LEGAL·TERMS OF SERVICE

What You're Agreeing To,
Without the Legalese.

EFFECTIVE: APRIL 27, 2026·UPDATED: APRIL 27, 2026GDPR COMPLIANTCCPA / CPRA COMPLIANTDPA READY

These Terms of Service govern your access to and use of the Zaruda Technology Solutions website, our proprietary AI products, and any services we provide. We've written this in plain English — with GDPR and CCPA compliance built in — because agreements should be understood, not just signed.

[01]

Plain English Summary

This summary gives you the key points. Read the full terms below for complete legal detail.

—These Terms govern your use of zaruda.com, our AI products (Site Chat, Call Agent, Support Agent, DB-DaaS), and any services Zaruda provides.

—We do not train AI models on your data. Your data is used solely to deliver the service you subscribed to.

—You own your data. We process it on your behalf. You can export and delete it.

—EU/UK business clients: Zaruda acts as your data processor. A GDPR-compliant Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is available on request.

—California clients: Zaruda acts as a "service provider" under CCPA/CPRA. We do not sell or share your personal information.

—Disputes are resolved by arbitration in Washington State under JAMS rules.

—Effective date: April 27, 2026

[02]

1. Who These Terms Apply To

These Terms of Service ("Terms") apply to:

—Individual visitors to the zaruda.com website

—Business clients who engage Zaruda for consulting, staffing, staff augmentation, or managed services

—Product subscribers who use DB-DaaS, Call Agent, Site Chat, Support Agent, or any other Zaruda proprietary software

—Candidates in the Zaruda staffing and talent network

By using our website or any Zaruda product, you confirm that you have read and agree to these Terms. If you are agreeing on behalf of a business, you represent that you have authority to bind that business.

Some categories above are covered by more specific agreements — service agreements, master services agreements (MSAs), or product subscription agreements — that operate alongside these Terms. Where there is a conflict between these Terms and a specific agreement, the specific agreement governs.

Effective date: April 27, 2026

Last updated: April 27, 2026

[03]

2. Using Our Website

What you are permitted to do on zaruda.com:

—Browse content, read articles and case studies, and learn about our services

—Submit contact forms and inquiries

—Apply for positions through our careers section

—Access any features or services we make available

What you may not do:

—Use the website in any way that violates applicable law or regulation

—Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of our systems or infrastructure

—Scrape, harvest, or extract data through automated means without our prior written permission

—Use our website to transmit spam, malware, or any harmful or deceptive content

—Impersonate Zaruda or any person or entity in connection with our services

—Use our trademarks, logos, or content without express written permission

—Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or access the underlying code of any Zaruda product

—Use automated bots or scripts to submit forms, create accounts, or generate artificial traffic

We reserve the right to terminate or restrict your access if you violate these Terms, and to report suspected illegal activity to relevant authorities.

[04]

3. Zaruda Products (Site Chat, Call Agent, Support Agent, DB-DaaS)

3.1Subscriptions and Access

Access to Zaruda's software products is provided via subscription agreements. The following applies to all product subscriptions:

Account security: You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials. Notify us immediately at security@zaruda.com if you suspect unauthorized account access. You are responsible for all activity under your account.

Authorized use: Your subscription grants a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the product for your internal business purposes, consistent with your subscription agreement and these Terms.

Prohibited use: You may not use Zaruda products to:

—Process data in violation of applicable law

—Violate any third-party intellectual property rights

—Circumvent or attempt to circumvent usage limits or access controls

—Train competing AI systems on outputs generated by our products

—Enable the development of products or services that compete with Zaruda

—Process data belonging to children under 16 (or a higher minimum age in the applicable jurisdiction) without explicit parental consent

3.2Uptime and Service Levels

We design and operate our products to be highly available and reliable. Specific uptime commitments — including SLA credits and remedies — are defined in your product subscription agreement if applicable. These general Terms do not make any uptime guarantee.

We may perform scheduled maintenance with reasonable advance notice. We will work to minimize disruption to your operations.

3.3Your Data in Our Products

When you store, process, or transmit data through Zaruda products:

Ownership: You own your data. We make no claim to any ownership interest in data you submit to our products. We are a custodian, not an owner.

Processing purpose: We process your data solely to deliver the contracted service. We do not analyze, mine, or use your identifiable business data for any purpose unrelated to providing the service to you.

Aggregate anonymized data: We may use aggregated and de-identified usage telemetry to improve our products and services. This data cannot be used to identify you or your organization.

AI model training: We do not use personal information or business data from your product usage to train or fine-tune any AI or machine learning model, whether proprietary or third-party, without your separate, explicit, written consent. This is not a default; it requires active opt-in.

Protection: We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures consistent with our Privacy Policy and any applicable Data Processing Agreement.

3.4AI Features and Limitations

Our AI products process data using large language models and related technologies. Important limitations apply:

Output accuracy: AI-generated outputs — including but not limited to summaries, recommendations, transcripts, responses, and reports — may contain errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. You are responsible for reviewing all AI outputs before relying on them for business decisions, communications with customers, or any consequential action.

No professional advice: AI outputs from Zaruda products do not constitute legal, financial, medical, or other professional advice. You should not rely on them as a substitute for qualified professional judgment.

Contextual limitations: AI models may not understand specialized industry context, proprietary terminology, or nuanced regulatory requirements unless explicitly configured to do so. We make no warranty that outputs will meet specific professional standards.

3.5Cancellation and Termination

Either party may terminate a product subscription consistent with the subscription agreement's terms.

If Zaruda terminates your subscription for cause (material breach, non-payment, or violation of these Terms):

—Access ends immediately upon notice

—You forfeit any unused prepaid subscription period

—Data deletion proceeds on the timeline in Section 3.6

If you cancel: Access continues through your paid period, then ends. Section 3.6 governs data handling.

Zaruda may also suspend (rather than terminate) access in response to suspected security incidents, imminent harm to third parties, or mandatory legal requirements, with prompt notice to you except where legally prohibited.

3.6Data Deletion Post-Termination

Upon termination or expiration of a subscription:

Export window: You have 30 days from the effective termination date to export your data. During this period, we will maintain read access for the sole purpose of data export. You will not be charged additional fees during this export window.

Deletion: After the 30-day export window, we will delete or render irreversibly anonymous all of your data from active systems within 60 days. Deletion from backup systems occurs within 90 days of the backup rotation cycle.

Confirmation: We will provide written confirmation of data deletion upon request.

Exceptions: We may retain data where we are legally required to do so (for example, where applicable law requires retention for tax, audit, or regulatory purposes). We will inform you of any such retention and the specific legal basis.

DPA clients: If your subscription is governed by a Data Processing Agreement, the data deletion provisions in that DPA take precedence.

[05]

4. AI-Specific ProvisionsAI

Zaruda does not use your data to train AI models. Our AI products do not make automated decisions that produce legal effects without human oversight.

4.1No Training on Customer Data

We explicitly commit that:

—We do not use personal information or business data submitted through our products to train, fine-tune, evaluate, or improve any AI or machine learning model.

—This prohibition applies to both Zaruda's own models and any third-party model providers integrated in our products.

—Aggregated, de-identified product telemetry (e.g., average response latency, uptime metrics) may be used for operational improvement. This data is stripped of identifiers before use.

—Any deviation from this policy requires your separate, explicit written consent and is documented in an amendment to your subscription agreement.

This is our firm policy, not a default setting subject to opt-out. We believe your data stays yours.

4.2Automated Processing and Your Rights

Our AI products (Site Chat, Call Agent, Support Agent) process data automatically to deliver the service. We are transparent about what that means for you:

No automated legal decisions: Our products do not make decisions that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects for individuals — such as credit decisions, employment decisions, or eligibility determinations — without human review and approval.

Human in the loop: Where an AI-generated output from our products influences a significant business decision (approvals, denials, communications with end-users), we require that a human reviews and takes responsibility for that output before it takes effect.

GDPR Article 22 compliance: For our EU/UK enterprise clients: if our products are used in a workflow that could constitute automated decision-making under Article 22 of the GDPR, you are responsible for identifying that use case and implementing appropriate safeguards, including the right to human review, the right to contest decisions, and the right to explanation. We will assist you in implementing these safeguards on request.

Right to explanation: If a Zaruda AI product generates an output that affects you materially and you request an explanation of the reasoning, we will provide a plain-English summary of the factors the AI considered, to the extent technically feasible given the model architecture.

4.3AI Output Accuracy and Liability

Limitation on AI output liability: We make reasonable efforts to ensure our AI products produce accurate and useful outputs. However, we do not warrant that AI outputs are accurate, complete, current, or suitable for any specific purpose.

Your responsibility: You acknowledge that AI outputs require human review before reliance. You accept responsibility for any decision made on the basis of an AI output without appropriate human verification.

Feedback loop: If you identify a systematic accuracy issue with our AI products, please report it to support@zaruda.com. We take product quality seriously and will investigate reported issues promptly.

4.4Model Updates

We may update the underlying AI models, algorithms, or processing logic in our products from time to time. We will:

—Provide at least 14 days' notice for material changes that significantly affect product outputs or behavior

—Maintain change logs documenting model version updates

—Offer a rollback period for enterprise clients experiencing material regressions

Minor updates, security patches, and performance improvements may be deployed without advance notice.

[06]

5. Data Processing and ComplianceGDPRCCPA

EU/UK clients: Zaruda acts as your data processor. A GDPR-compliant DPA is available on request at legal@zaruda.com. California clients: Zaruda is a certified service provider — we do not sell your data.

5.1Data Processing Roles

Your role and Zaruda's role depend on the context:

When you use Zaruda products as a business: You are the data controller. Zaruda is the data processor. You determine the purposes and means of processing; we process data only on your documented instructions. This is the relationship governed by Article 28 of the GDPR and equivalent service provider provisions under CCPA/CPRA.

When you visit zaruda.com or contact us directly: Zaruda is the data controller for your contact information and website usage data. Our Privacy Policy governs this relationship.

When you are a candidate in our staffing network: Zaruda is the data controller for your candidate profile, acting under legitimate interests and your consent to be considered for relevant opportunities.

Understanding your role matters: As a data controller using Zaruda's products, you are responsible for the lawfulness of the data you process through our products, including obtaining required consents from your end users and providing appropriate privacy notices.

5.2Data Processing Agreement (DPA)

Business clients subject to the GDPR, UK GDPR, or other data protection laws that require a formal data processing agreement may request Zaruda's standard DPA.

Our DPA includes:

—Subject matter, duration, nature, and purpose of processing

—Type of personal data and categories of data subjects

—Zaruda's obligations and rights as processor

—Technical and organizational security measures

—Sub-processor provisions and notification procedures

—Provisions to assist you in fulfilling data subject rights

—EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) — Module 2: Controller to Processor — pursuant to Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/914

—UK International Data Transfer Addendum (IDTA) for UK transfers

To request a DPA: Email legal@zaruda.com with your company name and jurisdiction. We will respond within 5 business days. Enterprise clients with active subscription agreements should contact their account manager.

Where a DPA conflicts with these Terms on data processing matters, the DPA governs.

5.3Sub-Processors

Zaruda engages third-party sub-processors to help deliver our products and services. We ensure all sub-processors are bound by data protection obligations consistent with our DPA.

Current approved sub-processors include:

Amazon Web Services (AWS): Cloud infrastructure, compute, storage, and hosting (United States). Data processing covered by AWS SCCs.

Amazon SES: Transactional email delivery (United States).

Stripe: Payment processing and billing (United States and EU). Stripe is PCI DSS Level 1 certified.

Cloudflare: Content delivery network, DDoS protection, DNS (Global). Cloudflare processes header and routing data only.

Sentry: Application error monitoring and debugging (United States). Error data is pseudonymized.

Analytics provider: Anonymized website and product usage analytics (varies by deployment).

We will provide at least 30 days' notice before adding a new sub-processor or making material changes to existing sub-processors. You may object to a new sub-processor within that notice period by emailing legal@zaruda.com. If we cannot accommodate your objection, you may terminate the affected service without penalty.

For the most current sub-processor list, email legal@zaruda.com.

5.4GDPR Provisions for EU and UK Clients

For clients subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or the UK GDPR:

Legal bases for processing: When acting as your data processor, we process personal data solely on your instructions and under your authority as data controller. When acting as data controller ourselves (website visitors, marketing contacts), we rely on: (a) contractual necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)); (b) legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) — to maintain site security, improve our services, and conduct professional relationship management; and (c) consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) where you have affirmatively opted in.

International transfers: Personal data you submit to Zaruda products may be processed in the United States and other countries outside the EEA/UK. All cross-border transfers are covered by EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or the UK IDTA. We do not rely on the EU-US Privacy Framework alone; SCCs apply as the primary transfer mechanism.

EU Representative: Zaruda is a US-based company. EU clients requiring identification of an EU representative under Article 27 GDPR should contact legal@zaruda.com to discuss representative arrangements for their specific processing activities.

Data subject rights support: We will assist you in responding to data subject rights requests (access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, objection) within the timeframes required under applicable law. We will not act on data subject requests directly without your instruction unless legally required to do so.

Data breach notification: We will notify you of any confirmed personal data breach affecting your data within 72 hours of our becoming aware, consistent with Article 33 GDPR.

5.5CCPA / CPRA Service Provider Provisions

For clients subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

Service provider status: Zaruda acts as a "service provider" as defined in California Civil Code § 1798.140(ag). We receive personal information from you for a business purpose: delivering contracted services.

Prohibited activities: We certify that we:

—Do not sell or share personal information received from you with any third party

—Do not retain, use, or disclose personal information for any commercial purpose other than providing the contracted services

—Do not combine personal information received from you with personal information received from other sources or collected from our own independent consumer interactions

—Do not use personal information outside the direct business relationship between Zaruda and you

Operational purposes only: Any processing of personal information beyond the contracted service delivery requires your documented instruction and must qualify as a permitted operational purpose under CCPA/CPRA.

Consumer rights assistance: We will assist you in honoring California consumers' rights — including the right to know, right to delete, right to correct, right to opt-out of sale/sharing, and right to limit use of sensitive personal information — within the timeframes prescribed by CCPA/CPRA. Consumer requests should be submitted to you as the business; you may instruct us to fulfill the technical deletion or access component.

Annual certification: We are prepared to certify our service provider status and data use restrictions in writing on request, consistent with CPRA requirements for service provider contracts.

[07]

6. Consulting and Staffing Services

Consulting engagements, staffing placements, and staff augmentation are governed by separate service agreements or master services agreements. These general Terms apply to website use, but your specific engagement is governed by the relevant SOW, MSA, or service agreement.

Confidentiality: When you share business information with us — whether about a staffing need, a project, an RFP, or your company — we treat that as confidential. We do not share client information with competitors or use it for purposes unrelated to the specific engagement.

Candidate information: Candidates in our network consent to the sharing of their professional profiles with relevant client opportunities. We do not share candidate information without their knowledge and consent. Full data handling details are in our Privacy Policy.

Work product ownership: Unless a service agreement states otherwise, work product created specifically for a client — including custom software, documentation, and deliverables — is assigned to that client upon full payment of the applicable fees. Zaruda retains ownership of pre-existing tools, methodologies, and general-purpose components ("background IP") used in delivering the engagement.

Non-solicitation: During an active engagement and for 12 months following its conclusion, clients agree not to directly solicit or hire any Zaruda employee or contractor who worked on their engagement without Zaruda's prior written consent or payment of the applicable placement fee.

[08]

7. Intellectual Property

Zaruda's intellectual property: Everything on zaruda.com — including the website design, written content, brand marks, product names (DB-DaaS, Call Agent, Site Chat, Support Agent), and the underlying code, models, and systems of our products — belongs to Zaruda or its licensors. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works from, reverse-engineer, or commercially exploit any Zaruda intellectual property without our prior written permission.

Your intellectual property: We do not claim ownership of data or content you provide to us. Client work product (post-payment), candidate profiles, and business data you share remain yours.

Feedback license: If you share feedback, suggestions, or ideas about Zaruda products or services, you grant us a royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable license to incorporate that feedback into our products. We will not compensate you specifically for feedback unless we have agreed otherwise in a signed writing.

Open source components: Our products may include open-source software. The applicable open-source licenses govern those components. Nothing in these Terms limits your rights under applicable open-source licenses.

Trademark notice: "Zaruda," the Zaruda logo, and all product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Zaruda Technology Solutions, LLC. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

[09]

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

Our website and services are provided "as is" and "as available."

We work hard to keep everything accurate, functional, and useful — but to the extent permitted by applicable law, Zaruda expressly disclaims all warranties, whether express, implied, or statutory, including:

—Warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose

—Warranties of non-infringement

—Warranties that the website or products will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from harmful components

—Warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information on our website

—Warranties that AI-generated outputs are accurate, complete, or suitable for reliance without human review

This disclaimer does not affect any statutory rights you may have that cannot be excluded under applicable law. In particular, nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability in ways that would be unlawful under consumer protection laws applicable in your jurisdiction.

[10]

9. Limitation of Liability

Liability cap: the greater of fees paid in the prior 3 months, or US $100 for non-paying users. Indirect damages excluded.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

Zaruda's total aggregate liability for all claims arising from or related to these Terms, the website, or our services will not exceed:

(a) The total fees you paid Zaruda in the 3 months immediately preceding the claim, or

(b) US $100 for claims by website visitors who are not paying customers

Excluded categories of damages: Zaruda will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, consequential, or punitive damages — including lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, business interruption, reputational harm, or the cost of procuring substitute services — even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Exceptions: The above limitations do not apply to:

—Zaruda's liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence

—Zaruda's liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation

—Any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under mandatory applicable law

—Zaruda's obligations under a Data Processing Agreement for confirmed data breaches caused by our failure to maintain required security measures

Jurisdictional note: Some jurisdictions do not permit all exclusions of implied warranties or limitations of liability. In those jurisdictions, the above limitations apply only to the extent permitted.

[11]

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Zaruda and its officers, directors, employees, contractors, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

—Your material violation of these Terms

—Your use of our website or services in violation of applicable law

—Content or data you submit to or through our products that infringes third-party rights

—Your failure to comply with applicable data protection laws in your capacity as data controller

We will promptly notify you of any claim covered by this indemnification and cooperate reasonably in the defense. You may not settle any claim that includes an admission of liability by Zaruda without our prior written consent.

[12]

11. Third-Party Links and Integrations

Links: Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We do not control those websites and are not responsible for their content, privacy practices, or terms. Links do not constitute endorsement. Use third-party sites at your own risk.

Product integrations: Our products support integrations with third-party platforms (e.g., CRM systems, calendaring tools, communication platforms). When you connect a third-party integration:

—You authorize us to access and process data from that integration to the extent necessary to deliver the feature

—The third-party's terms of service and privacy policy govern your relationship with them

—We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or security of third-party integrations

—You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to connect and process data from any third-party system through our products

We may discontinue support for a specific integration with 30 days' notice.

[13]

12. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

Governing law: These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

Informal resolution first: We would prefer to resolve any dispute without litigation. If you have a concern, email legal@zaruda.com with a description of the issue. We commit to responding within 10 business days and negotiating in good faith for at least 30 days before either party initiates formal proceedings.

Binding arbitration: If informal resolution fails:

—For disputes under US $10,000: Either party may initiate binding arbitration under JAMS Streamlined Arbitration Rules, or either party may pursue claims in small claims court with jurisdiction.

—For disputes US $10,000 and above: Binding arbitration under JAMS Comprehensive Arbitration Rules, conducted in King County, Washington.

Arbitration procedures: The arbitrator's decision is final and binding. You and Zaruda each bear your own legal fees unless the arbitrator finds a claim was frivolous.

Class action waiver: You agree that any dispute will be resolved only on an individual basis. You waive the right to participate in any class action, collective action, or representative proceeding against Zaruda. This waiver is a condition of using our services.

Exception for injunctive relief: Either party may seek emergency injunctive or equitable relief from a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm, without waiving the right to arbitrate the underlying dispute.

EU/UK clients: Nothing in this section affects your rights as a consumer under EU or UK law. Mandatory jurisdiction rules in your country of residence may override these arbitration provisions.

[14]

13. Privacy and Cookie Notice

Our Privacy Policy explains in detail how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information. It is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

Key points for reference:

—We use cookies and similar technologies on our website. You can manage cookie preferences through our cookie consent tool.

—We do not sell personal information.

—You have rights to access, correct, delete, or port your data.

—California residents have additional rights under CCPA/CPRA.

—EU/UK residents have rights under the GDPR.

For privacy questions: privacy@zaruda.com

For the full Privacy Policy, use the link in the site footer or navigate to /privacy-policy.

[15]

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time as our products evolve or applicable law changes.

How we notify you:

—For material changes (those that meaningfully affect your rights or obligations): We will provide at least 30 days' advance notice via email to the address on file and/or a prominent notice on our website.

—For non-material updates (clarifications, corrections, new sections that do not reduce your rights): We will post an updated version with a revised "Last Updated" date.

Your continued use of our website or services after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

If you do not agree with a material change, you may terminate your subscription without penalty within 30 days of receiving notice of that change. Refunds for prepaid periods will be issued on a prorated basis.

[16]

15. Miscellaneous

Entire agreement: For website use, these Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Zaruda. For product subscriptions and services, these Terms apply alongside the relevant subscription agreement, MSA, SOW, or DPA.

Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision is modified to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.

No waiver: Zaruda's failure to enforce any provision of these Terms in any instance does not waive our right to enforce it in the future.

Assignment: You may not assign, sublicense, or transfer any rights under these Terms without Zaruda's prior written consent. Zaruda may assign its rights in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of substantially all of its assets, provided we give you reasonable notice and the assignee assumes these Terms in full.

Force majeure: Neither party is liable for delays or failures in performance resulting from circumstances beyond their reasonable control, including natural disasters, government actions, telecommunications failures, or cyberattacks — provided the affected party provides prompt notice and uses reasonable efforts to mitigate.

Relationship: Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, or agency relationship between you and Zaruda.

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

[17]

16. Contact Us

For general questions about these Terms:

Zaruda Technology Solutions, LLC

11335 NE 122nd Way, Suite 105, Kirkland, WA 98034, USA

Email: legal@zaruda.com

Website: zaruda.com/contact

Response time: Within 5 business days

For data protection and privacy matters (DPA requests, GDPR inquiries, CCPA requests):

Email: privacy@zaruda.com

Response time: Within 10 business days; within 72 hours for confirmed data breaches

For security incidents or unauthorized account access:

Email: security@zaruda.com

Response: We treat security reports as urgent and will acknowledge within 24 hours

For enterprise clients with active subscription agreements, please contact your account manager directly for the fastest response.

Legal questions? legal@zaruda.com

What You're Agreeing To,Without the Legalese.