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Terms of Service

Effective Date: May 11, 2026

Hammer Technologies LLC (“Pinner,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates pinner.xyz (the “Service”). These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are a legal agreement between you and Hammer Technologies LLC.

Table of Contents

What You’re Agreeing To — Quick Summary

  • You agree to these Terms when you create an account or use Pinner. We use clickwrap (a checkbox at signup) to make sure you actually see and accept them.
  • You own your content. We just store it and serve it. We don’t claim ownership of anything you upload.
  • Private storage is encrypted. We can’t read it. If you lose your keys, we can’t recover them. There is no backdoor.
  • IPFS content is public. Anyone with the content address can access it. Don’t put private data on IPFS.
  • Don’t use Pinner for illegal stuff. No malware, no CSAM, no content that violates other people’s rights.
  • You’re responsible for your account. Even if someone else gets access. You also represent you’re not on a sanctions list.
  • You can cancel anytime. We’ll tell you what happens to your data when you do.
  • If something isn’t right, talk to us. We’re a small team. We’ll make it right.
  • Disputes go to North Carolina courts. No forced arbitration, no class action waivers.

1. Acceptance of Terms

In plain English: By creating an account or using Pinner, you agree to these Terms. If you don’t agree, don’t use the service.

By checking the box labeled “I agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy” during account registration, or by continuing to use the Service after we notify you of material changes, you form a binding legal agreement with us. This is clickwrap acceptance, which means you must actively agree before you can use the Service.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not create an account or use the Service. If you are using the Service on behalf of a company or organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

2. About Our Service

In plain English: Pinner provides two kinds of storage: public IPFS pinning and encrypted private storage. We can change or discontinue features, but we’ll give you notice when we can.

What We Provide

Pinner is a privacy-focused cloud storage service built on the Sia decentralized network. We offer:

  • IPFS Pinning (Public): We keep your content-addressed files available on the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). Your file gets a permanent link (a Content Identifier, or CID) that anyone can use to access it. This content is public by design.
  • S3-Compatible Private Storage (Encrypted): We provide private, encrypted storage with an S3-compatible API. Your files are encrypted before they leave your device, split into shards, and distributed across independent hosts on the Sia network. Even we can’t read your files.

Changes to the Service

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time. For material changes that negatively affect paying users, we will provide at least 30 days’ notice via email. We are not liable for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation.

Self-Hosted Deployments

Pinner’s core software is open source under the MIT license. If you deploy Pinner’s server on your own infrastructure, you are solely responsible for that infrastructure, its security, and its operation. These Terms apply to our hosted service at pinner.xyz, not to your self-hosted deployment.

3. Who Can Use Our Service

In plain English: You must be at least 13. Keep your account secure. One person per account. Don’t use Pinner for illegal purposes.

Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. If you are under 18, you must have permission from a parent or guardian. By using the Service, you represent that you meet these requirements.

Account Registration

To use certain features, you need to create an account. You must provide a valid email address and create a secure password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

Account Security

  • Use a strong, unique password.
  • Do not share your account with others. One person per account.
  • Notify us immediately at support@pinner.xyz if you suspect unauthorized access.
  • We are not responsible for losses caused by your failure to secure your account.

Prohibited Uses

You may not use the Service for any purpose that is illegal under applicable law. This includes, but is not limited to, storing or distributing content that violates the rights of others, or using the Service to support unlawful activity.

