Welcome to CriticalPixel. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the CriticalPixel website, services, and applications. By accessing or using our Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use our Service.

// 1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, accessing, or using CriticalPixel, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service, our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Policy, which are incorporated herein by reference. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization.

// 2. Eligibility

To use CriticalPixel, you must:

• Be at least 13 years of age
• If between 13 and 18, have parental or guardian consent
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
• Not be prohibited from using the Service under applicable laws
• Not have been previously banned or suspended from the Service

// 3. Account Registration

<3.1/> Account Creation

To access certain features, you must create an account. You may register using:

• Email and password
• Google OAuth
• Discord OAuth

<3.2/> Account Responsibilities

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain the security of your account credentials
• Not share your account with others
• Immediately notify us of any unauthorized access
• Be responsible for all activities under your account

<3.3/> Username and Display Name

Your username and display name must not:

• Impersonate another person or entity
• Contain offensive, vulgar, or discriminatory language
• Infringe on trademarks or intellectual property
• Mislead others about your identity or affiliation

// 4. User-Generated Content

<4.1/> Types of Content

CriticalPixel allows you to submit various types of content, including:

• Game reviews and ratings
• Articles, guides, and tutorials
• Forum posts and comments
• Performance surveys and hardware benchmarks
• Profile information, avatars, and banners
• Images and media uploads

<4.2/> Content Standards

All content you submit must:

• Be your original work or properly attributed
• Not infringe on intellectual property rights
• Be accurate and not intentionally misleading
• Not contain malware, spam, or malicious code
• Comply with applicable laws and regulations

<4.3/> Content Ownership

You retain ownership of the content you create. However, by submitting content to CriticalPixel, you grant us certain licenses as described in Section 5.

// 5. Content License and Data Commercialization

<5.1/> License to CriticalPixel

By submitting content to CriticalPixel, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to:

• Use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, and display your content
• Distribute your content through the Service
• Create derivative works based on your content
• Use your content for promotional and marketing purposes
• Archive and preserve your content

<5.2/> Profile Data Commercialization

Important - Please Read Carefully:

By using CriticalPixel, you expressly agree that we may use, commercialize, and monetize aggregated, anonymized, or de-identified data derived from your profile and activity, including but not limited to:

• Gaming preferences and habits
• Review patterns and sentiment analysis
• Hardware configurations and performance data
• Platform usage statistics
• Demographic insights (in aggregate form)

This data may be used for market research, trend analysis, partnership development, advertising optimization, and other commercial purposes. Individual personal information (such as email addresses) will not be sold to third parties without your explicit consent.

<5.3/> License Duration

The license granted to CriticalPixel continues even after you delete your content or terminate your account, to the extent that:

• The content has been shared, distributed, or archived
• We need to retain it for legal or operational purposes
• It has been incorporated into aggregated or anonymized datasets

<5.4/> License to Other Users

By making your content public, you grant other users a non-exclusive license to view, share, and engage with your content through the normal features of the Service.

// 6. Prohibited Conduct

<6.1/> Harmful Content

• Post content that promotes violence, hatred, or discrimination
• Share illegal content or content that violates others' rights
• Post sexually explicit or pornographic material
• Engage in harassment, bullying, or intimidation
• Share personal information of others without consent (doxxing)

<6.2/> Deceptive Practices

• Impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation
• Post fake reviews or misleading information
• Engage in vote manipulation or artificial engagement
• Use multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions
• Manipulate rankings or trending systems

<6.3/> Technical Abuse

• Attempt to hack, exploit, or compromise the Service
• Use bots, scrapers, or automated tools without permission
• Interfere with the Service's operation or infrastructure
• Circumvent security measures or access controls
• Upload malware, viruses, or malicious code

<6.4/> Commercial Violations

• Use the Service for unauthorized commercial purposes
• Spam or send unsolicited promotional content
• Sell accounts or access to the Service
• Compete with CriticalPixel using data from the Service

// 7. Content Moderation

<7.1/> Our Rights

We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to:

• Review, monitor, and moderate content
• Remove or disable access to content that violates these Terms
• Suspend or terminate accounts for violations
• Cooperate with law enforcement when required

<7.2/> Reporting System

Users can report content that violates these Terms. Actions may include:

• Warning the user
• Removing the content
• Temporarily suspending the account
• Permanently banning the user

<7.3/> Appeals

If your content was removed or your account was suspended, you may appeal by contacting us. Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and our decision is final.

// 8. Intellectual Property

<8.1/> CriticalPixel Property

The Service, including its design, logos, trademarks, code, and content created by CriticalPixel, is protected by intellectual property laws. You may not:

• Copy, modify, or distribute our proprietary content
• Use our trademarks without permission
• Reverse engineer or decompile our software
• Remove copyright or proprietary notices

<8.2/> Third-Party Content

Game titles, artwork, logos, and other gaming-related content belong to their respective owners. CriticalPixel displays this content under fair use for review and commentary purposes or through licensed APIs.

<8.3/> DMCA / Copyright Claims

If you believe your copyrighted work has been infringed on CriticalPixel, please contact us with a detailed notice including identification of the work, location of the infringing content, and your contact information.

// 9. Third-Party Services and Links

<9.1/> Integrated Services

CriticalPixel integrates with third-party services including:

• Authentication providers (Google, Discord)
• Gaming data providers (IGDB, Steam, SteamGridDB)
• Price comparison services (Instant Gaming, Gamivo, Yuplay, Kinguin)
• Analytics and advertising services (Google Analytics, Google AdSense, Meta/Facebook Pixel)
• AI service providers (Z.AI, DeepSeek, TogetherAI, OpenAI, Qdrant)New

Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms and privacy policies.

<9.2/> External Links

The Service may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of third-party websites.

// 10. AI-Powered FeaturesNew

<10.1/> OverviewNew

CriticalPixel offers AI-powered features including the Sprite AI assistant, semantic game search, and personalized recommendations. These features are powered by third-party AI providers including Z.AI (Zhipu), DeepSeek, TogetherAI, and OpenAI.

AI queries are processed by external services. By using AI features, you consent to your queries being sent to these providers for processing. See our Privacy Policy for details on what data is shared with each provider.

<10.2/> User ResponsibilitiesNew

When using AI-powered features, you agree to:

• Not use AI features to generate harmful, illegal, or abusive content
• Not attempt to extract, reverse-engineer, or replicate the underlying AI models or training data
• Not automate or script interactions with AI features beyond normal use
• Not rely solely on AI recommendations for purchasing decisions — always verify prices and availability on the seller's website
• Respect rate limits and fair usage policies for AI features

<10.3/> AI Output DisclaimerNew

AI-generated content is provided for informational purposes only. You acknowledge that:

• AI responses may contain inaccuracies, outdated information, or errors
• AI output does not constitute professional, financial, or purchasing advice
• AI models have knowledge cutoffs and may not be aware of very recent game releases, updates, or price changes
• AI is configured to discuss gaming-related topics only and will decline off-topic or inappropriate requests
• CriticalPixel is not liable for any decisions made based on AI-generated recommendations

<10.4/> Data ProcessingNew

When you use AI features, the following data may be sent to third-party providers:

• Your search query or chat message
• Your browser language preference
• If logged in, your library's genre preferences (not personal account information)

AI responses may be cached for up to 30 minutes to improve performance. Conversation history is stored only for the duration of your browser session.

Some AI providers (Z.AI and DeepSeek) process data in China. By using AI features, you consent to this cross-border data transfer. See our Privacy Policy for details.

// 11. Monetization and Advertisements

<11.1/> Advertisements

CriticalPixel displays advertisements to support the Service, including ads served through Google AdSense and tracked via Google Analytics and Meta (Facebook) Pixel. We also use device fingerprinting technology (FingerprintJS) for security and abuse prevention. By using the Service, you consent to the display of advertisements and associated tracking. You may not:

• Use ad-blocking technology that interferes with our ad delivery
• Click on ads artificially to generate revenue
• Interfere with ad tracking or analytics

<11.2/> Affiliate Links

Game purchase links may contain affiliate codes. When you make a purchase through these links, CriticalPixel may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

<11.3/> User Monetization

Eligible users may participate in our monetization program, which allows:

• Display of personal sponsor banners on their profile and content
• Tracking of banner impressions and clicks
• Revenue sharing based on engagement (if applicable)

// 12. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.

We do not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
• Content will be accurate, complete, or reliable
• Any defects will be corrected
• The Service will meet your specific requirements

<12.1/> User Content Disclaimer

Reviews, ratings, and other user content reflect the opinions of individual users, not CriticalPixel. We do not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of user-submitted content.

<12.2/> Price Information

Game prices displayed on CriticalPixel are obtained from third-party sources and may not be current or accurate. Always verify prices on the seller's website before purchasing.

// 13. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

• CriticalPixel shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the past 12 months, or $100, whichever is greater
• We are not liable for losses caused by third-party services, user content, or circumstances beyond our control

// 14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CriticalPixel and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from:

• Your use of the Service
• Your content or submissions
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Your violation of applicable laws

// 15. Termination

<15.1/> By You

You may terminate your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting us. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ends immediately.

<15.2/> By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without cause, including for:

• Violation of these Terms
• Conduct harmful to other users or the Service
• Extended inactivity
• Request by law enforcement
• Discontinuation of the Service

<15.3/> Effect of Termination

Upon termination, certain provisions survive, including content licenses (Section 5), AI disclaimers (Section 10), disclaimers (Section 12), limitations of liability (Section 13), and indemnification (Section 14).

// 16. Dispute Resolution

<16.1/> Informal Resolution

Before filing a formal dispute, you agree to contact us and attempt to resolve the issue informally for at least 30 days.

<16.2/> Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction where CriticalPixel is established, without regard to conflict of law principles.

<16.3/> Jurisdiction

Any disputes that cannot be resolved informally shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in our jurisdiction.

// 17. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting updated Terms on this page
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• Sending email notifications for significant changes

Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

// 18. General Provisions

<18.1/> Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and CriticalPixel.

<18.2/> Severability

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.

<18.3/> Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision does not waive our right to enforce it later.

<18.4/> Assignment

You may not assign your rights under these Terms. We may assign our rights without restriction.

<18.5/> No Third-Party Beneficiaries

These Terms do not create rights for any third parties.

// 19. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Subject Line: Terms of Service Inquiry