Terms of Service

1. Definitions

• "Service" — the Reverseau website, dataset, and all associated features (search, pages, submission forms)
• "We" / "Reverseau" — the operator of the Service
• "Reports" — community-submitted interaction accounts describing contact received from a phone number
• "User Content" — any content submitted by users, including Reports and contact form submissions
• "Classification" — an aggregated label derived from Reports (e.g. Scam, Spam, Safe); not independently verified
• "Allocation Metadata" — publicly available numbering allocation and assignment data sourced from ACMA or carrier records; indicates assignment, not ownership or current use
• "AI Summaries" — automated synthesis of Reports generated by machine learning; may be incomplete or incorrect

Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation of these Terms.

2. About Reverseau

Reverseau is a community-reported telecommunications safety intelligence registry, operating since 2014. The Service aggregates Reports and public Allocation Metadata to support awareness and harm prevention across Australia. It is not a caller identification service.

Our dataset is built on community-submitted reports. When someone receives a call they wish to document, they can submit a report describing the interaction. Other users can then review aggregated community intelligence for that number to inform their own safety decisions.

Community-Reported Classification

Reverseau uses a community-driven classification system. When users submit reports, they categorise interactions into types such as:

• Scam — reports of fraudulent contact attempting to obtain money or personal information
• Spam — reports of unsolicited automated or mass contact
• Telemarketer — reports of commercial sales contact
• Robocall — reports of automated pre-recorded messages
• Safe / Legitimate — reports describing benign or expected contact as perceived by the reporter

Classification confidence increases with report volume and consistency; single reports represent weak signal. Higher confidence does not mean verified identity or intent. Categories are not legal or regulatory determinations and should not be treated as proof of wrongdoing.

A number's overall Classification reflects the pattern of multiple community Reports. These are crowdsourced assessments, not authoritative verdicts.

3. Community Guidelines

The quality and trustworthiness of Reverseau depends on honest, responsible community participation. All users must follow these guidelines when submitting reports.

Required Standards

• Reports must be based on your genuine personal experience with the phone number
• Descriptions must be factual and honest — report what actually happened
• Use civil, respectful language — no profanity or personal attacks
• Choose the correct caller type that matches your experience

Prohibited Content

The following content is strictly prohibited and will be removed:

• Defamatory content — statements that are false, misleading, or otherwise unlawful and may damage a person's reputation
• Doxxing — publishing private personal information (names, addresses, workplace details) of individuals associated with phone numbers
• Harassment — using reports to target, threaten, or intimidate specific individuals
• Private personal data — including full names, home addresses, email addresses, bank account details, ID numbers, workplace information, or any data that could identify a private individual. Business names may be referenced only for publicly registered entities and only as contextual description, not as verification of ownership, operation, or control of a phone number
• Fabricated reports — submitting false or misleading information to manipulate a number's Classification
• Spam or promotional content — advertising, chain messages, or irrelevant material
• Hate speech — racially, ethnically, or otherwise discriminatory content
• Evasion instructions — content advising how to circumvent law enforcement, regulatory bodies, or scam-prevention measures

4. Content Moderation

Reverseau actively moderates community-submitted content. Reports are subject to automated screening and may be reviewed by moderators before or after publication.

How Moderation Works

• Automated pre-screening — submitted reports are checked for prohibited content patterns (PII, slurs, threats, obvious spam) at submission and prior to publication where applicable
• Human review — edge cases, disputes, and flagged content receive human moderator review for guideline compliance and contextual assessment
• Ongoing monitoring — published reports are subject to continued monitoring and may be removed or redacted at any time if found to violate community guidelines
• User flagging — community members can report content they believe violates guidelines via our contact form

We may remove, redact, or restrict access to content at our sole discretion, including without notice. Where appropriate, we may notify the submitting user, but we are not obligated to do so. We may also comply with legal requests, court orders, or regulatory directions. We do not guarantee publication of any submitted report. Removal of content does not imply admission of liability.

Dispute and Correction Process

If you believe a phone number has been incorrectly assigned a Classification or a Report contains inaccurate information:

1. Submit a review request via our contact form
2. You may provide supporting evidence (e.g. business registration, number reallocation notice, or other relevant records)
3. We aim to review your request and respond within 30 days (depending on volume and complexity)
4. If the Report is found to be inaccurate or in violation, it will be corrected, redacted, or removed. The number's Classification may also be updated based on new Reports or evidence

We may request supporting evidence (e.g. proof of number reallocation, public business listing, or carrier notice) during review, but we do not verify caller identity or ownership and do not adjudicate ownership disputes. We may decline requests that are incomplete, abusive, or seek ownership adjudication. We do not guarantee any specific outcome from the review process.

5. Nature of Content

Reports on Reverseau reflect community-submitted interaction accounts and are published for informational purposes. They represent individual perspectives from community members who have received contact from specific numbers.

• Reports are individual accounts — Reverseau does not attest to accuracy or completeness of any single report
• Allocation metadata indicates numbering assignment — not ownership, identity, or current use
• Reverseau is not a law enforcement, regulatory, or investigative service — content should not be treated as evidence or proof

While we moderate all content, Reverseau does not independently verify every claim in every report. Multiple consistent reports about a number are generally more reliable than a single report, but no combination of reports constitutes a guarantee of accuracy. Users should consider Reports as one data point among several when making safety decisions.

You use the Service at your own risk and are solely responsible for any decisions or actions taken based on content accessed through the Service.

User Content does not represent the views or opinions of Reverseau. Publication of a Report does not imply endorsement, verification, or agreement with the content submitted.

AI-generated summaries on phone detail pages synthesise community reports into brief overviews. These summaries are clearly marked and should be understood as automated interpretations of community data, not independent assessments by Reverseau. See our AI Transparency Statement for details.

References to organisations, brands, or services within reports or metadata are descriptive only and do not imply endorsement, affiliation, or verification by Reverseau. Links to external websites (including ACCC, Scamwatch, or carrier sites) are provided for convenience; Reverseau is not responsible for their content or availability.

6. Prohibited Technical Activities

The following activities are prohibited and may result in immediate access restriction:

Automated Access & Data Extraction

• Scraping, crawling, or using automated tools to access the Service without written permission
• Rate-limit evasion, automated harvesting, enumeration of number ranges, bypassing robots.txt, or bulk downloading
• Using the Service in a way that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionate load on our infrastructure
• Using the Service to compile databases for commercial sale or distribution
• Reverse engineering, mirroring, or creating derivative datasets intended to replicate Reverseau's coverage or functionality without written permission

Security & Interference

• Attempting to breach security, access restricted systems, or exploit vulnerabilities. Security testing is permitted only with prior written authorisation
• Interfering with server performance or other users' access (DDoS, malware, etc.)
• Circumventing or attempting to circumvent access controls, rate limits, or security measures

Integrity Manipulation

• Submitting multiple reports under different identities to manipulate Classification signals

We may implement rate limits, bot detection, and IP throttling to protect the Service. Traffic that appears automated may be blocked without notice. Access via API or programmatic interface is permitted only under a separate written agreement.

7. Intellectual Property

Reverseau's design, code, logos, trade marks, database compilation, and original content are our intellectual property. The selection, arrangement, and aggregation of data within the Service is separately protected. You may view, search, and reference content for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not reproduce, redistribute, or commercially exploit Reverseau's content without written permission.

By submitting a report, you grant Reverseau a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, display, modify, and distribute your submission as part of the Service. You retain ownership of your original content.

By submitting content, you represent and warrant that: (a) you have the right to publish the content; (b) the content is based on your genuine personal experience; (c) the content does not contain private personal data, defamation, or material that violates these Terms; and (d) you accept responsibility for the content you submit. Submissions may be stored, processed, and redacted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide regarding the Service may be used to improve the Service without compensation or attribution.

8. Disclaimer

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." While Reverseau actively moderates content and maintains platform integrity, we cannot guarantee that all information is accurate, complete, or current. Specifically:

• Reports reflect individual user experiences and may be subjective or incomplete
• Phone number Classifications are crowdsourced and may not reflect the current status of a number
• AI Summaries are automated interpretations, not verified assessments
• Service availability may be interrupted, modified, or discontinued for maintenance, security, or technical reasons

Content on Reverseau does not constitute legal, professional, or investigative advice and is not intended to be relied upon as evidence in legal proceedings. Reverseau is not a substitute for official advice from law enforcement, telecommunications regulators, or the ACCC. This disclaimer is subject to non-excludable rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Australian law, Reverseau shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), statute, or otherwise, arising from your use of the Service. This includes damages from reliance on community-submitted reports, service interruptions, or third-party content. To the extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability for all claims (whether arising from a single event or a series of related events) shall not exceed AUD $50.

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts, or modifies any consumer guarantee, right, or remedy under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) or other applicable law that cannot be excluded. This limitation does not apply to liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

These limitations reflect the free nature of the Service and are a fundamental part of this agreement.

10. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Reverseau, its operator(s), officers, employees, and contractors from any claims, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) content you submit to the Service; (b) your breach of these Terms; or (c) your use of the Service in a manner not authorised by these Terms.

11. Termination

Reverseau may restrict, suspend, or terminate your access at any time for violating these Terms, applicable law, or for other reasons at our discretion. You may stop using the Service at any time. Upon termination, provisions regarding intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity, and governing law survive.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Material changes will be posted prominently on the site. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. Disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales. Reverseau may assign or transfer these Terms in connection with a change of entity or corporate structure. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.

For questions or disputes regarding these Terms, please contact us.