Terms of Service

1. Agreement and Minimum Age

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or use qiboo.ai, because the terms of our AI provider require it. When you create an account, you tick a box confirming that you are 18 or older and that you accept these Terms. This age rule is based on your own statement.

How we handle your personal data is explained in our Privacy Policy. The Privacy Policy is there to inform you; it is a notice, and you are not asked to accept it as a contract.

At sign-up we also ask, as a separate and optional choice, for your explicit consent to the processing of information about your own health that you choose to type into our AI tools: to generate answers and, when you are signed in, to keep it in your chat history and in what you save until you delete it. To generate answers, this information is sent to our AI provider, Google Cloud. Information about your patients is not covered by this consent; section 5 applies to it. You can create an account without giving this consent, and you can give or withdraw it at any time in Settings. When you accept an updated version of these Terms, your existing choice stays as it is. The Privacy Policy explains this consent.

Some parts of qiboo.ai can be used without an account, such as reading pages and the Ask qiboo question box. When you use them, sections 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 11 of these Terms apply to that use, as far as applicable law allows.

2. What qiboo.ai Is

qiboo.ai is an evidence and education resource on acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine for practitioners, students and researchers. Patients and other members of the public may read the site, but the Service is designed for professionals and is not intended to advise patients.

We provide:

• research news, study summaries, evidence grades and a searchable database of published research;
• educational content;
• a research feed based on the specialties you choose and the topics of items you save;
• private bookmarks for saving items to your account;
• AI tools: the Ask qiboo question box, "Ask this study", study appraisals, "Find evidence for a condition", the TCM Diagnostic Assistant (for members), patient information notes and PDF documents;
• a practitioner directory;
• a weekly evidence digest by email, sent only if you subscribe and confirm your subscription.

Some features require an account, and some are available only on a paid plan. The pricing page shows what each plan includes.

qiboo.ai is not a medical device, a medical-records system or a healthcare provider. It does not diagnose or treat patients and does not make clinical decisions. Clinical decisions remain with the treating practitioner.

3. Your Account

You can register with an email address and password, or with "Continue with Google". Your profile is private: only you can see it. You agree to:

• give accurate information and keep it up to date;
• keep your password confidential, and tell us promptly at [email protected] if you think someone else has accessed your account;
• use your account only for yourself, without sharing it with or transferring it to anyone else;
• take responsibility for the activity under your account.

4. AI Tools and AI-Generated Content

You are interacting with AI. Answers, appraisals, patient information notes and documents produced by our AI tools are generated by an AI system using Google's Gemini models through Google Cloud Vertex AI. We label AI output in every AI tool: the question box and question page, "Find evidence for a condition", study appraisals, "Ask this study" and the TCM Diagnostic Assistant state on screen that their output is generated by AI, and every page of our PDF documents carries a notice that it was prepared with AI assistance.

AI output can be wrong. AI-generated content may be inaccurate, incomplete or out of date, and may describe or cite sources incorrectly. Check it against the original sources and your own professional knowledge before you rely on it.

Your clinical responsibility. AI output is information. It is neither medical advice nor a diagnosis or treatment plan. If you are a practitioner, you keep full responsibility for every clinical assessment and treatment decision, and for any material you give to a patient. This includes patient information notes: review and adapt each note before you give it to a patient.

What you type. Text you type into the AI tools is sent to Google Cloud (Vertex AI) to generate the answer. Before it leaves our server, email addresses, sequences of 10 to 15 digits (such as phone or ID numbers) and numbers in the US Social Security number format are removed automatically and replaced with a placeholder. This applies to Ask qiboo, "Ask this study", the TCM Diagnostic Assistant, patient information notes, report generation and your chats. Names, dates of birth and addresses cannot be detected this way, so leave them out (see section 5). The Privacy Policy explains how this works, including what Google may retain and how our answer cache works.

What is kept. If you are signed in, your AI chats and the study appraisals and documents you generate are saved to your account automatically. The TCM Diagnostic Assistant keeps nothing on our server: it shows its result for you to read or print. We keep your 100 most recent chats and 200 most recent documents; older ones are deleted automatically. Documents generated from a typed complaint are deleted after 30 days, also for members. Documents created without an account are kept for 30 days so that the PDF can be downloaded and its QR verification link works, and are then deleted automatically. You can delete any item yourself, or delete all your saved chats and documents in one step in Settings.

QR verification links. By default, the PDF documents you generate carry a QR code that opens the document's verification page on qiboo.ai, which shows the whole document. Anyone who has the QR code, the link or the printed document can open that page without signing in. When the document is deleted, by you or automatically after 30 days where that applies, the page stops working.

Your own health information. If you type information about your own health into the AI tools, we process it on the basis of the optional consent described in section 1. The tools work the same whether or not you have given that consent. So if you have not given it, or you are using the tools without an account, please leave out information about your own health. If you withdraw your consent, you can delete your saved chats and documents in one step in Settings.

Usage limits. The AI tools have monthly usage limits. They are counted per account or, if you use a tool without an account, per IP address.

5. Patient Information

You are responsible for what you type or upload. Do not enter information that identifies a patient: names, dates of birth, ID or file numbers, contact details or photos. Also avoid details that could identify a patient when combined, such as exact dates, place of residence or workplace, or a rare condition that points to one person. The automatic removal of some identifiers described in section 4 is only a safety net.

If, as a practitioner, you nevertheless enter information about your patients, you are the data controller for that information and need a lawful basis for it, for example your professional-secrecy rules or your patient's consent. We process it only on your instructions and only to produce your answer; we do not use it for any other purpose, and we do not sell it. We keep it confidential: only the owner, Dr. Kerem AL, has administrator access, and we apply appropriate security measures. We keep it only as our Privacy Policy describes: in your chat history until you delete it (at most your 100 most recent chats) and in documents generated from a typed complaint, which are deleted after 30 days; answers from Ask qiboo and "Ask this study" may also stay in our answer cache, without your question and without any link to you, for up to 90 days after their last use, and nothing else of it is stored. If a personal data breach affects this information, we will tell you without undue delay. Our sub-processors are Hetzner Online GmbH (hosting, Germany) and Google Cloud (AI processing through Vertex AI); encrypted backups of our database are also kept in Google Drive in a form Google cannot read, and deleted data leaves our backups within about 3 months. Where the GDPR applies to you, the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Module 2, controller to processor) are incorporated by reference for any transfer of this information to us in Türkiye.

When you enter information about your own health, qiboo is the controller and relies on your explicit consent (see section 1).

qiboo.ai is not a medical-records system. qiboo does not act as a HIPAA covered entity or business associate; do not enter protected health information.

6. Acceptable Use

When you use qiboo.ai:

• Do not use the Service for anything unlawful, or in a way that infringes other people's rights.
• Do not scrape, crawl or bulk-download content, and do not use bots or scripts to interact with the Service, without our written permission. Reading individual pages and sharing links to them is fine.
• Do not try to access accounts or systems without permission, or to get around security measures, bot checks or usage limits.
• Do not upload or send malware or other harmful code.
• Do not impersonate any person or organisation, and do not misrepresent your qualifications.
• Do not submit false or misleading information, for example in a directory listing application.
• Do not enter information that identifies a patient (see section 5).
• Do not republish our editorial content (summaries, evidence grades) without a licence (see section 8).

If you break these rules, we may restrict features or suspend or close your account (see section 13).

7. Practitioner Directory

The qiboo.ai practitioner directory contains two kinds of entries. (a) Public-institution entries list only the name, location and public website of teaching clinics, hospitals and professional associations; they contain no personal data of private individuals. (b) Practitioner listings: practitioners apply for a listing through the listing form. We review each application and decide whether and in what form to publish it; qiboo.ai is the publisher of the listing pages. You may apply only for yourself or for a practice you are authorised to represent. You are responsible for the accuracy and lawfulness of the information you submit, and you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to edit it and publish it in the directory for as long as the listing is online. The Practitioner Listing Agreement, which you accept when you apply, also applies to listings. How we process the personal data in listings is explained in section 15 of the Privacy Policy, which is a notice and not a contract.

A listing is not an endorsement, recommendation, ranking or certification of the listed practitioner, clinic or institution, and it is neither a referral nor a guarantee of quality, qualification or fitness for any purpose. Our review before publication does not confirm clinical competence. Being listed creates no agency, partnership, employment or professional relationship between qiboo.ai and the listed party; any arrangement you make with a practitioner is between you and that practitioner. We may decline, edit, suspend or remove any listing. You can ask us at any time to correct or remove your own listing, anyone can report an incorrect listing to us, and we will remove a listing at the verified request of the person it concerns: [email protected].

8. Intellectual Property and Third-Party Sources

Content on qiboo.ai, including editorial summaries, evidence grades, platform design, branding and software, belongs to qiboo.ai or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark and other intellectual-property laws.

Original research articles linked from qiboo.ai remain the property of their publishers and authors. Our summaries and evidence grades are original editorial work.

You may share links to individual articles. Republishing our editorial content requires a written licence; for licensing, contact [email protected].

Third-party sources. qiboo.ai indexes and links to research and news published by others. We display bibliographic facts (such as title, author, journal, year and DOI/PMID), short snippets and a prominent link to the original source. We do not aim to reproduce full abstracts or articles at scale, and we respect publishers' robots.txt and text-and-data-mining opt-outs. Source and journal names are used only to identify sources. qiboo.ai is independent of the journals, publishers, databases and news outlets it references; none of them is affiliated with, endorses or sponsors qiboo.ai. Our AI summaries and evidence appraisals are independent editorial work that restate facts in our own words. If you are a rights holder and believe content should be corrected or removed, see our Copyright & Takedown Policy.

9. Paid Plans, Payment and Paddle

Who sells the plan. Paid plans are sold by Paddle.com Market Ltd ("Paddle"), United Kingdom, which acts as our reseller and Merchant of Record. When you buy a plan, you buy it from Paddle under Paddle's Buyer Terms, and we provide the Service to you. Paddle takes your payment, issues your invoice or receipt, calculates and collects applicable VAT or sales tax, and processes refunds; Paddle is the name that appears on your card statement.

Payment data. Paddle is an independent controller of your payment, invoicing and tax data, under its own privacy notice. Your card details never reach qiboo. When you start checkout, we pass your account email address to Paddle so that the payment can be linked to your account. We keep your email address, your Paddle customer and subscription IDs, and your subscription status.

Plans and prices. At the date of this version, the paid plans are Pro monthly (US$19.99; in Türkiye ₺399), Pro yearly (US$190) and Clinic monthly (US$39). In Türkiye, prices include VAT (KDV). Paddle may show a localised price for other plans and countries; in every case, the exact amount and currency, including any applicable taxes, are shown on Paddle's checkout before you pay. Current prices are shown on the pricing page.

Free trial. The Pro monthly plan starts with a 14-day free trial. A payment method is required to start the trial, but you are not charged during it. If you do not cancel before the trial ends, the monthly price shown at checkout is charged at the end of the trial, and the subscription then renews monthly until you cancel. You can cancel during the trial free of charge with the "Manage subscription" button on your dashboard. Pro yearly and Clinic have no trial.

Renewal and cancellation. Subscriptions renew automatically for the same period until you cancel. You can cancel at any time from your dashboard ("Manage subscription", which opens Paddle's subscription portal) or by emailing [email protected]. Cancellation stops future renewals; your paid access continues until the end of the period you have already paid for. If the mandatory consumer law of your country gives you a shorter right to cancel (for example, at any time after the first term), that rule applies and we refund the part of the period you have paid for but not used.

Price changes. If we change the price of your plan, we will tell you by email at least 30 days before the new price applies to you, and you can cancel before then.

Refunds and withdrawal. Our 14-day money-back guarantee and your statutory right of withdrawal are explained in the Refund & Cancellation Policy.

Deleting your account. If you have an active paid subscription, first stop its renewal (dashboard → "Manage subscription"). Once renewal is stopped, you can delete your account straight away; your access for the rest of the paid period then ends too. If your last payment was less than 14 days ago, you can ask for a refund before deleting (see section 13).

