Institute for Ethical Use IEU — Terms & Conditions

1. Agreement to these terms

By accessing or using the IEU website and services, you agree to the following Terms & Conditions (“Terms”). If you use the services on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization. If you do not agree, do not use the services.

2. Who are we

The Institute for Ethical Use (“IEU,” “we,” “us”) operates ethical-use.com and the IEU three-tier AI-ethics certification program.

3. Definitions

“Level 1” — the free self-assessment; a diagnostic that does not result in a certificate.
“Level 2” — paid training that, on successful completion, leads to an individual certificate.
“Level 3” — a human-led organizational assessment that leads to a company certificate.
“Certification,” “Learner,” and “Registry” have the meanings described in these Terms.

4. Eligibility and accounts

The services are intended for businesses and professionals. You must provide accurate information, keep your credentials secure, and you are responsible for activity under your account.

In accordance with Section 13 of our Privacy Policy, our services are not intended for minors.

5. The services

IEU offers a three-tier program:

Level 1 is a free diagnostic self-assessment and does not result in a certificate.
Level 2 provides training and, on successful completion, an individual certificate.
Level 3 is a human-led organizational assessment resulting in a company certificate. Features and availability may change over time.

6. Educational nature; not professional advice

Our assessment, training, and certifications are for educational and informational purposes only. They are not legal, compliance, or other professional advice, and they do not guarantee any regulatory or legal outcome. You remain solely responsible for your own compliance and decisions.

7. Fees and payment

Paid services are billed through our payment processor and/or by invoice. Fees, applicable taxes, and any refund or cancellation terms are as described at the point of purchase.

Refunds:

Level 2 and 3 assessment fees are refundable in full if requested within three (3) days of purchase and before the assessment begins;
Once training has begun or an exam attempt has been made, all fees are non-refundable, unless required by law;

Cancelation:

To cancel your assessment, please send us an email at patrick@ethical-use.com. The assessment will be cancelled from the moment you have sent your cancellation request, provided that the request is made prior to an assessment commencement or an exam attempt.

Please note that if you are a consumer located in Quebec, you have additional rights under the Quebec Consumer Protection Act. These rights are consistent with the refund and cancellation terms listed above.

8. Certification terms

Certificates are valid for one (1) year from the date of issuance.
On expiry, a certificate’s status becomes “expired” and it is removed from the public registry.
Level 2 certificates are granted per individual. Naming the holder’s organization is optional and is selected at the point of purchase: where an organization is named, the certificate identifies both the certified individual and their organization; where it is not, the certificate identifies the certified individual only.
Level 3 eligibility requires the organization to have at least one currently-valid Level 2 certified individual.
Re-certification: a Level 2 certificate holder renews annually by being tested on the latest developments in the ethical use of AI; a different individual at the same organization completes the full training to be certified in their own right; a Level 3 certification renews by an annual audit confirming that the organization continues to meet the current standard.
We may suspend or revoke certification for misrepresentation, misuse, or breach of these Terms.
Certification indicates completion of the applicable IEU program. It is not an endorsement, warranty, or guarantee of any particular outcome.

9. Use of certification and IEU marks

You may only truthfully represent a valid certification.

You may not misrepresent your certification status, use an expired or revoked certification, or use IEU names, logos, or certificates except as expressly permitted in writing by us.

10. The public registry

The registry is provided to allow verification of certifications and lists currently-valid certifications only. Listing in the registry is a condition of certification. Please refer to Section 12 of our Privacy Policy, which outlines the information that appears in the public registry. We aim to keep it accurate but do not guarantee that it is error-free.

11. Acceptable use

You agree to not misuse the services, including giving unauthorized access, automated scraping, interference with operation, fraud, misrepresentation, or infringement of others’ rights.

12. Intellectual property

The website, the assessment, the training content, the certificates, and the IEU names and logos are solely owned by IEU or its licensors. Level 2 learners receive a limited, personal, non-transferable licence to access the training for their own use; redistribution, resale, or sharing of the content is strictly prohibited.

13. Third-party services and sub-processors

The services are delivered using third-party providers, including:

hosting and application delivery (Vercel),
database, authentication and storage (Supabase),
payment processing (Stripe),
transactional email (Amazon Web Services – Simple Email Service),
error monitoring (Sentry),
DNS/security and content delivery (Cloudflare),
cookieless web analytics,
and business email (Google Workspace).

Your use of the services involves processing by these providers as described in Sections 7 and 8 of our Privacy Policy, which contains the current sub-processor list and data-residency disclosures. Their own terms may also apply, and we are not responsible for third-party services.

14. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the services provided are “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind. We do not warrant that the services will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that any certification will produce a particular result.

15. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, IEU will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, and our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Nothing in this section limits or excludes any liability that cannot be limited nor excluded under applicable legislation, including Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act and the Civil Code of Quebec, in the event that you are a resident of Quebec.

16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold IEU not responsible for claims arising out of your misuse of the services or your breach of these Terms.

17. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access for breach of these Terms or misuse of the services. Provisions that, by their nature, should survive termination will continue to survive.

18. Changes

We may modify these Terms or the services. We will provide notice of material changes, and your continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

19. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of Ontario, Canada, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules, and you agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of its courts. If you are a resident in Quebec, you have the right to bring proceedings to the province of Quebec in accordance with Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act.

20. Contact us

For any questions or concerns on our Terms and Conditions, please contact us at info@ethical-use.com