Terms of Service
Last updated: draft. Effective on publication of the reviewed version.
1. What notaros does
notaros provides proof-of-existence notarization: you fingerprint a document with SHA-256 in your browser, and notaros anchors that fingerprint on public blockchains (Base and, for the full service, Bitcoin via OpenTimestamps). The result is cryptographic evidence that the fingerprint — and therefore the exact document — existed no later than the anchoring timestamp, and has not changed since.
2. What notaros is not
notaros is not a notary public, an attorney, or an identity-verification service, and does not provide Remote Online Notarization (RON), witnessing of signatures, or certification of a signer’s identity. It does not read, interpret, store, or attest to the contents, ownership, authenticity of authorship, or legality of any document. It attests only that a given fingerprint existed at a given time.
3. Evidentiary weight
A notaros proof is strong, independent evidence that a document existed at a point in time and has not been altered since. How that evidence is weighed is a matter of applicable law and the discretion of a court or counterparty, and varies by jurisdiction and use. notaros makes no guarantee that any proof will be accepted or given particular weight in any proceeding. For a specific legal matter, consult a qualified professional in the relevant jurisdiction.
4. Privacy and data
notaros is designed to be zero-PII. Your document is hashed locally and is never transmitted or stored; notaros receives only a 32-byte hash. There are no accounts, passwords, or stored profiles. Payment is made on-chain to a per-order address; notaros does not collect identity information as a condition of service. Public blockchain records are, by nature, permanent and world-readable — the fingerprint you anchor is public.
5. Payment, deliverables, and no stored value
Each notarization is a discrete unit, paid in full in USDC or USDT and consumed on anchoring. notaros does not hold prepaid balances on your behalf. The full-service deliverable is: anchoring on Base and Bitcoin/OpenTimestamps, a signed PDF certificate, a hosted verifier page, and a downloadable offline verifier. Developer channels (REST, MCP, A2A) deliver a machine-readable, signed receipt.
6. Refunds and service faults
Because a unit is consumed on anchoring, completed notarizations are non-refundable. If a notarization fails due to a fault on notaros’ side and cannot be completed, the affected order is refunded. notaros may temporarily halt the service to protect correctness; affected unfulfilled orders are refunded.
7. Acceptable use
You are responsible for your right to notarize a given document and for the lawfulness of your use. You must not use notaros to further unlawful activity. Because notaros cannot see your document, this responsibility rests entirely with you.
8. Availability and independence
notaros aims for high availability but does not warrant uninterrupted service. Critically, verification does not depend on notaros: every proof can be verified against public blockchain records with third-party tools, so the continued validity of an issued proof does not require notaros to remain in operation.
9. Warranties and liability
The service is provided “as is,” without warranties beyond those that cannot be excluded by law. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, notaros’ aggregate liability arising from a notarization is limited to the amount you paid for that notarization. notaros is not liable for how any third party or tribunal treats a proof.
10. Changes
These terms may be updated; the effective version is the one published here. Material changes will be reflected by an updated effective date.
11. Operating entity
The notaros service is operated by Mesa Operations LLC. References to “notaros,” “we,” “us,” and “our” in these terms mean Mesa Operations LLC in its capacity as operator of the notaros service. Contact and formal notice details will be provided with the final reviewed terms.