Privacy Policy

Terms of Use and Policies

Ethics Policy

Contributors to The Spruce are independent contractors who create and publish content on The Spruce.com and affiliated sites and email properties (the "Site"). Contributors are compensated in part based on the amount of content that they create and/or the page views of the Site containing the content they create. The Spruce contractually requires that its contributors maintain high ethical standards and all legal requirements, including Federal Trade Commission (FTC) disclosure requirements. The contributors, and not The Spruce, are responsible for their own compliance with these standards. These contributors and other writers provide advice and information that they intend to be not only practical but trustworthy. These contributors and other writers write and are responsible for their content, and this content is made available on The Spruce "AS IS". Your use of the Site is subject to the Terms of Use (including any disclaimers).

Terms of Use

Updated January 1, 2020

1. Overview

The Spruce.com and its affiliated sites (collectively, the “Site”) are Dotdash brands, owned and operated by About, Inc. and its affiliates ("The Spruce", the "Company", "we", or "us"). Access to and use of the Site is subject to these terms and conditions of use (“Terms of Use”).

• "Site" or "The Spruce" shall include any information or services made available by The Spruce, regardless of the medium, and shall include, without limitation any affiliated websites, mobile applications, videos, products and applications we make available. We reserve the right at any time, and from time to time, to modify, suspend or discontinue (temporarily or permanently) the Site, or any part of the Site, with or without notice.
• The Site is not intended for users under 13 years of age. If you are under 13, do not use the Site and do not provide us with any personal information.
• We make no claims that the Site or any of its content is accessible or appropriate outside of the United States. Access to the Site may not be legal by certain persons or in certain countries. If you access the Site from outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws and regulations.

2. Disclaimer

The information available through the Site is provided solely for informational purposes on an “as is” basis at user’s sole risk. The Spruce makes no guarantees as to the accurateness, quality, or completeness of the information and The Spruce shall not be responsible or liable for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the information or for any user’s reliance on the information. User is solely responsible for verifying the information as being appropriate for user’s personal use.

3. Our Right to Modify These Terms of Use

We reserve the right to change these Terms of Use at any time. You should check this page regularly. The changes will appear on the Site and will be effective when we post the changes. Your continued use of the Site means you agree to and accept the changes.

4. Our Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Policy contains further information about how data is collected, used and made available on or by our Site

5. The Spruce Intellectual Property

Your Limited License to our Intellectual Property

The materials used and displayed on the Site, including but not limited to text, software, photographs, graphics, illustrations and artwork, video, music and sound, and names, logos, trademarks and service marks, are the property of The Spruce, About, Inc., or its affiliates or licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark and other laws. Any such content may be used solely for your personal, non-commercial use. You agree not to modify, reproduce, retransmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish, broadcast or circulate any such material without the prior written permission of The Spruce. The Spruce grants you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Site and any materials on the Site for non-commercial purposes subject to these Terms of Use.

The Spruce Trademarks and Logos

The terms The Spruce, www.The Spruce.com, and other The Spruce trademarks and services marks, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs and slogans, are trademarks of The Spruce or its affiliates or licensors. You may not use such marks without the prior written permission of The Spruce. All other names, logos, product and service names, designs and slogans on the Site are the trademarks of their respective owners.

6. Reliance on Information on Site

We have no obligation to, and you should not expect us to, review content on our Site, including User Contributions (defined below) or contributions by our independent contributors.

About our Contributors

The Spruce seeks out content providers in particular subject matters as independent contractor contributors to the Site. The Spruce does not represent or guarantee that any contributor has achieved any particular level of expertise or knowledge or has any specific qualifications or credentials as to the subject matter to which their contributions relate. To the extent we refer to each of these contributors as an expert, you must understand that we rely on the information they provide us and we are not obligated to independently verify or attempt to confirm any information they provide, nor their qualifications or credentials. The Spruce is also not obligated to monitor or independently research or verify any content they contribute. Contributors, even if characterized as an expert, are not employees of The Spruce or its affiliates, and The Spruce cannot and does not represent or warrant the accuracy, completeness or truthfulness of the qualifications or credentials of any contributor, nor of any other users of the Site.

Please do not rely on Site content, including User Contributions and content from our independent contractor contributors. Content is provided for general information purposes only and can never take into account your unique, personal circumstances and needs. You acknowledge and agree that any reliance or actions you take in violation of your agreement with us shall be at your sole and exclusive risk and The Spruce shall have no responsibility or liability to you whatsoever. You also acknowledge and agree that communications on or through the Site, whether with content providers or other users, are at your own risk and are not covered by any privilege or confidentiality obligation that might apply if you were to obtain your own professional advice.

7. Prohibited Uses of the Site

You may use the Site only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms of Use. You agree not to use the Site:

• In any way that violates any applicable federal, state, local or international law or regulation.
• For the purpose of exploiting, harming or attempting to exploit or harm minors in any way by exposing them to inappropriate content, asking for personally identifiable information or otherwise.
• To transmit, or procure the sending of, any advertising or promotional material, including any "junk mail", "chain letter" or "spam" or any other similar solicitation.
• To impersonate or attempt to impersonate The Spruce, a The Spruce employee, another user or any other person or entity (including, without limitation, by using email addresses or screen names associated with any of the foregoing).
• To engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits anyone's use or enjoyment of the Site, or which, as determined by us, may harm The Spruce or users of the Site or expose them to liability.

Additionally, you agree not to:

• "Scrape" or disaggregate data from the Site (whether by manual or automated means) for any commercial, marketing, or data compiling or enhancing purpose.
• Introduce any viruses, trojan horses, worms, logic bombs or other material or mechanism which is malicious or technologically harmful.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to, interfere with, damage or disrupt any parts of the Site, the server on which the Site is stored, or any server, computer or database connected to the Site.
• Otherwise attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Site.