion, ethnicity, or group, sexually explicit material, spam, advertising, or any content that violates applicable law. We reserve the right to remove any User Content that violates these Terms or that we consider inappropriate, without prior notice.

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree not to:

• Scrape, crawl, or use automated tools to extract data from the Service without written permission (the public API at /developers is the authorized method for programmatic access)
• Impersonate another person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Harass, threaten, or intimidate other users, religious communities, or site administrators
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service, its servers, or networks connected to the Service
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service, other user accounts, or any systems or networks connected to the Service
• Use the Service to promote commercial products, services, or political campaigns without prior written approval

SoulStep is a platform dedicated to respectful exploration of sacred sites across all religions. We expect users to treat all religious traditions, communities, and sacred places with dignity and respect. Content or behavior that disrespects, mocks, or deliberately provokes any religious community is strictly prohibited.

The SoulStep platform, including its design, code, branding, logos, and documentation, is the property of SoulStep and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of any part of the Service without our express written permission.

Place data displayed on the Service is sourced from third-party providers including Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Wikipedia, and Wikidata, and is subject to their respective licenses and terms of use. SoulStep does not claim ownership of third-party place data. The public API provides access to this data under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license with attribution to SoulStep.

The Service may display third-party advertisements served through configured advertising partners, including Google AdSense or Adsterra. These advertisements help support the operation and development of SoulStep. The content of third-party advertisements is not controlled by SoulStep, and we are not responsible for the accuracy, content, or practices of advertisers or the products and services they promote.

You may manage your advertising preferences and opt out of personalized ads through our consent banner or by visiting Google Ads Settings. For more details about how advertising data is collected and used, please see our Privacy Policy.

Use of ad-blocking software may affect the display of certain content or features of the Service. We do not restrict access to the Service based on the use of ad blockers, but some ad-supported features may not function as intended.

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

SoulStep does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of place information displayed on the Service, including but not limited to opening hours, addresses, contact information, prayer times, and directions. Place data is sourced from third-party providers and user contributions, and may contain errors or become outdated. You should always verify critical information (such as opening hours and accessibility) directly with the place before visiting.

SoulStep is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or responsible for any of the religious sites, organizations, or communities listed on the Service. The inclusion of a place on SoulStep does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. User reviews and ratings reflect the opinions of individual users and do not represent the views of SoulStep.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, SOULSTEP AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.

In no event shall SoulStep's total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising from or related to your use of the Service exceed the greater of fifty United States dollars (US$50) or the total amount you have paid to SoulStep (if any) during the twelve months preceding the claim.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to violation of these Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease, and we may delete your account data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at contact@soul-step.org. All provisions of these Terms which by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, and limitations of liability.

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and may provide additional notice through the Service. Your continued use of the Service after any changes to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

If you disagree with any changes, you should discontinue use of the Service and request deletion of your account. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with applicable laws, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If a resolution cannot be reached, disputes shall be submitted to binding arbitration or the courts of competent jurisdiction.

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

SoulStep
Email: contact@soul-step.org
Website: soul-step.org