Terms of Service

These terms are the agreement between you and us for using Good Society Readings. We've kept them plain, because you should be able to understand what you're agreeing to. By creating an account or using the service, you accept these terms. If you don't agree with them, please don't use GSR.

This sits alongside our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle your data.

Who we are

Good Society Readings ("GSR", "we", "us") is operated by Talenpac PLT (trading as Ethos), a limited liability partnership registered in Malaysia. GSR is available at goodsocietyreadings.org and gsr.schoolofethos.com.

You can reach us at hello@schoolofethos.com.

Who can use GSR

GSR is for people aged 14 and over.

• If you are under 14, you can't use GSR.
• If you are 14 to 17, you may use GSR once a parent or guardian has given approval, as described in our Privacy Policy. By approving, your parent or guardian agrees to these terms on your behalf.
• If you are 18 or over, you can use GSR yourself, and by doing so you're agreeing to these terms.

Anyone can read the four readings without an account. You only need an account to save reflections, join a circle, or write a manifesto.

Your account

If you create an account, you agree to give accurate information (including a real date of birth, which we use to confirm your age) and to keep your sign-in secure. You're responsible for what happens under your account. If you think someone else has accessed it, tell us.

We use passwordless sign-in (a magic link) and Google sign-in. Please don't try to get around the sign-in or age checks, or use someone else's account.

What you write, and who owns it

Your reflections and your manifesto belong to you. Writing them on GSR doesn't transfer ownership to us.

To run the service, you give us permission to store and process what you write — for example, to save your reflections and to generate your manifesto from them. We only use your writing to provide GSR to you, as described in the Privacy Policy. We don't sell it, and we don't use it to advertise.

Your manifesto is created with AI help, drawn from your own reflections. It's a tool to help you shape your thinking, not a statement by us — and it may not be perfect. What you choose to keep, change, or discard is up to you.

If you choose to publish your manifesto to the public Library, you give us permission to display it there (under your name or a pseudonym, as you choose) until you or your guardian ask us to remove it. Publishing is always opt-in, is reviewed by us first, and — for users under 18 — needs separate guardian approval.

Circles

Circles are small groups that discuss the readings together, live. If you take part in a circle, you agree to the spirit it runs on:

• Speak for yourself — share your own thoughts, not others' as your own.
• Be curious and compassionate — disagree kindly; don't attack people.
• Keep it confidential — what people share in a circle stays in the circle. Don't repeat or publish what someone else said without their permission.

Anyone can host a circle. If you host, you're responsible for running it in line with these terms and for treating members with respect.

How to behave here

GSR is a space for honest, thoughtful reflection. To keep it that way, please don't use it to:

• harass, bully, threaten, or abuse anyone;
• share content that is hateful, violent, sexual, or otherwise harmful, especially given that GSR is used by teenagers;
• impersonate someone else, or misrepresent your age;
• break the law, or encourage others to;
• disrupt, hack, overload, or misuse the service;
• publish someone else's private information, or content that isn't yours to share.

If you break these rules, we may remove content or suspend your account (see Ending things).

GSR is not a crisis or counselling service

GSR deals with honest personal reflection, and sometimes difficult questions come up. Please understand that GSR is not a mental health, counselling, or emergency service, and nothing in it is a substitute for professional help.

If you're struggling or in crisis, please reach out to a helpline or a professional. You'll find crisis resources for your country at findahelpline.com, and a short list in our Privacy Policy. If you're in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.

The readings and our content

The four readings are either public-domain texts or our own plain-language renderings and retellings of well-known ideas, with their sources noted. "Good Society Readings" describes a reading-and-reflection practice that others have used too — we don't claim exclusive rights to the name or the practice. What is ours is the specific work we've made: our renderings and framing of these readings, the manifesto experience, this app, and its design. Please don't copy or reuse those commercially without our permission. You're very welcome to read, share, and discuss the readings for personal and educational use.

Changes, availability, and cost

GSR is free. We may change, add, or remove features, and we may occasionally have downtime or interruptions. We may also, if we need to, stop offering GSR — if we plan to shut it down, we'll give account holders reasonable notice and a way to download their writing first.

Ending things

You can leave any time by deleting your account. A parent or guardian of a user under 18 can also withdraw approval, which ends that account. When an account ends, we handle the data as described in the Privacy Policy.

We may suspend or end your access if you break these terms, misuse the service, or put others at risk. Where it's reasonable to, we'll tell you why.

Our responsibility (and its limits)

We work hard to make GSR useful, safe, and reliable, but we provide it as is. To the extent the law allows, we're not liable for indirect or unexpected losses arising from your use of GSR, and — because GSR is free — our overall responsibility to you is limited. Nothing in these terms removes any rights you have under the law that can't be excluded, and nothing limits our responsibility for things that can't legally be limited.

Which law applies

These terms are governed by the laws of Malaysia. If there's a dispute we can't resolve directly, it will be handled by the courts of Malaysia — though if you're a consumer in another country, you may still have the protection of laws that apply where you live.

Changes to these terms

If we change these terms, we'll update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll let account holders (and, for users under 18, their guardians) know. Continuing to use GSR after a change means you accept the updated terms.

Contact

Questions about these terms:

Talenpac PLT (trading as Ethos)
Email: hello@schoolofethos.com

See also our Privacy Policy.