Terms of Use

Welcome to Social Mapia. These Terms are an agreement between you and Praful Kumar, trading as Social Mapia (Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India) ("we", "us"). They apply to socialmapia.app and the Social Mapia Android app (together, "Social Mapia").

By creating an account, or by using Social Mapia, you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy and our Community Guidelines. If you don't agree, please don't use Social Mapia.

1. What Social Mapia is

Social Mapia is a map of places people love. Creators pin places from their clips with photos and short videos; members save places to Plans and follow creators; business owners claim and update their place's page.

Social Mapia is an intermediary: most of what you see is posted by users and businesses, not by us. We do not check every post before it appears. We do not show ads, sell your data, or sell higher ranking.

2. Who can use Social Mapia

• You must be 18 or older. By creating an account you confirm that you are. There is no parent-permission option. If we find out an account belongs to someone under 18, we will close it.
• You must be legally able to agree to these Terms, and not barred from using Social Mapia by law or by an earlier ban from us.
• We currently focus on India (starting in Ahmedabad) and Nigeria (starting in Lagos), but anyone may browse. If you use Social Mapia from elsewhere, you are responsible for following your local laws.
• If you use Social Mapia for a business, you confirm you are allowed to act for that business, and these Terms bind it too.

3. Your account

• Give accurate details and keep them up to date.
• Keep your password and sign-in codes private. You are responsible for what happens on your account. Tell us at once at info@socialmapia.app if you think someone else is using it.
• One person, one personal account. Don't create accounts in bulk, by automated means, or to get around a ban.
• Usernames must not impersonate a person, brand or business you don't represent, or be offensive. We may change or reclaim a username that breaks this rule. If you change your username, your old link redirects for 90 days and then may stop working.

4. Types of users

• Guests can browse public content.
• Members can save places, plan visits, follow creators, post Moments and keep up to 100 private pins.
• Creators (approved by us) post public pins with photos and video reels. We may approve or remove creator access at our discretion, giving reasons.
• Business owners can claim a place, after we verify the claim, and manage its photos, hours, WhatsApp/phone and offers.

5. Offers

Offers are created by businesses or creators, not by Social Mapia. Whoever publishes an offer must honour it and is responsible for its terms, availability and end date. We are not a party to any sale. Always confirm with the business before you go. Offers must be lawful, honest and not misleading (see section 8).

6. Maps, places and visiting

Place details come partly from users, businesses and third parties such as Google and OpenStreetMap and may be wrong or out of date. Check opening times, prices, directions and safety yourself before you go. You visit places at your own risk. Social Mapia does not run, inspect or endorse the places listed.

7. Business pages and claims

• A business page may be created automatically when a creator pins a place. It describes a real place, so it may stay on Social Mapia even if no owner claims it.
• To claim a page you must prove you own or manage the business. Giving false claim information is a serious breach; we will remove the claim and may ban the account.
• Claimed page information (hours, phone, WhatsApp, photos, offers) must be accurate and kept current. Your phone and WhatsApp number will be public on the page.
• Creator clips and pins about your business remain the creator's content. You can report them if they break these Terms, but you can't remove honest content just because you don't like it.

8. What you must not post or do

You must not host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share anything that:

1. belongs to someone else and you have no right to post (including music, film clips, photos or videos you did not make or license);
2. is obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, invades another person's privacy (including bodily privacy), is insulting or harassing on the basis of gender, is racially or ethnically objectionable, relates to or encourages money laundering or gambling, or promotes enmity between groups on the basis of religion, caste, ethnicity or region with intent to incite violence;
3. is harmful to children, or sexualises anyone under 18 in any way;
4. infringes any patent, trademark, copyright or other proprietary right;
5. deceives or misleads people about where it came from, or knowingly and intentionally spreads misinformation or information that is patently false and untrue or misleading in nature — including fake reviews, fake views, fake offers and deepfakes or AI-made images/videos presented as real (AI-made content must be clearly labelled);
6. impersonates another person, creator or business;
7. threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India or Nigeria, friendly relations with other countries, or public order; incites any offence; prevents the investigation of any offence; or insults another nation;
8. contains viruses or any code designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the working of any computer resource;
9. is an online game, betting or gambling service (or an advertisement or surrogate advertisement for one) that is not permitted under Indian or Nigerian law;
10. shares intimate images of anyone without their consent, or anyone's private information (home address, ID numbers, phone numbers) without their permission;
11. harasses, bullies, threatens or encourages violence against anyone, or promotes self-harm or terrorism;
12. promotes the sale of illegal goods or services, weapons, drugs, or regulated products in breach of the law;
13. is spam, chain messages, or unrelated advertising; or
14. breaks any law in force in India, Nigeria or the place you are posting from.

You must also not: scrape or copy Social Mapia data in bulk; use bots or fake accounts; artificially inflate views, saves or follows; try to break, overload or test the security of Social Mapia without written permission; reverse-engineer the app; or use Social Mapia to collect other users' personal data.

More examples are in our Community Guidelines.

9. Your content and the licence you give us

• You own what you post (photos, videos, text, pins, Moments). We don't claim ownership.
• You promise that you have all the rights needed to post it — including permission from people clearly shown in it and rights to any music, audio or footage in your videos — and that posting it doesn't break these Terms or the law.
• Licence to us: so we can run Social Mapia, you give us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable (only to a successor of Social Mapia), sub-licensable (only to our service providers) licence to host, store, copy, process (e.g. resize, crop, transcode videos, create thumbnails and share cards), display, distribute and make available your content on Social Mapia (website, app, link previews, share cards, embeds and city guides).
• Promotion: we may also show your public content to promote Social Mapia — for example in our own social-media posts, promo videos or app-store screenshots — always crediting you. You can opt out any time by emailing info@socialmapia.app, and we will stop using it in new promotions.
• When the licence ends: when you delete content or your account, the licence ends once it is removed from Social Mapia, except: (a) copies in backups (overwritten within 14 days); (b) copies kept where the law requires (see Privacy Policy section 8); (c) content others have already shared outside Social Mapia; and (d) promotional material already published.
• Feedback: if you send ideas or suggestions, we may use them freely without owing you anything.

10. Copyright and music — how to report, and what happens

Many reels use music. Only use music and footage you have the right to use — your own, licensed, royalty-free, or allowed by the rights-holder. Music that is licensed to you on Instagram or YouTube is usually not licensed for re-upload to other platforms.

If you own the rights and want content removed (takedown notice)

Email info@socialmapia.app with:

1. your name, address, phone and email (and the rights-holder's name if you act for them);
2. a description of the work you own (e.g. song title, artist, label; or a link to the original);
3. the exact Social Mapia link(s) to the content you say infringes;
4. a statement that you believe in good faith the use is not authorised by you, your agent or the law;
5. a statement that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorised to act for the owner;
6. for India: evidence that you are the owner (or authorised), and an undertaking that you will file an infringement suit and produce a court order within 21 days (Copyright Rules 2013, Rule 75);
7. your physical or electronic signature.

You can also use the "Copyright / my content used without permission" option in the Report menu on any pin or clip, which reaches us the same way.

What we do: we acknowledge within 24 hours. If the notice is complete and the content appears to infringe, we disable access within 36 hours and tell the uploader. Where Indian law applies, if we don't receive a court order within 21 days, we may restore the content. Where Nigerian law applies, we act expeditiously, tell the uploader, and forward any counter-notice to you (Copyright Act 2022, s.54–55).

If your content was removed and you think it's a mistake (counter-notice)

Reply to our removal message or email info@socialmapia.app with: your name and contact details; the removed link; a statement, in good faith, that the content was removed by mistake or that you have the rights (explain why — e.g. licence, your own music); and your signature. We forward it to the person who complained. If they don't show us within 7 days that you have no authorisation (Nigeria) or produce a court order within the 21-day window (India), we may restore your content.

Repeat infringers

We stop removed content from being re-uploaded where we can. Accounts that repeatedly infringe will be warned, then suspended, then permanently closed. False or abusive notices may lead to action against the sender.

11. Reporting, moderation and removal

• You can report any pin, Moment, profile or offer, and block any account, from its "…" menu. You can also email info@socialmapia.app (see section 12).
• We may remove or disable content, limit features, or suspend or close accounts that break these Terms or the law, or when a court or authorised government agency lawfully tells us to. Under Indian law we must act on such orders within 3 hours and may have to keep removed content and related records for 180 days for investigations.
• When we remove your content or restrict your account, we will tell you why (unless the law or safety stops us), and you can ask us to look again by replying or writing to the Grievance Officer.
• We may report content that suggests a serious crime (for example child sexual abuse material) to the authorities, as the law requires.

12. Complaints and Grievance Officer

If you are unhappy with our decision, in India you may appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee (gac.gov.in) within 30 days. You can also go to court at any time.

13. Closing your account

• You can delete your account any time: Settings → Delete my account (website or app), or see delete-account.php. Your profile and content are hidden at once and permanently erased after 30 days (sign back in before then to cancel). Some data is kept for a limited time where the law requires — see Privacy Policy section 8.
• We may suspend or close your account if you seriously or repeatedly break these Terms, if the law requires it, or if we stop offering Social Mapia. We do not close or delete an account just because it has been inactive — an account stays open until you delete it. Where possible we will give notice and reasons, and a chance to download your content.
• Sections 9 (for content already shared), 14, 15, 16 and 17 continue after your account ends.

14. No guarantees and limits on our liability

• Social Mapia is provided "as is" and "as available". We work hard to keep it running and accurate but can't promise it will always be available, error-free, or that places, offers and content are correct, safe or suitable for you.
• To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for: content posted by users or businesses; anything that happens at a place you found on Social Mapia; offers not honoured; loss of data, profits, goodwill or business; or indirect or consequential loss.
• To the extent the law allows, our total liability to you for any claim is limited to the greater of ₹5,000 (or the equivalent in naira) or what you paid us for Social Mapia in the 12 months before the claim. Social Mapia is free, so today that cap is ₹5,000.
• Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law (for example for fraud, or for death or personal injury caused by negligence), or your rights as a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 (India) or the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 (Nigeria).

15. Your responsibility to us (indemnity)

If someone makes a claim against us because of content you posted, an offer you published, or your breach of these Terms or the law, you agree to cover our reasonable losses and costs, to the extent the law allows. We will tell you about the claim and let you take part in the defence.

16. Other services

Social Mapia links to Google Maps, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp and other services, and uses Google, Firebase and Bunny.net to work. Those services have their own terms and privacy policies, and we are not responsible for them. Using the Android app is also subject to Google Play's terms.

Some pins also carry a single button (for example "Book tickets" or "See menu") added by the creator or business that owns the pin. Tapping it takes you to another website to book, pay or find more information. That website belongs to someone else — Social Mapia doesn't run it, can't guarantee it, and isn't responsible for anything that happens there, including payments you make on it. We check links before and after they go live and may remove any link at any time, but we can't promise every linked site is safe or accurate, so use your own judgement, especially before paying anyone in advance.

17. Law, disputes and courts

• These Terms are governed by the laws of India.
• If you have a problem, please contact us first (section 12) — most issues can be solved quickly.
• Courts in Ahmedabad, Gujarat have jurisdiction, except that if you live in Nigeria (or anywhere else) and local law gives you the right to bring a claim in your own country's courts, or to rely on mandatory local protections (including the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023), these Terms don't take that away.

18. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as Social Mapia or the law changes. We'll update the date at the top, and for important changes we'll tell members by notification or email at least 7 days before they apply (unless the change is required by law sooner). If you keep using Social Mapia after that, the new Terms apply; if you don't agree, you can delete your account.

We will also remind all users at least once every three months of our rules, that we can remove content and suspend accounts that break them, and that breaking the law can lead to penalties (as the IT Rules require).

19. General

• If any part of these Terms can't be enforced, the rest still applies.
• If we don't enforce a right straight away, we haven't given it up.
• You can't transfer your account or these Terms to anyone else. We may transfer them to a company that takes over Social Mapia (for example if the founder incorporates a company), and we'll tell you.
• These Terms, the Privacy Policy and the Community Guidelines are the whole agreement between us about Social Mapia.
• If these Terms are translated, the English version applies if there is a conflict.

20. Contact

• General help: info@socialmapia.app or Help & support
• Complaints / Grievance Officer: info@socialmapia.app
• Copyright: info@socialmapia.app
• Privacy: info@socialmapia.app
• Post: Praful Kumar, Social Mapia, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

See also our Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines.