1. Acceptance of Terms
These Terms and Conditions of Use (this “Agreement”) constitute a legally binding agreement between Courier Newsroom, Inc. (“Courier Newsroom,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) and any person or entity (“you” or “User”) who accesses or uses the The Cover-Up Database and any related websites, tools, or services that link to this Agreement (collectively, the “Site”). By accessing or using the Site in any manner, you represent that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Agreement and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference. If you do not agree to all of the terms set forth herein, you are not authorized to use the Site.
You represent and warrant that (a) you have the full legal right and capacity to enter into this Agreement, and (b) when you accept this Agreement (whether by clicking “I Agree,” creating an account, or otherwise using the Site), it will constitute a legal, valid, and binding obligation enforceable against you. If you are accessing or using the Site on behalf of a company, organization, institution or other legal entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to this Agreement.
2. About the The Cover-Up Database
The Cover-Up Database (the “Database” or the “Service”) is a co-branded, publicly accessible tool presented by Courier Newsroom in partnership with Thorian AI Inc. (“Thorian AI”), the data technology partner responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the Database. The Service is a journalistic and public interest project that provides users with AI assisted tools to search, navigate, and explore the dataset commonly known as “The Epstein Files” — documents published by the United States Department of Justice and available on its official website, including any updates posted from time to time by the Department (the “Files”).
The Database provides access to features including, without limitation: keyword and AI-powered search across the Files, timeline exploration tools, and, where enabled, a crowdsourcing feature that allows users to submit photographs for identification purposes (collectively, the “Tools”). Courier Newsroom serves as the journalistic partner for this project and is responsible for editorial decisions related to how the Files are reported. Thorian AI serves as the data and technology partner and is responsible for building, hosting, and maintaining the Service and all content contained thereon, including all technical decisions related to the Files and their availability.
Thorian AI has obtained, and is responsible for maintaining, all legal clearances required for the display of the Files and operation of the Service. The Service may be modified, updated, or made temporarily unavailable at any time due to maintenance obligations or compute capacity.
3. Modifications to This Agreement
Courier Newsroom reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify this Agreement at any time by posting revised terms on the Site and updating the “Last Updated” date above. Your continued use of the Site after any such modification constitutes your acceptance of the revised Agreement. It is your responsibility to review this Agreement periodically.
4. Use of the Site
4.1 Permitted Use
Subject to your compliance with this Agreement, Courier Newsroom grants you a limited, non exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Site and the Tools solely for public interest, informational, research, and/or journalistic purposes. All rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by Courier Newsroom and Thorian AI.
4.2 Prohibited Conduct
You agree not to, and you will not permit others to:
• Use the Site or the Tools for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable federal, state, local, or international law or regulation.
• Except for the Files, copy, reproduce, republishCopy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, resell, or redistribute in any way any content, information, software, or other material from the Site without prior written consent from Courier Newsroom.
• Use any robot, spider, scraper, data mining tool, or other automated device, process, or means to access, retrieve, scrape, or index the Site or any content thereon, including the Files.
• Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code, underlying algorithms, or data structures of the Tools or the Thorian AI technology powering the Service.
• Interfere with or attempt to disrupt the proper working of the Site, including by transmitting any virus, malware, or other harmful code, or by overwhelming the Service’s compute resources.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion or feature of the Site, or any other system or network connected to the Site or any other system or network controlled by or on behalf of Courier Newsroom.
• Use the Files or any outputs of the Tools as the basis for harassment, disclosure of private facts, defamation, or targeting of any individual.
• Impersonate any person or entity, or submit fraudulent, false, or misleading information through any of the Tools, including the crowdsourcing feature.
• Use the Site to send unsolicited communications or to harvest or collect contact information.
5. AI-Powered Tools and Content
5.1 Nature of AI-Generated Outputs
The Cover-Up Database uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies (“AI Technology”), including large language models and AI-assisted search, to process, organize, and surface information from the Files. AI-GENERATED OUTPUTS — INCLUDING SEARCH RESULTS, SUMMARIES, TIMELINES, AND OTHER TOOL OUTPUTS — ARE PROVIDED FOR PUBLIC INTEREST, INFORMATIONAL, RESEARCH AND/OR JOURNALISTIC PURPOSES ONLY. THEY MAY BE INCOMPLETE, IMPRECISE, OR CONTAIN ERRORS, AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS A DEFINITIVE, ACCURATE, OR COMPLETE REPRESENTATION OF THE UNDERLYING FILES OR ANY FACTS CONTAINED THEREIN.
You acknowledge that the AI Technology may produce outputs that reflect the limitations of language models, including the potential to misattribute, mischaracterize, or omit information. In addition to the disclaimers set forth in Section 11 below, Courier Newsroom and Thorian AI make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of any AI-generated output. You are solely responsible for independently verifying any information obtained through the Tools before relying on it for any purpose.
5.2 No Use of User Data for AI Training
Thorian AI has contractually agreed, and Courier Newsroom requires, that your interactions with the Service — including your queries, inputs, and usage data — will not be used to train, retrain, fine-tune, or otherwise improve any general-purpose or foundation AI model. Your data is used solely to provide and improve the Service as described in our Privacy Policy.
5.3 Content Accuracy and Updates
The Files are sourced from the U.S. Department of Justice’s official website and may be updated or modified by that agency over time. Thorian AI uses commercially reasonable efforts to keep the Service synchronized with the most current version of the Files; however, Courier Newsroom makes no guarantee that the Service reflects the most current version of the Files at any given time. The Files and all content in the Service are provided for public interest, informational, research, and/or journalistic purposes.
5.4 Service Availability
The Service is subject to ongoing maintenance obligations and compute capacity constraints. Courier Newsroom and Thorian AI will use commercially reasonable efforts to make the Service available to the public, but do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free availability. We reserve the right to suspend or discontinue the Service, or any feature thereof, at any time with or without notice.
6. Crowdsourcing Features
6.1 Photo Submissions
The Service may offer a crowdsourcing feature that allows users to submit photographs (“Submitted Photos”) for the purpose of identifying individuals appearing in the Files. By submitting a photograph, you represent and warrant that: (a) you own the photograph or have all necessary rights and permissions to submit it and grant the license described herein; (b) the photograph is authentic and has not been altered, digitally manipulated, or falsified in any material way; (c) to your knowledge, the person depicted in the photograph is the individual you are identifying; and (d) the submission does not violate any third party’s rights, including rights of privacy and publicity.
6.2 Prohibited Submissions
You agree not to submit any photograph that:
- Depicts a person who is or appears to be a minor (under 18 years of age).
- Is sexually explicit or otherwise obscene.
• Has been digitally altered, composited, or otherwise manipulated to misrepresent its subject.
• You do not have the right to submit.
• Is intended to harass, defame, or falsely identify any individual.
6.3 License and Use of Submitted Photos
By submitting a photograph, you grant Courier Newsroom and Thorian AI a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, sublicensable, perpetual license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute the Submitted Photo in connection with the Service and related research or journalistic purposes. Courier Newsroom and Thorian AI reserve the right to review, reject, or remove any Submitted Photo in their sole discretion and without prior notice.
6.4 No Guarantee of Identification Accuracy
PHOTO IDENTIFICATION THROUGH AI CROWDSOURCING IS INHERENTLY UNCERTAIN. NEITHER COURIER NEWSROOM NOR THORIAN AI REPRESENTS OR WARRANTS THAT ANY PHOTO IDENTIFICATION MADE THROUGH THE CROWDSOURCING FEATURE IS ACCURATE. IDENTIFICATIONS PROVIDED BY THE SERVICE ARE NOT CONCLUSIVE AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF ANY INDIVIDUAL.
7. User Accounts
7.1 Account Registration
Certain features of the Site may require you to register for an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information up to date. You are solely responsible for safeguarding your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to notify Courier Newsroom immediately at info@couriernewsroom.com of any unauthorized use of your account or any other security breach.
7.2 Account Termination
Courier Newsroom reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or terminate your account and access to the Site at any time and for any reason, including if we reasonably believe that you have violated this Agreement. Sections of this Agreement that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including without limitation Sections 9 (Intellectual Property), 11 (Disclaimer of Warranties), 12 (Limitation of Liability), 13 (Indemnification), and 16 (Governing Law).
