Terms and Conditions

Last updated: August 19, 2026

1. Scope and Provider

The provider of hiy.ch and the HIY app is Wiedmer Group KLG, Haldenstrasse 1, 8953 Dietikon, Switzerland (Commercial Registry Office of the Canton of Zurich, UID CHE-443.695.636) — hereinafter "we" or "Wiedmer Group". These Terms and Conditions apply to any use of the hiy.ch website and, once available, to the installation and use of the HIY app on Android and iOS and to the purchase of HIY+.

2. Description of Services

HIY is a decentralized, ad-free social network: posts are exchanged primarily directly between devices (peer-to-peer), supplemented by lightweight relay servers for delivery to recipients who are not reachable online at the same time. The app is free of charge and ad-free in its basic version. An optional, paid upgrade (HIY+) unlocks additional features (currently: more comments per post, access to extended resonance reach). The exact scope of features may continue to evolve with new app versions.

We strive for reliable operation but — particularly due to the decentralized architecture, which depends on the participation of other devices — cannot guarantee any specific availability, delivery speed, or permanent reachability of individual relay servers.

3. Registration and Account

Sign-up takes place exclusively via ortino.AUTH (OAuth2 with PKCE) — HIY does not maintain its own password or a separate registration form. Use of ortino.AUTH is additionally subject to its own terms and privacy policy.

Use of HIY is permitted from the age of 13. Users under 18 require the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Truthful information must be provided at sign-up; an account is not transferable. Users are themselves responsible for the security of their own device (in particular, the private key stored on it, which is used to sign posts).

4. Rules of Use

When using HIY, you agree in particular:

• not to distribute unlawful, discriminatory, or otherwise harassing content;
• not to publicly share pornographic or sexually explicit content;
• not to distribute violence-glorifying or graphic, realistic depictions of violence outside a news-related context;
• not to post content to which you do not hold sufficient rights;
• not to misuse the reporting and moderation system (e.g., through coordinated false reports);
• not to circumvent or manipulate technical protective measures (signatures, encryption, the trust/reporting system);
• not to reverse-engineer the app, except to the extent expressly permitted by mandatory law;
• not to use bots, scripts, or automated access that is not an official part of the app.

Violations may — as described in the "Trust & Moderation" section on hiy.ch — lead to individual posts being hidden and, in the case of repeated violations, to a temporary or permanent suspension.

5. Distribution via App Store and Google Play

The HIY app is distributed exclusively through the Apple App Store and Google Play. In addition to these Terms and Conditions, the respective terms of use of Apple and Google apply to downloading, installation, and use. We have no influence over, and assume no responsibility for, the decisions, availability, or policies of these platforms.

6. HIY+ Subscription

HIY+ is an optional, recurring subscription. Purchase, billing, automatic renewal, and cancellation take place exclusively through the payment system of the respective store (Apple in-app purchase or Google Play Billing) — Wiedmer Group does not receive any payment or card data in this process. The current price is displayed in the respective store and may vary by country/store.

Cancellation and management of the subscription take place through the account settings with Apple or Google, not directly through HIY. Without cancellation before the end of the current period, the subscription automatically renews under the store terms then in effect. Refunds are governed by the refund policies of Apple or Google.

7. Intellectual Property

The HIY trademark, the "ortino.HIY" word-mark lockup, the ring mark, and the source code of the app and this website are protected by copyright and trademark law. Ortino® is a registered trademark.

Content that you create and post yourself remains your property. For the peer-to-peer mesh to function, you grant us and the other devices in the network the necessary, non-exclusive right to technically forward, temporarily store, and display your signed post in accordance with your chosen audience and resonance reach. This right ends upon expiry of the resonance reach or upon deletion of the post by you.

8. Limitation of Liability

We are liable under statutory provisions for damages arising from an intentional or grossly negligent breach of duty on our part. Beyond that, our liability is — to the extent permitted by law — excluded, in particular for: content posted by other users; the unavailability of individual relay servers or peers; data loss on your device; and decisions or outages of Apple, Google, or ortino.AUTH as third-party providers.

9. Suspension and Termination

In the event of serious or repeated violations of Section 4, we may suspend an account temporarily or permanently, as described in the reporting/strike system on hiy.ch. You may delete your account and the associated locally stored data at any time via the app. An HIY+ subscription is independent of this and must be cancelled separately through the store account settings.

10. Changes to These Terms and Conditions

We may amend these Terms and Conditions, in particular with regard to the upcoming market launch, new features, or changed requirements from Apple/Google. The current version is available at hiy.ch at all times; the date above shows the last update.

11. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

Swiss law applies, to the exclusion of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. To the extent permitted by law, the place of jurisdiction is Zurich, Switzerland.

12. Final Provisions

Should any provision of these Terms and Conditions be invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall remain unaffected.

The German version of these Terms and Conditions is the authoritative, legally binding version. Translations into other languages are provided for convenience; in the event of any discrepancy, the German text shall prevail.