Terms of Service

Last updated 2026-10-26.

1. What ThePaper is

ThePaper is a publishing network connecting independent contributors (journalists, writers, researchers, and creators) with publishers and readers. Contributors create and publish accounts and content directly; publishers discover contributors and post assignments. By creating an account, you agree to these Terms.

2. Accounts

You’re responsible for the accuracy of the information on your account and for anything that happens under it. You must be legally able to enter into this agreement to sign up. One account per person or organization.

3. Content you publish

You retain ownership of everything you publish. By publishing on ThePaper, you grant ThePaper a license to host, display, and distribute it as part of the platform. If you’re a contributor, additional terms specific to what you publish are in the Contributor Agreement, accepted separately, at signup and again each time you submit a story or changes to one.

4. Review and moderation

Stories are reviewed before they go live, and so are changes to a published story, whose current version stays live until the changes are approved. An automated check looks for unsourced factual claims, policy violations, and spam or quality signals, and an editor reviews anything it doesn’t clear. Review is not fact-checking: it doesn’t verify that what a story says is true, and approval doesn’t mean ThePaper endorses it. We may decline, hold, or remove a story that breaks these Terms. A contributor with a pattern of flagged stories may have their account suspended pending review; see the Contributor Agreement for specifics.

5. Prohibited content and conduct

No content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, or that infringes someone else’s rights. No impersonation, no spam, no attempting to circumvent the platform’s moderation or account systems. How we handle copyright complaints, and how to report content that copies your work, is in the Copyright Infringement Policy.

6. Termination

You can stop using ThePaper at any time. We can suspend or terminate an account that violates these Terms, including through the automated review process described above.

7. Disclaimers and liability

ThePaper is provided as-is. Contributors, not ThePaper, are responsible for the accuracy and legality of what they publish, including stories ThePaper has reviewed and approved; see the Contributor Agreement. ThePaper’s liability under these Terms is limited to the extent permitted by law.

8. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. Material changes will be reflected in the “last updated” date above.

9. Privacy

How we collect, use, and store information about you, including your account, profile, and messages, is covered separately in the Privacy Policy, which is part of these Terms.

10. Rewards

Contributor rewards, such as the Founding 100 reward, have their own terms in the Reward Terms, which are part of these Terms.

11. Contact

Questions about these Terms: contact@thepaper.in.