8. Newsletter Subscriptions
By subscribing to any Courier Newsroom newsletter, you agree to receive periodic email communications from us related to our journalism, including coverage arising from the The Cover-Up Database project, as well as campaigns, candidates, public policy issues, and other topics we cover. You may unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions included in each newsletter or by contacting us at info@couriernewsroom.com. Text messaging opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third party for their own marketing purposes, except as described in our Privacy Policy.
9. Intellectual Property
9.1 Courier Newsroom Content
All editorial content, journalism, reporting, brand identifiers, trademarks, logos, and other materials produced or owned by Courier Newsroom in connection with the Site (“Courier Content”) remain the sole and exclusive property of Courier Newsroom and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from Courier Content without Courier Newsroom’s prior written permission.
9.2 Thorian AI Technology
The Cover-Up Database is powered by technology, software, systems, tools, methodologies, and know how proprietary to Thorian AI (“Thorian AI Technology”). The Thorian AI Technology remains the intellectual property of Thorian AI. Nothing in this Agreement conveys any ownership interest in the Thorian AI Technology to you. You may not reverse engineer, copy, reproduce, or otherwise exploit the Thorian AI Technology.
9.3 The Epstein Files
The Files are sourced from documents published by the U.S. Department of Justice and are public records. Courier Newsroom and Thorian AI do not claim ownership or any exclusive rights over the underlying Files. Your use of the Files accessed through the Service must comply with applicable law and the terms of this Agreement.
9.4 User-Submitted Content
By submitting any content to the Site, including Submitted Photos, tips, comments, or other materials (“User Content”), you represent that you own or have the necessary rights to submit such content and grant the licenses described herein. You retain ownership of your User Content, but grant Courier Newsroom and Thorian AI the license described in Section 6.3 above with respect to Submitted Photos, and a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, sublicensable license to use, reproduce, display, and distribute all other User Content for purposes of operating the Site and in connection with journalistic and public interest purposes.
10. Privacy
Your use of the Site is subject to our Privacy Policy, incorporated into this Agreement by reference. The Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information about you. Thorian AI will protect user data using industry-standard security practices and, as noted in Section 5.2, will not use your data to train AI models. By using the Site, you consent to the data practices described in our Privacy Policy.
11. Disclaimer of Warranties
THE SITE, THE SERVICE, THE TOOLS, AND ALL CONTENT — INCLUDING AI GENERATED OUTPUTS, SEARCH RESULTS, PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS, AND THE FILES — ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, COURIER NEWSROOM AND THORIAN AI EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE.
NEITHER COURIER NEWSROOM NOR THORIAN AI WARRANTS THAT (A) THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL
COMPONENTS; (B) ANY AI-GENERATED OUTPUT, PHOTO IDENTIFICATION, OR SEARCH RESULT WILL BE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE OR WILL NOT HARM THE REPUTATION OF ANY PERSON OR ENTITY; OR (C) THE FILES REFLECT THE MOST CURRENT VERSION OF THE DOCUMENTS AS PUBLISHED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE AND ALL OUTPUTS THEREFROM.
12. Limitation of Liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL COURIER NEWSROOM, THORIAN AI, OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, AGENTS, CONTRACTORS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUES, GOODWILL, DATA, REPUTATION, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE) THE FILES, THE SITE, THE TOOLS, OR ANY CONTENT THEREON — INCLUDING ANY RELIANCE ON AI-GENERATED OUTPUTS OR CROWDSOURCED IDENTIFICATIONS — EVEN IF COURIER NEWSROOM OR THORIAN AI HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
COURIER NEWSROOM’S MAXIMUM AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR YOUR USE OF THE SITE WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100.00). SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
13. Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Courier Newsroom and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, and successors, and the contractors and agents of all of the foregoing, and the officers, directors, agents, and employees of all of the foregoing (collectively, “Indemnified Parties”), from and against any and all claims, demands, lawsuits, damages, losses, liabilities, settlements, judgments, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Files, the Site or the Tools; (b) your User Content or Submitted Photos; (c) your violation of this Agreement; (d) your violation of any third party’s rights, including intellectual property rights or rights of privacy and publicity; or (e) any fraudulent or misleading submission you make through the crowdsourcing feature.
You acknowledge that Thorian AI has separately agreed with Courier Newsroom to obtain all legal clearances required for the display of the Files and operation of the Service, and that Thorian AI has agreed to indemnify Courier Newsroom for claims arising from any failure to obtain such clearances. Nothing in this section limits that obligation between Thorian AI and Courier Newsroom, nor does Courier Newsroom have any liability associated with any failure of Thorian AI.
14. Third-Party Technology and Links
The Site is powered in part by Thorian AI technology. By using the Service, you acknowledge that Thorian AI has access to your interactions with the Tools as described in our Privacy Policy and as necessary to provide the Service. Thorian AI operates under data protection obligations consistent with those described in Section 10 of this Agreement.
The Site may also contain links to other third-party websites or services that are not owned or controlled by Courier Newsroom. Courier Newsroom has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites or services, including without limitation the U.S. Department of Justice or any other arm of government. Your access to and use of third-party sites is solely at your own risk.
15. Journalistic and Public Interest Purpose
The Cover-Up Database is intended as a journalistic endeavor and a public interest project. Courier Newsroom’s journalism and reporting arising from use of the Database may be cited in all of Courier Newsroom’s related editorial efforts. Courier Newsroom and Thorian AI are collaborating to develop citation standards for use of the Files and the Service such that research findings may be appropriately attributed. Nothing in this Agreement restricts Courier Newsroom’s rights to report on, publish, or editorially present findings derived from the Files or to otherwise exercise its editorial and journalistic judgment regarding the Files.
16. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
This Agreement will be interpreted according to the laws of the State of New York, without regard to that state’s conflict of laws provisions. Any dispute arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement or your use of the Site will be resolved exclusively in a state or federal court located in New York County, State of New York, which courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any such disputes. You irrevocably submit to the personal and subject matter jurisdiction of such courts and agree that you will not contest jurisdiction or venue in such courts, will not assert that any such court constitutes an inconvenient or improper forum, and will not commence any litigation or other proceeding relating hereto in any other court.
17. Force Majeure
If the performance of any obligation under this Agreement is delayed or prevented by events beyond Courier Newsroom’s or Thorian AI’s reasonable control — including acts of God, acts of government, war, terrorism, riot, fire, flood, earthquake, epidemic, pandemic, quarantine, civil commotion, breakdown or breach of communication facilities, breakdown or breach of web host or internet service provider, generalized lack of availability of raw materials, energy, or compute resources, changes in laws or regulations, threats of violence, or labor strikes — the affected party will be excused from performance for the duration of such event.
18. Miscellaneous
18.1 Severability
Each of the terms and provisions of this Agreement is to be deemed severable in whole or in part. If any term or provision of this Agreement is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining terms and provisions will not be affected thereby and will remain in full force and effect.
18.2 No Waiver
The failure of Courier Newsroom to enforce any provision of this Agreement will not be construed as a waiver of that provision or of Courier Newsroom’s right to thereafter enforce fully each and every provision of this Agreement.
18.3 Integration
This Agreement (together with the Privacy Policy incorporated by reference) constitutes the entire agreement between you and Courier Newsroom with respect to your use of the Site and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties. Section headings are for convenience only and will not be considered in construing this Agreement.
18.4 Assignment
You may not assign, subcontract, or delegate this Agreement or any of your rights or obligations hereunder without Courier Newsroom’s prior written consent. Any attempted assignment without such consent will be void and will constitute a material breach. Courier Newsroom may freely assign this Agreement without restriction, including in connection with any reorganization, asset sale, financing transaction, or change in corporate control.
18.5 No Third-Party Beneficiaries
This Agreement is for the sole and exclusive benefit of Courier Newsroom and you. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any other person or entity any legal or equitable right, benefit, or remedy under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided with respect to Thorian AI’s obligations described in Section 13.
19. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Agreement or the The Cover-Up Database, please contact Courier Newsroom by email at info@epsteincoverup.us, or by mail at:
Courier Newsroom, Inc.
101 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10013
END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS