Terms of Service

Effective Date: [TO BE SET ON PUBLICATION] Version: 0.9 (draft) Last Updated: 17 May 2026

1. Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a binding agreement between you and [LEGAL ENTITY NAME — Egyptian LLC], the operator of ABC — Alumni Benefit Community ("ABC", "we", "us", "our").

By creating an account, accessing, or using the ABC Platform at [abc-community.org] ("Platform"), you agree to these Terms, the Privacy Policy, the Acceptable Use Policy, and the Cookie Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

ABC is a community platform. These Terms are presented as a clickwrap agreement at signup. Your acceptance is timestamped and recorded for evidentiary purposes under Egyptian Law No. 15 of 2004 on Electronic Signatures and its Executive Regulations No. 361 of 2020.

2. About ABC and Independence from the American University in Cairo

ABC — Alumni Benefit Community is a private online community for verified alumni of the American University in Cairo. It is operated by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME — Egyptian LLC], an independent Egyptian limited liability company.

ABC is independent and autonomous. ABC is an Egyptian LLC technology company.

ABC is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, partnered with, operated by, owned by, or controlled by the American University in Cairo ("AUC").

ABC does not represent AUC in any way, shape, or form. ABC has no authority to act on behalf of AUC, to bind AUC, to speak for AUC, or to make any commitment in AUC's name.

ABC does not solicit funds on behalf of AUC and does not collect donations, contributions, gifts, or any other monies for the benefit of AUC. Any funds received by ABC are received solely for ABC's own purposes as an independent commercial entity.

The AUC name, logos, seal, and trademarks are the property of the American University in Cairo. ABC uses the AUC name only under nominative fair use — that is, solely to identify the alumni community ABC serves — and not to suggest any affiliation, endorsement, or sponsorship.

By accepting these Terms, you acknowledge and agree that:

You understand ABC is wholly independent of AUC.
You will not represent ABC as being part of, affiliated with, or endorsed by AUC.
You will not use ABC's services to suggest such affiliation to third parties.
Any complaint, claim, dispute, expectation, or recourse you may have arising from your use of ABC is directed at ABC alone and not at AUC. AUC has no responsibility for and no involvement in ABC's operations.

3. Eligibility

To create an account on the Platform you must:

Be a graduate or current student of the American University in Cairo, verifiable through official AUC documentation or our verification process.
Be at least 18 years of age.
Provide accurate, current, and complete information.
Be capable of forming a binding contract under the laws of your jurisdiction.
Not be barred from using the Platform under any applicable law.
Not be a person previously removed by ABC for breach of these Terms.

Your account is personal and non-transferable. You may not share your account credentials or allow another person to use your account.

4. Account Creation, Verification, and Security

4.1 Registration

To register, you must provide the information described in our Privacy Policy and complete the verification process. We may refuse, suspend, or revoke any registration at our discretion where verification fails or where these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy are breached.

4.2 Verification

You agree that we may verify your AUC alumni status using documents you provide (government ID or AUC alumni proof). Verification documents are handled as described in the Privacy Policy, including their deletion within 30 days of successful verification.

4.3 Account security

You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials and for any activity under your account. You must notify us promptly at [security@abc-community.org] if you suspect unauthorised access.

5. Your Use of the Platform

You agree to use the Platform only for lawful purposes and only in ways that do not infringe the rights of, restrict, or inhibit anyone else's use and enjoyment of the Platform. Specifically, you agree to comply with the Acceptable Use Policy, which forms part of these Terms.

6. Content You Post

6.1 Your content

"Your Content" means anything you post, upload, share, or otherwise make available on the Platform, including profile information, posts, comments, questions, answers, endorsements, marketplace listings, event listings, job postings (including proxy postings on behalf of others), and direct communications with other members.

6.2 Your warranties

By posting Your Content, you warrant that:

You own Your Content or have all necessary rights and permissions to post it.
Your Content does not infringe any third party's rights (including intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights).
Your Content complies with these Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy, and all applicable laws, including the Egyptian Penal Code, the Egyptian Cybercrime Law No. 175/2018, and the Egyptian Personal Data Protection Law No. 151/2020.
Where Your Content concerns another person (for example a proxy job posting on behalf of a family member), you have that person's authorisation to post it.

6.3 Licence to ABC

You retain ownership of Your Content. You grant ABC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable licence to host, store, reproduce, modify (for formatting), display, distribute, and otherwise use Your Content for the purposes of operating, promoting, and improving the Platform. This licence ends when you delete Your Content, except (i) where Your Content has been shared with other members and they have downloaded or copied it, (ii) for retained backups for a reasonable period, and (iii) where retention is required by law.

6.4 Removal

We may remove, edit, or restrict access to Your Content where it breaches these Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy, applicable law, or a valid court or regulator order. We aim to act on:

Unlawful content within 24 hours of notice.
Acceptable Use Policy violations within 72 hours of notice.

Removal decisions are recorded in a public moderation audit log.

7. Platform Content and Intellectual Property

The Platform, including its software, design, layout, branding, written content (other than Your Content), trademarks, and underlying technology, is owned by ABC or its licensors and is protected by Egyptian and international intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, reverse-engineer, scrape, or create derivative works of the Platform without our prior written consent, except as expressly permitted by these Terms or by applicable law.

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Platform for personal, non-commercial use in accordance with these Terms.

8. Marketplace

The Platform includes a Marketplace where members can list goods, rentals, and short-stay accommodation, and engage with other members.

8.1 ABC is an intermediary

ABC operates the Marketplace as a neutral intermediary. ABC is not a seller, buyer, landlord, tenant, broker, or party to any transaction between members. ABC does not own listed items, does not verify their condition, legality, or title, does not collect payment on behalf of sellers, and does not guarantee the performance of any member.

8.2 Member responsibilities

The listing member is the sole "supplier" for purposes of the Egyptian Consumer Protection Law No. 181 of 2018 and is solely responsible for:

Accuracy of the listing.
Compliance with all applicable laws, including consumer protection law, tax law, tourism and short-stay rental law, and import-export law where relevant.
Quality, safety, and legality of goods or services offered.
Delivery, refunds, and after-sale support.
Dispute resolution with the other member.

The buying or hiring member is responsible for due diligence before transacting.

8.3 No ABC warranty

ABC disclaims all warranties, express or implied, regarding Marketplace transactions, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, and accuracy of listings.

8.4 Disputes

Disputes arising from Marketplace transactions are between the transacting members. ABC may, but is not obliged to, assist with mediation. ABC's involvement does not make ABC a party to the underlying transaction.

9. Vetted Services Directory

The Platform includes a directory of professional services offered by AUC alumni (for example, doctors, lawyers, accountants, caregivers).

ABC verifies AUC alumni status only.

ABC does not verify, endorse, certify, or guarantee the professional competence, qualifications, current licensure, ethics, fitness, or service quality of any listed professional. Members engage listed professionals at their own risk and remain solely responsible for due diligence, including verification of current licensure with the relevant Egyptian or foreign regulatory authority (for example, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate or the Egyptian Bar Association).

ABC is not a party to any engagement between a member and a listed professional, is not a referral agency, and disclaims any agency, partnership, joint venture, or referral-fee relationship with listed professionals.

Listed professionals must self-certify their qualifications annually. ABC's verification badge means "Verified AUC alumnus — professional competence not assessed by ABC."

10. Jobs Board

The Platform allows members to post jobs they are seeking to fill.

10.1 Direct postings

The posting member warrants the accuracy of the job listing and compliance with Egyptian Labour Law No. 12 of 2003 and all applicable employment, immigration, and anti-discrimination laws.

10.2 Proxy postings

A "proxy posting" is a job listing on behalf of a third party (for example, a family member or friend's company). Proxy postings must:

Disclose the principal (the actual hiring entity) in the listing.
Disclose the posting member's relationship to the principal.
Comply with all applicable employment laws.

The posting member remains the legally responsible sponsor for proxy postings and indemnifies ABC against all claims arising from them.

10.3 No employment relationship

ABC is not an employment agency, labour broker, or recruiter under any law. ABC does not make hiring decisions and is not party to any employment relationship arising from listings on the Platform.

11. Sub-communities and Volunteer Moderators

ABC supports sub-communities led by member-volunteer moderators. Volunteer moderators are members performing community-management functions and:

Act in their personal capacity, not as agents or employees of ABC.
Have limited rights granted by ABC, which may be revoked at any time.
Are bound by these Terms and the Acceptable Use Policy.
Must not represent themselves as having authority to bind ABC.

ABC remains the final decision-maker on moderation actions and may override or reverse any volunteer moderator action.

12. Premium Tier (Future)

ABC reserves the right to introduce a paid Premium membership tier in the future. When and if Premium activates:

Premium-specific terms (including price, supplier identity, refund and cancellation rights, payment processing, and dispute resolution) will be presented at the point of purchase in accordance with Article 37 of the Egyptian Consumer Protection Law No. 181 of 2018.
These Terms will continue to apply to Premium members, supplemented by Premium-specific terms.

This Premium reservation does not authorise ABC to charge fees today.

13. Suspension and Termination

13.1 By you

You may close your account at any time at [/account/close]. Closure is subject to:

Resolution of any open Marketplace transactions you have initiated.
ABC's retention obligations described in the Privacy Policy.
Survival of certain clauses in these Terms (see Section 21).

13.2 By us

We may suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, where you:

Breach these Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy, or applicable law.
Pose a risk to other members or to ABC.
Use the Platform fraudulently or for unlawful purposes.
Have provided false information during registration or verification.

Where reasonable and lawful, we will give notice and an opportunity to remedy. For serious breaches (including illegal content, harassment, doxxing, or threats), we may suspend or terminate immediately.

13.3 Effect of termination

On termination, your access to the Platform ceases. Your data is handled according to the Privacy Policy. Sections that by their nature survive termination (intellectual property, indemnification, limitation of liability, governing law, dispute resolution) survive.

14. Disclaimers

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied.
ABC disclaims all warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, completeness, reliability, security, and uninterrupted availability.
ABC does not warrant that the Platform will meet your requirements, be error-free, or be free from harmful components.
ABC does not warrant the conduct of any member, the truthfulness of any profile or listing, or the outcome of any interaction or transaction between members.
Content posted by members reflects their views, not those of ABC.

Some jurisdictions do not allow exclusion of certain warranties. Where mandatory consumer protection law applies to your use of the Platform, this Section does not limit your statutory rights.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

ABC shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunity, arising out of or relating to your use of the Platform.
ABC's total cumulative liability to you for any and all claims relating to the Platform shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the amount you have paid to ABC in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) EGP 5,000.
These limitations apply even if ABC has been advised of the possibility of such damages, and even if a remedy fails of its essential purpose.

These limitations do not exclude liability for:

Death or personal injury caused by ABC's negligence.
Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.
Any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

Egyptian consumer protection law and mandatory provisions of the laws of your habitual residence may grant you additional rights that override this Section.

16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless ABC, its officers, employees, contractors, and agents from and against any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to:

Your use or misuse of the Platform.
Your breach of these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy.
Your Content.
Your interactions or transactions with other members, including Marketplace and Vetted Services Directory engagements and proxy job postings.
Your violation of any applicable law or third-party rights.

ABC may, at its election, assume exclusive defence and control of any matter subject to indemnification, in which case you will cooperate with ABC.

17. Cooperation with Authorities

ABC will cooperate with valid legal requests from Egyptian and foreign authorities in accordance with applicable law, including the Egyptian Cybercrime Law No. 175/2018, the Egyptian Personal Data Protection Law No. 151/2020, and the laws of jurisdictions where members reside. We maintain a register of legal requests and report on transparency where lawful.

18. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Arab Republic of Egypt, including the Egyptian Civil Code No. 131 of 1948, the Egyptian Law No. 15 of 2004 on Electronic Signatures (and its Executive Regulations No. 361 of 2020), the Egyptian Consumer Protection Law No. 181 of 2018, the Egyptian Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020, and the Egyptian Cybercrime Law No. 175 of 2018, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Mandatory consumer protection law of your habitual residence may grant you additional protections that take precedence over this governing-law clause to the extent required by that law.

19. Dispute Resolution

19.1 Informal resolution

Before initiating any formal proceedings, you agree to contact us at [disputes@abc-community.org] to seek an informal resolution. We will respond within 30 days.

19.2 Forum

Unresolved disputes shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Economic Court of Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt, except as provided in Section 19.3.

19.3 Arbitration option for commercial disputes

For commercial disputes between members arising from the Marketplace or Vetted Services Directory, ABC and either disputing party may, by mutual agreement, refer the dispute to the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA) under its rules in force at the time. The seat of arbitration is Cairo and the language of arbitration is English unless otherwise agreed.

19.4 Consumer protections

Where you are a consumer protected under the law of your habitual residence and that law gives you the right to bring proceedings in the courts of that jurisdiction, this Section does not deprive you of that right.

20. Modifications to These Terms

We may change these Terms from time to time. We classify changes as:

Material changes (changes to fees, dispute resolution, governing law, scope of licences granted by you, or your rights): we will notify you by email and an in-app banner at least 30 days before the change takes effect, and we will ask for your renewed acceptance at next login. Continued use without renewed acceptance may result in account suspension.
Non-material changes (corrections, clarifications, restructuring): we will publish the new version with the updated effective date and notify you in the in-app activity feed.

We maintain a version history at [/terms/versions].

21. General Provisions

21.1 Force majeure

ABC is not liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, civil unrest, government action, internet outages, hosting provider failures, cyberattacks, pandemics, and labour disputes.

21.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force. The invalid provision shall be replaced by a valid one that best reflects the original intent.

21.3 No waiver

Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of the right to enforce it later.

21.4 Assignment

You may not assign these Terms without ABC's prior written consent. ABC may assign these Terms to an affiliate or in connection with a reorganisation, merger, or sale of assets.

21.5 Entire agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Acceptable Use Policy, and Cookie Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and ABC regarding the Platform and supersede all prior agreements.

21.6 Notices

We may give you notices by email, in-app message, or by posting on the Platform. You may give us notices at [legal@abc-community.org] or by post to [REGISTERED ADDRESS, Cairo, Egypt].

21.7 Language

These Terms are published in English. An Arabic translation will be published for regulatory purposes. In the event of conflict, the English version governs except where Egyptian mandatory law requires otherwise.

21.8 Survival

Sections 6.3 (licence to ABC), 7 (IP), 14 (disclaimers), 15 (limitation of liability), 16 (indemnification), 17 (cooperation with authorities), 18 (governing law), 19 (dispute resolution), and this Section 21 survive termination.

22. Contact

Reason	Contact
General questions	[hello@abc-community.org]
Legal questions	[legal@abc-community.org]
Disputes	[disputes@abc-community.org]
Security incidents	[security@abc-community.org]
Privacy	[privacy@abc-community.org]
Postal	[REGISTERED ADDRESS, Cairo, Egypt]

This document is a Phase 1 draft pending review by Egyptian counsel. The final version will be published once review is complete.