Terms of Use

By accessing or using the MortiScope web application, registering for an account, or clicking I Agree, you agree to be bound by these terms of use. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not access or use the service.

Capacity to Contract: You represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into this binding agreement. If you are using the service on behalf of an institution, you represent that you have the authority to bind that institution to these terms. These terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and the MortiScope Developers.

Mortiscope is an academic thesis project developed by students of Laguna State Polytechnic University - Sta. Cruz Campus for research purposes. Its primary function is to assist in the identification and analysis of Chrysomya megacephala images for Post-Mortem Interval (PMI) estimation (the estimated time that has passed since death).

Important Notice:

• Not a Commercial Product: The service is provided for research, testing, and evaluation purposes only. As a student project, it is not a commercial-grade application and may be subject to interruptions, errors, or discontinuation without notice. We do not guarantee 24/7 availability.
• No Service Level Agreement (SLA): We do not guarantee uptime, data persistence, or technical support. This means that if the website goes down or data is lost, we are not obligated to restore it immediately.
• Third-Party Infrastructure: The Service runs on third-party infrastructure including AWS, Vercel, and Neon. We are not responsible for any service interruptions, data loss, or performance issues caused by these third-party providers.

What happens if the service stops working?

Since this is an academic project, there may be times when the service is unavailable due to maintenance, or the conclusion of the thesis. We are not liable for any inconvenience or data loss caused by these interruptions. We recommend that you keep your own backups of any critical data.

What happens if a third-party service fails?

We rely on external services like AWS (storage), Neon (database), and Resend (email). If one of these services experiences an outage, MortiScope may become temporarily unavailable or fail to send emails. We are not liable for these outages and cannot guarantee when the third-party provider will resolve them.

To access certain features, you must register for an account.

• Registration: You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process. This helps us maintain the integrity of our research data.
• Security: You are responsible for safeguarding your account credentials. You agree not to disclose your password to any third party. You must notify us immediately upon becoming aware of any breach of security or unauthorized use of your account.
• Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years old and a verified student, researcher, forensic professional, or authorized law enforcement officer to use this service. By registering, you confirm that you meet these requirements.

Can I share my account?

No. Sharing your account credentials with others is strictly prohibited. Each user must have their own account. This ensures the integrity of our research data and security logs.

What happens if I lose my password?

If you lose your password, you can use the Forgot Password feature on the login page. We will send a secure reset link to your verified email address via our email service provider (Resend). It is your responsibility to keep your email account secure to prevent unauthorized password resets.

You agree not to use the service for any unlawful or prohibited purpose. Specifically, you agree NOT to:

1. Upload Illegal Content: Upload, post, or transmit any content that contains Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), explicit violence unrelated to forensic science, or any other illegal material. We strictly report CSAM to the authorities.
2. Violate Privacy or Protocol: Upload images or data that you do not have the legal right or official authority to possess or share such as confidential crime scene photos without authorization. You must ensure you have the necessary permissions and have followed all departmental protocols regarding the sharing of evidence for analysis.
3. Harm the System: Attempt to interfere with, compromise the system integrity or security, or decipher any transmissions to or from the servers running the service.
4. Reverse Engineer: Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the service's software. This means you agree not to try to take apart our code to see how it works or to build a copy of our system.
5. Misuse Results: Present the AI-generated results as absolute fact or certified expert opinion in any legal proceeding. The results are for preliminary analysis only.

What happens if I violate these terms?

If we determine that you have violated these terms, particularly regarding the upload of illegal content or attempted security breaches, we reserve the right to immediately suspend or terminate your account without prior notice. In cases involving illegal content (such as CSAM), we are legally obligated to report the incident and your user data to the appropriate authorities.

• User Content: You retain all rights and ownership of the images and data you upload. By uploading user content, you represent and warrant that you have the official authority to share such data for analysis. You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, store, and process such content solely for the purpose of providing the service and validating our research.
• Service Content: The MortiScope application, including its software, design, and AI models, is the property of the Developers and the University. You may not copy, modify, or distribute any part of the Service without our prior written consent.

Who owns the AI analysis results?

While you own the images you upload, the AI models, algorithms, and the generated analysis reports are the intellectual property of the developers and the holder of this web application. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive license to use these reports for your personal research or academic purposes.

1. No Professional Advice: The service is NOT a substitute for the professional judgment of a certified forensic entomologist, pathologist, or law enforcement officer. It is intended to be a supportive tool, not a replacement for human expertise.
2. Verification Required: All results, including species identification and PMI estimates, must be independently verified by a qualified human expert. Do not rely solely on the AI's output for critical decisions.
3. No Chain of Custody: The service is not designed to maintain a legal chain of custody (the chronological documentation or paper trail that records the sequence of custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of physical or electronic evidence). Uploading evidence to this cloud-based system may affect its admissibility in court depending on your jurisdiction's laws. We recommend using this tool only for copies of evidence, not unique original files.
4. Investigative Aid Only: This tool is designed as a preliminary screening tool to generate investigative leads. It is not a substitute for a certified laboratory report and should not be presented as primary evidence in legal proceedings without independent expert verification.
5. Processing Delays: Image analysis is performed asynchronously via background processing. We do not guarantee immediate results, as processing times may vary depending on server load.

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

1. "AS IS" Basis: The service is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
2. No Liability for Damages: In no event shall the developers, the university, or its faculty advisors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of profits, or legal consequences arising from the use of incorrect analysis results.
3. Total Liability: Our 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 us, if any, for using the service (which is zero).

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the developers, the university, and its affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) resulting from:

1. Your Violation: Your violation of these Terms of Use or any other policy.
2. Your Misuse: Your use or misuse of the service, including any data or results obtained from it.
3. Your Content: Any user content you upload, including claims that it violates the privacy or intellectual property rights of a third party.
4. Legal Actions: Any investigation or action taken by law enforcement authorities regarding your use of the service.

These terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Dispute Resolution Process

1. Amicable Settlement: In the event of any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these terms, the parties agree to first attempt to resolve the dispute amicably through good-faith negotiations for a period of at least thirty (30) days.
2. Venue: If the dispute cannot be resolved amicably, it shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in the Philippines. You waive any objection to this venue based on inconvenient forum.

Severability

If any provision of these terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable. If it cannot be modified, it shall be severed (removed) from these terms. The remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these terms will not be considered a waiver of those rights. A waiver of any default or breach of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of any subsequent default or breach. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by an authorized representative of the Mortiscope Developers.

We reserve the right to modify or replace these terms at any time.

• Notification: If a revision is material, we will try to provide at least 30 days' notice via email or a prominent notice on our dashboard prior to any new terms taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be determined at our sole discretion.
• Continued Use: By continuing to access or use our service after those revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised terms. If you do not agree to the new terms, you are no longer authorized to use the service.

If you have questions about these terms, or if you need to send us a legal notice, please contact us at: