The Legal Innovation & Technology Lab's Spot API@ Suffolk Law School - Spot Version: 2022-05-21 (Build 10)
Terms of Service
Last updated: 2022-06-01
These terms explain what counts as acceptable use for the collection of pages and services found at spot.suffolklitlab.org ("Spot").
Spot is operated by the Legal Innovation & Technology Lab at Suffolk University Law School ("us","we","our", the "University"). Those services described in the API Documentation are known as the Spot API or simply, The API.
Conditions of Use & Alterations
By using Spot, you are agreeing to abide by the most up-to-date version of these terms. These terms and conditions are subject to change without notice, from time to time in our sole discretion. We will notify you of amendments to these terms and conditions by posting them at https://spot.suffolklitlab.org/terms/.
Privacy & Data Use
All Spot Users. Spot does not use third-party cookies for tracking (e.g., Google Analytics).
Account Holders. We make use of cookies for the purpose of providing access to your account. You are solely responsible for keeping your user credentials confidential (e.g., email, password, and bearer token). Any interactions you make while logged in (excluding the content of texts sent to The API where save-text is set to 0) may be recorded to improve Spot. See API Documentation.
Spot API Users. If you send text to The API for issue spotting, whether or not it is saved depends on whether or not the save-text variable is set to 1 or 0. If it is 0, we will not save the text to our database. If save-text is 1, we will save the text of your query and the results of our issue spotting. In both cases, we will produce a unique ID corresponding to your query. This will be associated with the time of your query and the account under which The API was called.
For saved texts, we may also collect information to help determine if our spotting was correct and to better understand our users and their questions. See e.g., the opinions and actions methods.
All information sent to our servers and sent back to you is encrypted with standard HTTPS SSL encryption to protect it from other users on your network or in between your computer and Spot.
For all text queries, we programmatically remove a number of well-formatted identifying information, like phone and social security numbers, before we look for labels. Consequently, such content is not saved to our database even if save-text is set to 1.
By setting save-text set to 1, you grant us permission to use the contents of the associated text query as training in perpetuity. That is, we may use such texts to train mathematical models such as issue spotters. These models, NOT the contents of your text queries, may be shared with third-parties subject to current or subsequent versions of the Spot Click-Trust. Training may involve human review and labeling of text queries. Any such review would be made under the Lab’s supervision. We may pair text queries with information about user interactions to improve our models (e.g., did a user make use of the resources we suggested), but only when we are given permission to do so by the setting of save-text to 1.
The Lab will not sell or share the contents of text queries with external parties. We may, however, share aggregate data on things like usage (e.g., over the past year, Spot has received X texts related to Housing issues).
License and Access
We grant you a limited license to access and make use of Spot subject to the constraints of the Spot Click-Trust. That is, access to Spot is reserved only for trustees of a Spot Click-Trust.
Termination
We reserve the right to terminate service at any time.
Warranties.
Spot is provided "as is" and without any representation or warranties whatsoever, whether express or implied, including but not limited to any warranty as to fitness for a particular purpose, or merchantability. You hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless University, its trustees, officers, directors, employees, and agents from any and all harm, loss, liability, claims or damages (including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses incurred in the defense thereof) which may arise from your use of Spot pursuant this Agreement, in whatever form or manner.
Indemnification and Limitation of Liability.
(a) You hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless the University, its trustees, officers, directors, employees, and agents from any and all harm, loss, liability, claims or damages (including reasonable attorney's fees and expenses incurred in the defense thereof) which may arise from the University's use of data containing confidential and/or personally identifying information provided to the University by the you in connection with Spot. (b) In no event shall the University have any liability to you for any indirect, special or consequential damages whatsoever however caused and under any theory of liability (including contract, tort or negligence) arising out of, resulting from or in any way related to this Agreement whether or not University has been advised of the possibility of such damage.
Choice of Law
The Parties hereto agree that: (a) the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall govern this agreement; (b) any questions arising hereunder shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with, and governed by, the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and (c) this agreement has been negotiated and executed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is enforceable in a Massachusetts court.