We respect intellectual property rights and comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). We have designated a DMCA agent to receive copyright infringement notices:

Takedown notices. If you believe content on our service infringes your copyright, send a written notice to our DMCA agent. Your notice must include:

  1. A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorized representative.
  2. Identification of the copyrighted work you believe is being infringed.
  3. Identification of the specific content on our service that you claim is infringing — include the content identifier (CID for IPFS pins, or the share URL for shared Sia objects) so we can locate it.
  4. Your contact information (name, address, telephone number, and email).
  5. A statement that you believe in good faith that the use of the content is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  6. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Counter-notices. If you believe your content was removed or disabled as a result of a mistake or misidentification, you may send a written counter-notice to our DMCA agent. Your counter-notice must include:

  1. Your physical or electronic signature.
  2. Identification of the content that was removed and the location where it previously appeared.
  3. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good faith belief that the content was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification.
  4. Your name, address, telephone number, and a statement consenting to the jurisdiction of the federal court in the district where you reside (or the district where Pinner’s service is located, if outside the United States), and that you will accept service of process from the person who filed the original notice or their agent.

We will restore removed content within 10–14 business days of receiving a valid counter-notice, unless the original complainant files a court action against you.

Decentralized storage notice. Pinner stores data on decentralized networks (IPFS and Sia). When we remove content in response to a takedown notice, we remove it from our infrastructure — we unpin IPFS content or revoke access to Sia objects from your account. Because of how decentralized storage works, the data may continue to exist on the broader network outside our control. We cannot guarantee that content is erased from every node or host on the network — only that it is no longer available through our service under your account.

Repeat infringer policy. We terminate the accounts of users who are subject to three or more valid DMCA takedown notices within a 12-month period. We count only notices where we actually removed content after determining the notice was valid. Frivolous or bad-faith notices do not count.

4. What You Can and Can’t Do

In plain English: Use Pinner for legitimate storage. Don’t store illegal content, attack our systems, or resell without permission. We scan public IPFS content for known illegal material. We cannot scan encrypted private storage. We act on valid reports and legal orders.

You Can

  • Use Pinner for legitimate file storage, backup, and data management.
  • Host public content via IPFS pins, including websites and static assets.
  • Use our S3-compatible API for encrypted private storage.
  • Share public IPFS links (CIDs) with others.

You Cannot

  • Store or distribute illegal content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), malware intended for distribution, or content that infringes on others’ intellectual property rights.
  • Attempt to compromise, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to the Service or its underlying infrastructure.
  • Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service without our written permission.
  • Use the Service to send spam, operate abuse infrastructure, or harass others.
  • Use the Service in any way that imposes an unreasonable load on our systems.

How We Enforce This

Public IPFS content: We scan public IPFS pins against databases of known illegal material at the point of upload. A hash match is a mathematical confirmation that content is identical to material already confirmed as illegal — it is not speculation. We unpin matching content and report it to the relevant authorities as required by law. IPFS content is public and content-addressed; unpinning removes it from our infrastructure but may not remove it from the broader IPFS network.

Private storage: Private storage content is encrypted client-side before it reaches our infrastructure. Our systems are architecturally incapable of reading or scanning encrypted private storage. This is a technical fact about how the encryption works, not a policy choice. We act on specific, credible reports and valid legal process directed at identified accounts.

Sanctions compliance: We block signups from IP addresses associated with sanctioned jurisdictions and screen crypto wallets against OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals list at payment. We do not conduct behavioral surveillance of user accounts.

Reporting Abuse

If you encounter content on Pinner that violates these Terms — including CSAM, malware, or copyrighted material — report it to abuse@pinner.xyz. Include the content identifier (CID for IPFS content, or share URL for shared Sia objects), a description of the violation, and your contact information. We review every report and take action where warranted and legally permitted.

5. Your Content

In plain English: You own your content. We need a limited license to store and serve it, but that’s all. For private storage, we store encrypted shards we can’t read. For IPFS, content is public by nature.

You Own Your Content

You retain all ownership rights to the content you upload, store, or pin using the Service (“Your Content”). We do not claim ownership of Your Content.

License to Us

You grant Pinner a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:

  • Store, reproduce, and transmit Your Content as necessary to provide the Service.
  • Distribute IPFS-pinned content via the IPFS network and serve it to requestors.
  • Process and encrypt Your Content for private storage (encryption happens on your device or via your keys).

This license terminates when you delete Your Content or close your account, except where retention is required by law or for technical reasons (such as IPFS content persisting on other network nodes).

Private Storage and Encryption

Your private storage data is encrypted before it leaves your device. We store encrypted shards across the Sia network. We cannot read, decrypt, or recover your data without your keys. If you lose access to your encryption keys or password, your private storage data is permanently inaccessible. This is the tradeoff for privacy. There is no backdoor.

⚠ We CANNOT recover your encryption keys. If you lose them, your data is gone. Back up your keys securely.

IPFS Content Is Public

IPFS content is public by design. Anyone with the CID can access it. Do not store private, sensitive, or confidential data on IPFS pins. Once pinned, your content is distributed across the IPFS network and may be accessed by anyone.

IPFS Unpinning Caveat

When you unpin IPFS content, we stop serving it from our nodes. However, the content may persist on other IPFS network nodes. This is a feature of decentralized storage, not a flaw. We cannot force other nodes to delete content.

6. Our Intellectual Property

In plain English: Pinner’s software, brand, and service are ours. Our core software is open source under the MIT license.

Our Property

Pinner’s software, trademarks, logos, service marks, trade dress, and the overall look and feel of the Service are owned by us or our licensors. You may not use our trademarks or branding without our prior written consent.

Open Source

Pinner’s core software is open source and licensed under the MIT license. Using the open source software is governed by its license, not these Terms. These Terms govern the hosted service at pinner.xyz.

Feedback

If you provide feedback, suggestions, or ideas about the Service, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use and incorporate them into the Service without obligation to you.

7. Subscription, Billing & Payments

In plain English: We charge per TB, monthly or annually. You can pay with card or crypto. Subscriptions auto-renew. We’ll email you before renewal. Cancel anytime. If something isn’t right, we’ll make it right.

Pricing

Our pricing is based on storage used, billed per terabyte (TB). Current pricing is available at pinner.xyz/pricing. You choose monthly or annual billing.

Payment Methods

  • Card payments: Processed via Stripe. Standard checkout flow applies.
  • Crypto payments: You send payment to a wallet address and provide the transaction hash. No identity verification is required for crypto payments.

Auto-Renewal

Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period. We will email you before renewal. You can cancel anytime from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.

Price Changes

We may change our pricing. If we increase prices materially, we will give you at least 30 days’ notice via email before the change takes effect. If you disagree with a price change, you can cancel before it takes effect.

Refunds

We’re a small team that stands behind our service. If something isn’t right, reach out and we’ll make it right.

Failed Payments and Payment Disputes

If a payment fails or is reversed, we’ll reach out to you first. We’ll give you a reasonable window (at least 10 business days) to make it right — update your payment method, resolve the issue, or work out an alternative. We’d rather solve the problem with you than against you.

If we can’t reach you or the issue remains unresolved after that window, we may suspend your account. Suspended accounts retain their data for 30 days. After 30 days of suspension, we may terminate the account and delete associated data.

If you initiate a chargeback or payment dispute with your financial institution before contacting us, and the original charge was valid, you agree to pay the original amount owed plus any chargeback fees we incur. Please contact us at support@pinner.xyz first — we can almost always resolve billing issues directly.

Crypto Payment Specifics

Crypto payments are final. Blockchain transactions are irreversible. There are no chargebacks. If you overpay or send the wrong amount, contact us at support@pinner.xyz and we’ll try to help.

No Cryptocurrency Obligation

You are not required to own, purchase, or handle cryptocurrency (including Siacoin) to use our service. All your payment obligations are in US dollars. If you choose to pay with crypto, Pinner handles the conversion and the Sia network side. You do not interact with cryptocurrency directly.

Relationship to the Sia Network

Pinner uses the Sia decentralized storage network to provide private storage. Here’s how the relationship works:

  • You pay Pinner for storage. Pinner pays the Sia network hosts (in Siacoin) on your behalf.
  • Your encrypted data lives on independent hosts in the Sia network. These hosts are not employees, contractors, or agents of Pinner.
  • Pinner is your service provider. Your contractual relationship is with Pinner, not with Sia network hosts.
  • If a host goes offline, your data remains available because it is redundantly stored across multiple hosts. You do not need to worry about individual host availability.

8. Service Availability

In plain English: We commit to 99.5% monthly uptime. That’s roughly 3.5 hours of allowed downtime per month. When we need scheduled maintenance, we’ll give you at least 48 hours notice. If we blow past the target, contact us.

Service Level Agreement

We target 99.5% monthly uptime for the Service. Uptime is measured as the percentage of time the Service is operational and accessible, excluding:

  • Scheduled maintenance windows (with at least 48 hours advance notice)
  • Force majeure events
  • Issues with third-party networks or providers outside our control
  • Issues caused by your configuration or connectivity

Built on Sia

Private storage is built on the Sia decentralized network. Your data is distributed across independent hosts. These hosts are not under our control. They store encrypted shards they cannot read. Hosts only get paid when they prove your data is still there, which incentivizes reliability.

Maintenance

We may perform scheduled maintenance with at least 48 hours notice when possible. Emergency maintenance may occur without notice. We will communicate service disruptions via our status page.

9. Data When You Cancel

In plain English: Export your data before you cancel. Private storage deletes are real — encrypted shards are removed from the Sia network. IPFS content may persist on other nodes. When you close your account, it’s deactivated and soft-deleted. We don’t anonymize data; we store limited information to begin with. If you need immediate, complete removal, contact support.

Export Before Cancellation

You can export your data at any time from your account dashboard. We recommend exporting before you cancel.

Private Storage

When you delete files from private storage or close your account, the encrypted shards are removed from the Sia network. Private storage deletes are real. There are no ghost copies on our end.

IPFS Content

When you unpin IPFS content or close your account, we stop serving it from our nodes. However, the content may persist on other IPFS network nodes. We cannot control or guarantee deletion from the broader IPFS network.

Account Data After Cancellation

When you close your account, it is deactivated and your data is soft-deleted from active use. Soft-deleted records remain in our system. We store limited account information to begin with — primarily your email address and billing records. We do not currently have an anonymization pipeline. If you require immediate, complete removal of your records, contact support@pinner.xyz and we will work with you.

10. Termination

In plain English: You can cancel anytime. We can suspend or terminate accounts for Terms violations, usually with notice. If we terminate without cause, we’ll refund your unused paid period.

By You

You can cancel your account at any time from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You remain responsible for any charges incurred before cancellation.

By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms, with notice unless there are urgent safety or legal reasons that require immediate action. If we terminate your account without cause, we will refund any unused paid period on a pro-rata basis.

Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ends immediately. We may delete Your Content in accordance with Section 9. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including but not limited to Sections 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 17) will survive.

11. Your Responsibility

In plain English: You’re responsible for what happens on your account, even if someone else compromises it. You represent that you’re not on a sanctions list and you’re not in a sanctioned country.

Account Security Is Your Job

You are responsible for all actions performed through your account, whether done by you or by someone else who gains access to it. If your account security is compromised, you are responsible for any violations of these Terms that result, including abuse and any associated fees or costs.

Pinner does not harden or configure security on your self-hosted deployments beyond the defaults. If you deploy Pinner’s server on your own infrastructure, you are responsible for its security.

Sanctions Representation

You represent and warrant that you are not:

  • A person or entity named on any sanctions list administered by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), including the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List).
  • Located in, ordinarily resident in, or organized under the laws of any country or territory subject to comprehensive US sanctions.
  • Acting on behalf of, at the direction of, or for the benefit of any person or entity described above.

If any of the above becomes applicable to you at any time during your use of the Service, you must immediately stop using it.

Our compliance measures: We block signups from IP addresses in sanctioned jurisdictions using GeoIP data. Card payments are screened by our payment processor (Stripe). Crypto wallet addresses are screened against OFAC’s SDN list at the point of payment. These are the compliance measures our infrastructure supports; we do not maintain additional user verification systems.

Third-Party Actions

You are responsible for the actions of anyone you allow to use your account or access your content. If a third party uses your account to violate these Terms, your account may be suspended or terminated.

Notification of Unauthorized Access

If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at support@pinner.xyz. We will work with you to secure the account, but you remain responsible for any damage or violations that occurred before you notified us.

12. Disclaimers

In plain English: The Service is provided “as is.” We don’t make warranties about merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement, except for our SLA commitments in Section 8, to the extent the law allows us to say so.

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. PINNER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT:

  • THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS.
  • THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE.
  • THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM USING THE SERVICE WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE.
  • ANY ERRORS IN THE SERVICE WILL BE CORRECTED.

EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN OUR SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT (SECTION 8).

NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED FROM PINNER OR THROUGH THE SERVICE, WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN.

Specific Risks You Accept

By using the Service, you acknowledge that:

  • Lost passwords and keys. If you lose your encryption keys or password, we cannot recover your private storage data. This is not a service failure — it is the design of zero-knowledge encryption.
  • Software issues. Errors in client software, corrupted files, or unsafe cryptographic libraries are your responsibility. We provide the storage service, not the client software you use to encrypt and upload.
  • Third-party hosting. Private storage data lives on independent Sia network hosts that Pinner does not control. A host going offline does not constitute a service failure — data redundancy is built into the network.
  • Security problems. If someone gains unauthorized access to your account or your local device, that is not our failure. You are responsible for your own security.
  • Third-party payment processors. Issues with Stripe or blockchain transactions (delays, declined transactions, payment processor outages) are outside our control.
  • IPFS network behavior. Content pinned to IPFS may be copied by other nodes. Unpinning from Pinner does not guarantee removal from the broader IPFS network.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

13. Limitation of Liability

In plain English: To the extent the law allows, our total liability is capped at what you paid us in the 12 months before the claim. This does not apply to gross negligence, intentional harm, or where prohibited by law.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PINNER’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO PINNER IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

THIS LIMITATION APPLIES WHETHER THE CLAIM IS BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF PINNER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

THIS LIMITATION DOES NOT EXCLUDE OR LIMIT PINNER’S LIABILITY FOR:

  • GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT.
  • FRAUD OR FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION.
  • DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY NEGLIGENCE.
  • ANY OTHER LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

No Forced Arbitration, No Class Action Waiver: We do not require arbitration. We do not waive class action rights. Disputes will be resolved in court as described in Section 14.

14. Dispute Resolution

In plain English: If you have a problem, email us first. We’ll try to work it out. If we can’t, disputes go to courts in North Carolina.

Informal Resolution First

Before filing a legal claim, contact us at legal@pinner.xyz and give us a reasonable opportunity (at least 30 days) to resolve the dispute informally. Most issues can be resolved this way.

Litigation

If informal resolution fails, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in North Carolina, USA. You consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue of these courts.

We do not require arbitration. We do not waive class action rights. You retain all rights available to you under applicable law.

15. Governing Law

In plain English: North Carolina law applies.

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them will be governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, USA, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

16. Modification of Terms

In plain English: We may update these Terms. Material changes get 30 days’ notice. Keep using the Service after that, and you accept the new Terms. Cancel if you disagree.

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you at least 30 days before they take effect by emailing the address associated with your account. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must cancel your account before the changes take effect.

Non-material changes (such as clarifications or administrative updates) may take effect immediately upon posting.

17. Severability

In plain English: If a court says part of these Terms is unenforceable, the rest still applies.

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

18. Entire Agreement

In plain English: These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between us. They replace any prior agreements.

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Pinner regarding the Service. They supersede all prior agreements, understandings, and communications, whether written or oral.

19. Contact

In plain English: Questions? Reach out.

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at:

Last updated: May 11, 2026