Back to home

Terms of Service

Effective date: May 2026 · Operator: Hannes Thöne, Warburg, Germany

Short version: Be a decent person. Don't use this server for illegal activity. If we find or are notified of illegal content, we will remove it promptly and cooperate with authorities where required by law.

1. The Service

quassel.io provides a publicly accessible Matrix homeserver ("Service") operated by Hannes Thöne, Nordstraße 16, 34414 Warburg, Germany ([email protected]). The Service is built on the open-source software Synapse and is part of the federated Matrix network.

By creating an account or using this server, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or otherwise use the Service. By registering, you confirm that you meet this requirement.

3. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes. You must not use quassel.io to:

  • Share, transmit, or store content that is illegal under the laws of Germany, the European Union, or your country of residence
  • Distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or any content that sexualises minors — this is an absolute prohibition
  • Harass, threaten, or abuse other users
  • Spread malware, viruses, or other harmful code
  • Conduct phishing, fraud, or identity theft
  • Infringe on intellectual property rights or copyrights
  • Send unsolicited bulk messages (spam)
  • Incite violence, hatred, or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic
  • Circumvent, disable, or interfere with the security features of the Service
  • Use the Service in a way that disproportionately burdens server resources

4. User-Generated Content

You retain ownership of the content you create and share on this server. By using the Service, you grant the operator a limited, non-exclusive licence to store and transmit your content solely as necessary to provide the Service.

You are solely responsible for any content you post, share, or transmit. The operator does not routinely monitor user content and is not obligated to do so. However, in accordance with applicable law (including the EU Digital Services Act), the operator will act promptly upon becoming aware of illegal content.

5. Illegal Content & Liability Shield

quassel.io operates as a neutral hosting provider. In accordance with § 10 of the German Telemedia Act (TMG), the EU e-Commerce Directive (2000/31/EC), and the EU Digital Services Act (DSA, Regulation 2022/2065), the operator is not liable for user-generated content that the operator is not aware of.

Upon obtaining actual knowledge of illegal content, the operator will:

  • Remove or disable access to the content without undue delay
  • Suspend or terminate the account responsible, where appropriate
  • Report to the relevant authorities where legally required (e.g. CSAM to the relevant reporting centre)

The operator does not have a general obligation to monitor transmitted or stored information, nor to actively seek out facts or circumstances indicating illegal activity (Art. 8 DSA; § 8 TMG).

6. Reporting Illegal Content (Abuse)

As required by the EU Digital Services Act, we provide a mechanism for anyone to report illegal content or violations of these Terms. Please send reports to:

[email protected]

Please include the Matrix room or user ID, a description of the alleged violation, and any relevant context. All reports are reviewed promptly. We will acknowledge receipt and inform you of the outcome where possible.

7. Federation

Matrix is a decentralised, federated protocol. When you participate in rooms hosted on other servers, your messages and profile information are transmitted to those servers. The operator has no control over the policies or conduct of other homeserver operators. You use federated rooms at your own risk and subject to the rules of those servers.

Similarly, users from other Matrix servers may join rooms hosted on quassel.io and be subject to these Terms while doing so.

8. End-to-End Encryption

quassel.io supports end-to-end encryption (E2EE). When E2EE is enabled in a room, the operator technically cannot access message content. You are responsible for managing your own encryption keys. The operator cannot recover lost keys.

9. Service Availability and Changes

The Service is provided on a best-effort, free-of-charge basis. The operator makes no guarantees about uptime, availability, or data retention. The operator reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service at any time.

Should the Service be discontinued, the operator will give users at least four (4) weeks' advance notice via the official quassel.io announcement room and via email to users who have provided an address — except in genuine emergencies (e.g. legal compulsion, security incident, or sudden loss of infrastructure access), where shorter or no notice may be unavoidable. Please note that the Matrix protocol does not currently support migrating an existing account to another homeserver; users should plan accordingly.

Significant changes to these Terms will be announced via the same channels. Continued use of the Service after any change constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

10. Account Termination

You may delete your account at any time via your Matrix client (e.g. Element). The operator reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, without prior notice in cases of serious violations.

Upon account deletion, your messages in rooms may persist in federated copies on other homeservers — this is a technical property of the Matrix protocol that the operator cannot control.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranty of any kind, express or implied. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the operator disclaims all warranties, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the operator shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or loss of data, arising out of or related to your use of the Service. The operator's total liability for any claim arising under these Terms shall not exceed €100.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for gross negligence, wilful misconduct, or personal injury as required by German law.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding conflict-of-law rules. If you are a consumer resident in an EU member state, you additionally benefit from the mandatory consumer protection laws of your country.

The place of jurisdiction for any disputes is Warburg, Germany, to the extent permitted by law.

14. Contact

For general questions: [email protected]
For abuse reports: [email protected]