10. Service Provided "As Is"

We work to keep qiboo.ai accurate and available, but we provide it "as is" and "as available". To the extent the law allows, we make no promise that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that its content is complete, accurate or up to date. Health-related content is also covered by our Medical Disclaimer.

If you use qiboo.ai as a consumer, this section leaves your rights under mandatory consumer law unaffected.

11. Liability

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for intent or gross negligence, for fraud, or for any other liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

Subject to the paragraph above, and to the extent the law allows:

• we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, data or goodwill;
• our total liability for all claims relating to the Service or these Terms is limited to the amount you paid for the Service in the 12 months before the claim arose.

If you use qiboo.ai as a consumer, the limits in this section apply only to the extent mandatory consumer law allows.

Clinical decisions made using information from qiboo.ai, and their outcomes, are the responsibility of the practitioner who makes them.

12. Indemnity (Professional Use)

If you use qiboo.ai in the course of your profession or business, you agree to cover the losses and reasonable costs (including reasonable legal fees) that result from third-party claims, to the extent they are caused by your breach of these Terms, by information you submit, or by your clinical use of the Service. This section does not apply to consumers.

13. Suspension, Account Deletion and Your Data

Download your data. In Settings → Your data → "Download my data (JSON)", you can get a copy of the data kept in your account, for example your profile, consents, chat history, documents, letterhead, usage counters, AI tool usage log, subscription and newsletter details. Your password hash and session tokens are excluded from the copy.

Delete your account. You can delete your account yourself in Settings → Your data → "Delete my account permanently", confirming by typing your email address. If you have a paid subscription, first stop its renewal (see section 9). Among other things, deletion removes your profile, chat history, documents, letterhead, directory listing, newsletter subscription, subscription record, consent records and usage counters; the full list is in section 3 of the Privacy Policy. Some entries in the AI tool usage log are kept, with your account ID removed, until their one-year retention period ends. Deleted data also leaves our backups when those backups expire, at the latest after about 3 months.

Suspension by us. We may suspend or close your account if you seriously or repeatedly break these Terms, if the law requires it, or to protect other users or the Service. Unless the law or safety prevents it, we will tell you why and give you a chance to respond. If we close a paid account when you have committed no breach, we will refund the unused part of your prepaid period.

After your account ends. Sections 8, 10, 11, 12 and 15 continue to apply.

14. Changes to the Service and to These Terms

We may add, change or remove features. If we materially change or remove a core feature of a paid plan to your disadvantage, we will tell you by email at least 30 days in advance; if you do not accept the change, you can cancel your subscription and ask for a refund of the unused part of your current period. If we discontinue the Service as a whole, we will tell you at least 30 days in advance and refund any amount you prepaid for the period after it ends.

We may update these Terms. For material changes, we will tell you by email and on the site at least 14 days before they take effect, and ask you to accept the new version when you next sign in. If you decide against accepting it, you can stop using the Service and delete your account; you can also cancel a paid subscription and ask for a refund of the unused part of your current period. Changes apply only from their effective date, never retroactively. Continuing to use qiboo.ai never counts as consent to anything that requires your consent under data-protection law.

15. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the law of the Republic of Türkiye. If you are a consumer, this choice does not deprive you of the protection of the mandatory consumer-protection rules of the country where you habitually reside, and you can bring proceedings in the courts of that country.

Consumers in Türkiye can apply to the Consumer Arbitration Committee (Tüketici Hakem Heyeti) for disputes within its monetary limits, and to the Consumer Courts above those limits.

Before starting proceedings, please contact us at [email protected]; we will try to resolve the issue in good faith. For disputes with users who are not consumers, the courts and enforcement offices of İzmir, Türkiye, have jurisdiction, as far as the law allows.

16. Language Versions

These Terms are published in English and Turkish, and both texts are authoritative. Until a human-checked translation into another language is published, the English text is the authoritative text for users of every other language. Translations of earlier versions into other languages are no longer in force. If the English and Turkish texts differ, the meaning more favourable to you applies.

17. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at: