Terms of Service

Preamble

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern access to and use of ConduitID, the animal identity and intelligence platform operated by Conduit Technologies (Private) Limited, a company incorporated in the Republic of Zimbabwe under registration number 122721A0262026 ("Conduit," "ConduitID," "we," "us," or "our"). ConduitID comprises the Pet, Livestock, Equine, Veterinary, Shelter, and related portals accessible at conduitid.net and any associated mobile or WhatsApp-based interfaces (collectively, the "Platform").

By creating an account, registering an animal, scanning a ConduitID tag, or otherwise using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

ConduitID is a technology platform. It is not a veterinary practice, a government registry, an insurer, a bank, or a law enforcement body, and nothing in these Terms should be read as ConduitID assuming the functions of any of those institutions.

1. Definitions

2. Eligibility and Accounts

2.1 Who May Register. You must be at least 18, or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction, to create an Account in your own name. A parent or legal guardian may create and manage an Account on behalf of a minor, and remains fully responsible for that Account’s use.

2.2 Account Types. Individual accounts for pet owners, farmers, and equine owners. Professional accounts for Registered Vets, requiring credential verification before activation. Institutional accounts for shelters, welfare organisations, and government users, subject to a separate institutional agreement where applicable.

2.3 Accuracy of Information. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information, and to promptly update it if it changes. ConduitID is not responsible for consequences arising from inaccurate information you provide, including failed emergency contact attempts or incorrect ownership records.

2.4 Account Security. You are responsible for the confidentiality of your password and all activity under your Account. Notify us promptly (Section 23) if you suspect unauthorised access.

2.5 One Account Per Natural Person. Shared household use of a single Account is permitted, but the Account holder remains responsible for all activity under it.

2.6 Suspension and Termination. We may suspend or terminate an Account, with or without notice, where we reasonably believe it has provided materially false information, been used to commit fraud, harassment, or animal cruelty, breached Section 13, or where suspension is necessary to protect the Platform, another user, or an animal. Termination does not automatically delete associated Animal Profiles — see Section 19.

2.7 Veterinary Partner Obligations. A Registered Vet Account carries obligations beyond those of an individual Account, in recognition of the professional trust placed in that role. A Registered Vet must: (a) hold current, valid registration with the Council of Veterinary Surgeons of Zimbabwe or the equivalent body in their jurisdiction, and provide evidence of this on request; (b) ensure any clinical record, diagnosis, or verification they enter reflects their genuine professional judgment, not a placeholder or unverified assumption; (c) only perform a microchip verification where they have physically confirmed the scanned chip matches the number being verified, given that a false verification undermines the identity-integrity protections the whole Platform relies on; (d) promptly correct any record they later discover to be inaccurate. Breach of this Section may result in revocation of Registered Vet status in addition to any other remedy available under these Terms.

2.8 Institutional and Government Accounts. Where a shelter, welfare organisation such as ZNSPCA, municipal authority, or government body holds an Account, that entity is responsible for ensuring its own authorised users act within the scope of these Terms and any separate institutional agreement in place. An institutional Account's access to Animal Profile data is governed by the same access framework described in our Privacy Policy — holding an institutional Account does not, by itself, grant standing access beyond what a specific report, emergency, or lawful basis justifies. Where a government body seeks a broader integration — for example, a formal reporting relationship with the Department of Livestock and Veterinary Services for livestock movement or disease reporting — that integration will be governed by a separate written agreement, and does not arise automatically from holding an Account.

3. The Role of ConduitID — Digital Identity vs. Physical Identification

This Section exists to make clear exactly what ConduitID does and does not do with respect to animal identification, because this distinction affects your rights, our liability, and the reliability you can place on the Platform.

What ConduitID is: a digital identity layer. We create, host, and maintain a digital Animal Profile linked to a unique CID, and issue our own scannable identifiers. Where an animal already carries a third-party microchip or RFID implant, we allow that identifier to be recorded against the Animal Profile — an integration, not a re-implantation.

What ConduitID is not: a microchip manufacturer — physical microchipping, where offered by a Registered Vet, is performed and warranted by that practice, not by ConduitID. We are not, unless expressly stated for a specific integration, an official government or national animal registry. We do not independently verify, beyond the information supplied to us, that a claimed Owner is the lawful owner under Zimbabwean property law — our identity layer records a claim, not a judicial determination.

3.3 How Microchip Verification Actually Works. Where an Owner records a microchip number, ConduitID offers two real paths to verify it: (a) a Registered Vet with physical access to the animal can scan the chip and confirm it matches the recorded number, which is logged with that vet’s identity, a timestamp, and, where the vet has this information, which external microchip database(s) the animal is also registered on; or (b) where the Owner’s vet is not a Registered Vet on the Platform, the Owner may submit a verification request with that vet’s name and contact details for administrative review. Neither path constitutes registration with, or confirmation from, any external national or regional microchip database in its own right — it confirms only that the number recorded on ConduitID matches what a vet has physically observed.

3.4 The Honest Limit of These Protections. Duplicate microchip numbers are blocked at the point of registration, and any attempted duplicate is logged for administrative review. These protections are, however, anchored specifically to the microchip number. Where an animal has no microchip — which reflects the reality for most animals on the Platform in Zimbabwe today — registration instead relies on the Owner’s attestation under Section 2.3, which is a representation, not an independent verification. ConduitID discloses this limitation directly rather than overstating the strength of identity protection for an unchipped animal.

In short: ConduitID stores, links, and verifies the internal consistency of identity information provided to it. It does not independently investigate legal title, and physical microchip implantation is performed by a veterinary professional, not by ConduitID.

4. Animal Profiles and Ownership

4.1 Who Controls a Profile. The person or entity who registers an animal is its Owner and has primary control — editing non-veterinary fields, granting or revoking Stakeholder access, and initiating transfers.

4.2 Multiple Owners. A profile may list more than one Co-Owner. Any Co-Owner may generally view and update the profile, but transfer of primary control, deletion, and Emergency Access contacts require the primary Owner’s consent, unless all Co-Owners have equal designated authority.

4.3 Transfer of Ownership. The current Owner initiates a transfer identifying the recipient; the recipient must accept through their own Account. On acceptance, primary control passes and the transfer is permanently logged in the profile’s ownership history, which is not deleted by either party. Health, vaccination, and identity records remain attached to the animal and are not reset by a change of ownership.

4.4 Death of an Animal. An Owner may mark a profile as deceased. It is retained for identity-integrity and historical purposes (Section 20) but removed from active features such as reminders and location services. A retired CID is not reissued to another animal.

4.5 Disputed Ownership. Where multiple parties each claim to be the rightful Owner, ConduitID applies the Animal Identity Dispute and Resolution Policy in Section 5. ConduitID does not adjudicate legal ownership disputes and may place a profile into a restricted state pending resolution by the parties or a competent court.

5. Animal Identity Dispute and Resolution Policy

This Policy governs situations where two or more parties each assert a claim of ownership, custody, or control over the same Animal Profile.

5.1 Initiating a Dispute. A party who believes a profile is under the wrong person’s control may submit a dispute through the Platform, providing a basis for their claim.

5.2 Evidence We May Consider. Veterinary records showing a consistent history of care; purchase, adoption, or transfer documentation; physical identifier registration history predating the dispute; the profile’s own transfer and edit history; photographic or other supporting evidence of custody over time.

5.3 Temporary Restriction. On receipt of a good-faith dispute, ConduitID may freeze transfers and sensitive edits while the dispute is reviewed. Both parties retain read access to health and identity information during this period unless doing so would itself be unsafe or unlawful.

5.4 Resolution. ConduitID will make a good-faith administrative determination based on the evidence submitted, for the limited purpose of deciding who controls the digital profile going forward. This is not, and does not purport to be, a legal ruling on ownership under Zimbabwean law. Either party remains free to pursue the matter through the courts, and ConduitID will give effect to a competent court order or lawful settlement provided to us.

5.5 Appeals. A party who disagrees may request a review, providing new evidence, within thirty (30) days of the determination. Our decision on appeal is final for the digital profile, without prejudice to either party’s legal rights.

6. Veterinary Services Disclaimer

ConduitID is not a substitute for professional veterinary care. Nothing on the Platform, including AI-generated content, constitutes a diagnosis, treatment plan, or emergency medical advice. If your animal shows signs of injury, illness, or distress, contact a qualified veterinarian or emergency service immediately.

6.1 Nature of Platform Health Content. Vaccination and preventive-care reminders, general educational information, AI-generated health summaries, and symptom-triage guidance (Section 8) are informational and administrative in nature, designed to help you organise information and decide whether to seek professional care.

6.2 What the Platform Does Not Provide. A diagnosis of any medical or behavioural condition; a treatment or medication plan; emergency triage that replaces contacting a veterinarian; a substitute for the professional judgment of a Registered Vet who has physically examined the animal.

6.3 Records Entered by Veterinary Professionals. Where a Registered Vet enters a diagnosis, treatment record, or clinical note, that content reflects that veterinarian’s professional judgment, who remains responsible for its clinical accuracy. Our role is to store, display, and make it available to authorised Stakeholders — we do not verify or second-guess veterinary clinical judgment.

6.4 Teleconsultation Features. Where the Platform facilitates a paid consultation, the consultation itself is a professional service provided by that Vet, subject to their own professional obligations. ConduitID provides the scheduling, payment, and record-keeping layer and is not a party to the clinical relationship.

7. AI Features and Automated Processing

7.1 What Qualifies. Automatically generated vaccination and care reminders, plain-language summaries of veterinary records, symptom-triage guidance, and behaviour or nutrition coaching content. Section 6 applies to all AI Features touching on animal health.

7.2 Limitations. AI Features are generated by automated systems, including third-party AI model providers, and may occasionally produce incomplete, outdated, or incorrect output. They are based only on information available to the Platform at the time and cannot account for information not entered into the Animal Profile. AI-generated content should be treated as a starting point for your own judgment and, where relevant, a conversation with a Registered Vet — not a final answer.

7.3 Escalation to Human and Veterinary Judgment. Where an AI Feature identifies a symptom pattern or query exceeding routine guidance, the Platform is designed to recommend contacting a Registered Vet or, in an emergency, immediate veterinary care, rather than continuing to generate automated advice.

7.4 Third-Party AI Providers. Some AI Features are powered by third-party AI providers. Data reasonably necessary to generate a requested output may be transmitted to that provider for processing, subject to contractual and technical safeguards. We do not permit third-party AI providers to use your data to train their models for other customers’ benefit.

7.5 Model Changes. We may change, update, or replace underlying AI models or providers at any time, which may change the style, accuracy, or availability of AI-generated content. We will not materially reduce the safety safeguards in 7.3 without notifying users.

7.6 No Automated Decision-Making With Legal Effect. ConduitID does not use AI Features to make automated decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects concerning you — such as denying Platform access or resolving an ownership dispute — without meaningful human review.

8. Location and GPS Data

Where an animal is fitted with a connected GPS device, or location data is otherwise recorded, access is governed by the following framework.

8.1 Geofencing. Where you configure a geofence, we notify you if the device reports a location outside it. Configuration and alert recipients are controlled entirely by the Owner.

8.2 Retention. Historical location data is retained per Section 20. You may request its deletion independently of the rest of the profile, subject to any overriding legal requirement.

8.3 Accuracy. Location accuracy depends on third-party hardware, connectivity, and environmental conditions, none of which ConduitID controls. It should not be relied upon as precise where a small margin of error could matter (such as an emergency search) without independent verification.

9. Emergency Access Protocol

9.1 The Cascade. Owner → Secondary Contact (if the Owner does not respond within a configured period) → Registered Vet (if a scan or alert indicates a medical emergency) → nearest SPCA or welfare organisation, as a last resort.

9.2 What Becomes Visible. Only information reasonably necessary to protect the animal’s welfare and reunite it with its Owner — identity, emergency contact details, known allergies or critical conditions, and current medications. Not full historical records, payment information, or unrelated communications.

9.3 Who May Activate. Triggered automatically by specific events, or manually by a Registered Vet or Shelter attending to an animal in evident distress. Not available on request for routine purposes.

9.4 Logging and Duration. Every event is logged — who accessed what, when. The Owner can view this log. Access expires automatically once the emergency is resolved or after a fixed maximum period, whichever is sooner.

10. Subscriptions, Fees, and Payments

10.1 Free and Paid Tiers. Core identity features (registration, one QR/NFC identifier, the public scan page, the lost-and-found board) are free. Premium features (reminders, AI care summaries, GPS tracking) are paid, at pricing displayed at time of purchase.

10.2 Payment Processing. Payments are processed through third-party providers (which may include Paynow, EcoCash, and card processors). We do not store your full payment card or mobile money credentials.

10.3 Billing and Renewal. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled before the renewal date. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; no partial refund except where required by law.

10.4 Price Changes. We may change pricing on reasonable prior notice, effective from your next renewal, never retroactive to a period already paid.

10.5 Marketplace and Partner Transactions. Where the Platform facilitates a transaction with a third party, that transaction is between you and the third party. We may earn a referral fee and will disclose this where applicable. We are not responsible for the quality or delivery of third-party goods or services, though we take reasonable care selecting partners.

11. Data Sharing Between Stakeholders

Because ConduitID connects multiple Stakeholder types around a single Animal Profile, the detailed rules on who can see what, when, and under what basis are set out in full in our Privacy Policy (Data Sharing Architecture), which forms part of these Terms by reference. By using the Platform, you consent to the sharing described there, including with Registered Vets, Shelters, and the ZNSPCA where applicable.

12. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Platform to: register a false, fraudulent, or duplicate Animal Profile, or knowingly submit inaccurate ownership, health, or identity information; attempt to gain control of an Animal Profile that is not yours through deception, impersonation, or exploiting a vulnerability; harass, threaten, or endanger another user, Stakeholder, or animal; facilitate illegal animal trade, theft, or cruelty; reverse-engineer, scrape at scale, or extract the Platform’s underlying data or source code except as permitted by law; circumvent or interfere with security, rate-limiting, or access-control mechanisms; or violate the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07] or any other applicable Zimbabwean law.

Breach of this Section may result in suspension or termination under Section 2.6, in addition to any other remedy available to us.

13. Intellectual Property

13.1 ConduitID’s Property. The Platform, including its software, design, branding, and underlying architecture, is the property of Conduit Technologies (Private) Limited. Nothing in these Terms grants you any right beyond the limited licence to use the Platform as intended.

13.2 Your Content. You retain ownership of Content you submit. By submitting it, you grant ConduitID a licence to store, display, and process it as necessary to operate the Platform and provide the features you use, including sharing it with Stakeholders in accordance with the Privacy Policy.

14. Children and Family Use

The Platform is intended to be operated by an adult Account holder, even where an animal is understood within the household to belong to a child. Where a minor uses the Platform under a parent or guardian’s Account, that adult remains responsible for all use, including communications, purchases, and Content submitted. We do not knowingly collect Account registration information directly from a person we know to be under 18 without a parent or guardian’s involvement. Additional detail is set out in the Privacy Policy.

15. Disclaimers

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Zimbabwean law: the Platform is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components, or that any AI Feature, reminder, or notification will be delivered without delay or failure. We do not warrant the accuracy of information entered by other users or Stakeholders. Nothing in this Section excludes or limits any warranty or right that cannot lawfully be excluded under Zimbabwean consumer protection law.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Conduit Technologies (Private) Limited, its directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, loss of data, or loss of an animal, arising from your use of the Platform, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Where liability cannot lawfully be excluded, our total aggregate liability to you for any claim shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) an amount to be confirmed with Zimbabwean counsel as an appropriate statutory minimum, if any applies.

Note for legal review: this limitation is drafted broadly and must be reviewed against Zimbabwean consumer protection and common-law rules on exclusion clauses before being relied upon — some limitations for gross negligence or wilful misconduct may not be enforceable and should not be represented to users as absolute.

17. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Conduit Technologies (Private) Limited from any claim, loss, liability, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, Content you submit that infringes a third party’s rights or is unlawful, or your violation of any applicable law in your use of the Platform.

18. Termination

18.1 By You. You may close your Account at any time through Account settings or by contacting us. This does not, by itself, delete Animal Profiles you control — see Section 20.

18.2 By ConduitID. We may suspend or terminate access under Section 2.6, or discontinue the Platform or a feature on reasonable notice, except where immediate action is necessary for security, legal, or safety reasons.

18.3 Survival. Sections relating to intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, dispute resolution, and any provision which by its nature should survive, continue to apply after termination.

19. Data Retention and Deletion

Deleting your Account and deleting an Animal Profile are not the same action. Full detail is set out in the Privacy Policy, which governs what happens to a profile’s identity, ownership, and veterinary records when an Account is closed, including deceased animals and disputed ownership history, and forms part of these Terms by reference.

20. Dispute Resolution and Governing Law

20.1 Governing Law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Zimbabwe, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

20.2 Informal Resolution. Before initiating formal proceedings, you agree to first contact ConduitID and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally.

20.3 Jurisdiction. Subject to 20.2, any dispute that cannot be resolved informally shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Zimbabwe.

Note for legal review: whether ConduitID should also offer an arbitration or mediation pathway, and the appropriate venue, should be confirmed with Zimbabwean counsel — left as a placeholder recommendation pending that review.

21. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Where a change is material, we will provide reasonable notice before it takes effect. Continued use of the Platform after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

22. General Provisions

22.1 Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any institutional agreement applicable to your Account type, constitute the entire agreement between you and ConduitID regarding the Platform.

22.2 Severability. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.

22.3 No Waiver. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of the right to enforce it later.

22.4 Assignment. You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

22.5 Contact. Questions about these Terms should be directed to Conduit Technologies (Private) Limited at the contact details published on conduitid.net.