Terms of Use

Article Write

From Aurapedia, The Finance Encyclopedia

Summary

This is a simplified overview of the Terms of Use. To review the full terms, please scroll down or click here.

Important Note

This summary is not a substitute for the actual Terms of Use and is not a legal document. It’s simply designed to help you better understand the key points. Think of it as a user-friendly guide to the more detailed legal terms.

What Aurapedia Aims to Do

As part of our mission, we strive to:

Empower and engage people across Thailand and the world to gather, develop, and share educational content freely.
Publish content under a free license or release it to the public domain.
Distribute knowledge globally — always free of charge.
Provide the digital infrastructure and platforms (like Aurapedia) to help you contribute and access information.

What You’re Free to Do

Read and Print articles and other content for free.
Share and Reuse Aurapedia content under open, free-use licenses.
Contribute and Edit Aurapedia entries and Projects as a registered or anonymous user.

But Under These Conditions

Responsibility — You’re responsible for what you contribute (Aurapedia only hosts your content, it doesn’t endorse it).
Civility — You must help maintain a respectful and safe space for all.
Legal Compliance — No posting of copyrighted material without permission, no illegal content, and no actions that violate laws that align with human rights principles.
Do No Harm — Don’t damage or interfere with our infrastructure or software; follow any related technical policies.
Policy Agreement — You agree to follow:
- Aurapedia’s full Terms of Use,
- the Universal Code of Conduct,
- and any relevant community rules and policies.

What You Should Understand

Free Licensing of Contributions — Your contributions are generally required to be made under an open license unless they are in the public domain.
Not Professional Advice — The information on Aurapedia is for educational and general knowledge purposes only — it’s not a substitute for professional advice.

Need Help or Want to Report an Issue?

In-platform Support — Use the “Help” link located in the sidebar of most pages.
Email Support — Reach out to experienced volunteers at:
info@aurapedia.org
Contact the Aurapedia Foundation — Visit our Contact page for details.
New Contributor? — Start with our Newcomer Guide to learn how to contribute responsibly.

Our Terms of Use

"Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That’s our commitment."

– Our Vision Statement

Welcome to Aurapedia! The Aurapedia Foundation (“we”, “us”, or “the Foundation”) is a charitable, non-profit organization headquartered in Phuket, Thailand. Our mission is to empower and engage people across Thailand and around the world to collect and develop content under a free license or in the public domain — and to make that content accessible, educational, and freely available to everyone, everywhere.

To support this mission, we provide the essential infrastructure and organizational framework for the development and maintenance of multilingual content platforms (referred to herein as “Projects”), all of which fall under the Aurapedia umbrella. These Projects serve as a collective knowledge base and are always available online at no cost.

We welcome you (“you” or “the user”) whether you’re a reader, contributor, or community participant. Before getting involved, please take the time to read and agree to the following Terms of Use.

Overview

These Terms of Use outline the services offered by the Aurapedia Foundation, your relationship to us, and the mutual responsibilities that apply. Aurapedia is home to a wide range of informational and educational content, all of which is contributed and curated by people like you. We generally do not intervene in the editorial process — with rare exceptions, such as legal compliance or serious harm prevention. The responsibility for managing content lies with the community of users.

The community — our network of users — is the engine behind the Projects. They contribute content, develop guidelines, and enforce community standards. Each Project edition (including different language or subject-area portals) has its own contributor base and governance, but all are aligned with our core mission and shared policies, including the

Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC).

You are welcome to join Aurapedia as a contributor, editor, or author. However, when participating, you must follow the policies of each individual Project, as well as the global Terms outlined here. While our largest initiative is Aurapedia Main, we host a number of subject-specific Projects — each with its own community and workflow.

As part of our commitment to open knowledge, all contributions made to Aurapedia Projects must be released under a free license or placed in the public domain.

Legal Responsibility

You are legally responsible for all of your contributions, edits, and reuse of Aurapedia content, both under Thai law and any other applicable jurisdiction (including where you or the subjects of your edits reside). This is why it's essential that you post, modify, and reuse content carefully.

To protect both yourself and others, we have established a set of rules and expectations. Most are designed to ensure safety, privacy, legality, and ethical content sharing. Please remember that all Aurapedia content is informational only. If you require professional advice — medical, legal, financial, etc. — you should consult a qualified expert.

We also include important disclaimers and legal notes throughout these Terms, so we encourage you to read them thoroughly.

Note: Any third-party groups (e.g., local educational institutions or community knowledge groups) who may support our mission are legally independent and not responsible for the operations of Aurapedia or its Projects unless explicitly stated by the Foundation.

1. Our Services

The Aurapedia Foundation is dedicated to nurturing the growth and global dissemination of freely available multilingual knowledge. We maintain and operate digital infrastructure to support wiki-based and collaborative content creation across many Projects. Aurapedia hosts one of the most expansive collections of collaboratively edited Projects in Southeast Asia. However, we act solely as a hosting platform — not a content creator or editorial authority.

Our services include:

The Aurapedia Project Websites we host
The technical infrastructure supporting these Projects
Any developer and contributor tools, including APIs and mobile applications

Important Clarifications

We do not take an editorial role: Nearly all content is created and managed by users. We do not routinely monitor, edit, or approve content unless there are specific legal or safety concerns. Views expressed in user-contributed content are not endorsed by Aurapedia.
You are responsible for your own actions: You are legally accountable for your edits, contributions, and use of Aurapedia’s content or technical tools. Laws in Thailand and other relevant jurisdictions may apply to your activity. While we stand behind free expression and open access, we cannot shield users from international legal consequences related to local laws in their home countries or elsewhere.

Policy

Privacy Policy

We encourage you to review our Privacy Policy to understand how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

3. Content We Host

You may encounter material that you find objectionable or incorrect: Because Aurapedia hosts a broad range of content that is produced or compiled by other users, some material may be offensive, misleading, erroneous, mislabeled, or otherwise objectionable. We ask that you use good judgment when interacting with the content.

The content on Aurapedia is for general informational purposes only: Although the Projects hosted by Aurapedia include content on professional topics such as medical, legal, or financial matters, this content is meant solely for general informational purposes. It should never be taken as professional advice. For specific concerns, please seek the guidance of an appropriate expert who is licensed or qualified in the relevant field.

4. Refraining from Certain Activities

The Projects hosted by the Aurapedia Foundation thrive because of a vibrant community of users who collaborate to write, edit, and curate content. We welcome your participation in this community and encourage respectful and constructive interactions. Please adhere to the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC), which establishes guidelines for civil and collaborative engagement across all Projects hosted by us.

Certain activities, whether legal or illegal under the applicable law, may harm other users and violate our rules, potentially subjecting you to liability. Therefore, for your protection and for the safety of other users, the following activities are prohibited on, or using, our Projects:

Harassing and Abusing Others

Engaging in threats, stalking, spamming, vandalism, or harassment as outlined in the UCoC.
Transmitting chain mail, junk mail, or spam to other users.
Posting or modifying content with the intent to harm others seriously, such as inducing self-harm or triggering epilepsy.

Violating the Privacy of Others

Infringing on privacy rights as per the applicable laws (including those of Thailand or the jurisdiction where you live or edit).
Soliciting personally identifiable information for harassment, exploitation, or unauthorized commercial purposes.
Soliciting personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18, or below the legal age of majority where you reside, for illegal purposes or violating any laws concerning minors’ safety.

Engaging in False Statements, Impersonation, or Fraud

Intentionally posting defamatory or libelous content under applicable laws.
Posting or modifying content with the intent to deceive or mislead others.
Attempting to impersonate another user or individual, or misrepresenting your affiliation with any entity or individual.
Engaging in fraudulent activities.

Committing Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights

Infringing on copyrights, trademarks, patents, or other proprietary rights under applicable law.

Misusing Our Services for Other Illegal Purposes

Posting child pornography or any content that violates laws regarding child sexual abuse material.
Posting or trafficking obscene material prohibited by law.
Using the services in ways inconsistent with applicable laws.

Engaging in Disruptive and Illegal Misuse of Facilities

Posting or distributing viruses, malware, Trojan horses, or malicious code that could harm our infrastructure or other users' systems.
Engaging in automated actions that disrupt Project services, violate policies, or burden our systems excessively.
Accessing, tampering with, or using any non-public areas of our systems without authorization.
Testing the vulnerability of any technical systems unless it meets the following conditions:
- No disruption or abuse of our technical systems occurs.
- The action is not for personal gain.
- Vulnerabilities are reported to developers or fixed responsibly.
- Actions are not malicious or destructive in intent.

Shortcut: PAID Contributions Without Disclosure

If you receive, or expect to receive, compensation for your contributions, you must disclose any employer, client, or other beneficiary associated with your contributions. You can make this disclosure in one of the following ways:

On your user page.
In the talk page accompanying any paid contributions.
In the edit summary accompanying any paid contributions.

Additionally, if you advertise editing services publicly for compensation, you must disclose all Aurapedia accounts you have used or will use for these services.

Note: Aurapedia may have additional policies regarding paid contributions and conflicts of interest. Violations of these policies, such as removing paid editing disclosures or engaging in undisclosed paid edits, will be subject to enforcement actions.

Marketing Company Mediations

Undisclosed paid editing imposes a burden on volunteer editors who investigate and enforce community policies. Therefore, in case of violations regarding undisclosed paid editing, you agree to submit to binding "Med-Arb" (Marketing Company Mediation) as outlined in Section 14 of these Terms of Use.

Security

5. Password Security

You are responsible for safeguarding your password and any other security credentials. Please do not disclose them to any third party to maintain the security of your account and personal information.

6. Trademarks

While you have significant freedom to reuse content on the Aurapedia platform, it is important to respect the trademark rights of Aurapedia to protect our users from fraudulent impersonators. All trademarks associated with Aurapedia are owned by Aurapedia Foundation. Any use of our trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, or domain names must comply with these Terms of Use and our Trademark Policy.

7. Licensing of Content

To promote the free distribution of knowledge and culture, all users contributing to Aurapedia are required to grant the public broad permissions to redistribute and reuse their contributions freely, provided proper attribution is made, and the same freedom to reuse and redistribute is granted to derivative works. To align with our goal of providing free knowledge to the widest possible audience, we require all submitted content to be licensed for free reuse by anyone who may access it.

You agree to the following licensing requirements:

Text to Which You Hold the Copyright

When you submit text that you hold the copyright to, you agree to license it under the following:

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0)
GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) (unversioned, without invariant sections, front-cover texts, or back-cover texts)

Reusers may comply with either of the licenses, or both. If a particular project edition or feature requires a different license, you agree to license your text accordingly. These licenses allow commercial use of your contributions, provided that such uses comply with the terms of the respective licenses.

When you contribute to Aurapedia, you waive any Sui Generis Database Rights you may hold under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, meaning that facts you contribute may be reused freely without attribution.

Attribution

Attribution is an essential part of these licenses. By contributing, you agree to be attributed in one of the following manners:

A hyperlink (where possible) or URL to the article to which you contributed (since each article has a history page listing all contributors).
A hyperlink (where possible) or URL to an alternative, stable online copy that provides credit to the authors in a manner equivalent to the credit on the Aurapedia website.
A list of all authors (note: very small or irrelevant contributions may be excluded from the list).

Importing Text

If you import text from another source or co-authored material, you must ensure that the text is available under terms compatible with CC BY-SA or, if applicable, another required license for the project. You may not import content available solely under GFDL.

If the imported content requires attribution, you must provide credit in the edit summary, which is recorded in the page history, or another reasonable manner as determined by the Aurapedia community.

Non-Text Media

Non-text media contributed to Aurapedia may be licensed under various licenses supporting unrestricted reuse and redistribution. When contributing non-text media, you agree to comply with the relevant licensing requirements as outlined in our Licensing Policy and any specific policies for the project feature you are contributing to.

Please refer to the Aurapedia Commons Licensing Policy for more information on contributing non-text media.

No Revocation of License

Once you have granted a license under these Terms of Use, you agree not to revoke or seek to invalidate it, even if you cease using our services.

Public Domain Content

Public domain content is welcomed on Aurapedia, but you must confirm its public domain status according to the applicable laws of your jurisdiction, including the United States and any other relevant countries. When you contribute public domain content, you agree to properly label it and warrant that it is indeed in the public domain.

Re-use

Reusing content hosted on Aurapedia is permitted, subject to the underlying license(s). Reuse must comply with any applicable fair use or similar exemptions under copyright law.

When reusing or redistributing text developed by the Aurapedia community, you agree to provide attribution in one of the following ways:

A hyperlink (where possible) or URL to the page or pages being reused.
A hyperlink (where possible) or URL to an alternative, stable online copy that conforms with the license.
A list of all authors, though minor or irrelevant contributions may be excluded.

For content imported from external sources, you may need to comply with the relevant CC BY-SA license and not GFDL. You agree to comply with all attribution requirements and not alter the license in a way that is inconsistent with the CC BY-SA license.

Modifications or Additions to Material You Reuse

When modifying or adding to text obtained from Aurapedia, you agree to license your modifications or additions under CC BY-SA 4.0 (or another applicable license). Similarly, for non-text media, you agree to license modifications in accordance with the license under which the work was made available. For all content, when you distribute or reuse any modified or added content, you agree to clearly indicate the changes made and include a licensing notice that states the applicable license, along with a hyperlink or URL to the text of the license.

Compliance

8. Copyright and Content Removal (Thailand Compliance)

Aurapedia is committed to ensuring that all content on our platform respects intellectual property rights and may be reused without fear of liability. As a Thai-based foundation, we adhere to Thai copyright law, and will act upon valid notifications regarding alleged copyright infringement.

If you believe your copyrighted material has been used on Aurapedia without proper authorization, you may notify us by email at legal@aurapedia.org. Your notice should include sufficient details, including evidence of ownership and the specific content in question. You may also choose to notify the Aurapedia community directly by posting on relevant project discussion pages, which often results in faster resolution.

We recognize that not all takedown requests are made in good faith. If you believe a request was improperly filed, you may file a counter-notification. For more guidance, you may wish to consult resources such as Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) or seek local legal counsel.

9. Third-party Websites and Resources

Aurapedia may contain links to third-party websites or resources. We do not endorse and are not responsible for their availability, accuracy, content, or services. You access such third-party sites at your own risk.

10. Community and Website Management

Aurapedia is a community-led platform. Policy development and enforcement are primarily driven by volunteers. We rarely intervene in community decisions unless required by Thai law or when community moderation mechanisms are insufficient to resolve a significant issue.

You may notify us of illegal or policy-violating content via legal@aurapedia.org, but we encourage using community channels where possible. Help pages and tools are available for most project editions, or you may email info@aurapedia.org. These are monitored by trusted community volunteers, not the Foundation’s legal team.

In rare or urgent cases—such as disruption, illegal activity, or serious threats—we reserve the right to:

Investigate your activity in accordance with Thai laws or community policies
Restrict, revert, or block access to content or accounts
Take legal action, including reporting to Thai authorities
Apply moderation actions via automated systems (e.g., anti-spam or flood protection), with the possibility of human review

Repeat violators or those who have been blocked may not re-register or regain access without express permission. Actions taken by the Aurapedia Foundation will not be based solely on criticism made in good faith.

Community-led enforcement may include warnings, blocks, or bans. You agree to comply with final decisions issued by the community's resolution mechanisms, such as arbitration committees.

11. Policies and Resolutions

The Aurapedia Foundation may issue formal policies from time to time. When marked as binding, such policies must be followed by all users participating in that project edition.

12. API Terms

Aurapedia provides APIs for developers to build tools supporting free knowledge. By using our APIs, you agree to follow applicable guidelines, including the API Usage Policy and any documentation provided. Violations may lead to restriction or termination of access.

13. Termination

You may stop using Aurapedia services at any time. In rare circumstances, Aurapedia or its community may suspend or terminate services, access, or accounts due to policy violations, legal reasons, or disruptive conduct.

Even if your account is suspended, public contributions may remain accessible per Aurapedia policy. You may still view public pages, but account features may no longer be available.

We reserve the right to discontinue services, with or without notice. Termination does not waive the remaining enforceable provisions of these Terms, including Sections 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9–16, and 18.

14. Disputes and Jurisdiction

We hope to resolve any issues collaboratively through community dispute resolution mechanisms. However, if a legal dispute arises, you agree that it shall be governed exclusively by the laws of the Kingdom of Thailand, and any claim must be filed in Phuket Provincial Court or another competent Thai court. You must bring any legal claim within the statutory limit under Thai law or within one (1) year of discovering the underlying facts, whichever comes first.

If you were involved in undeclared paid contributions in violation of our platform integrity policies, you agree to participate in an internal mediation process directed by the Foundation. These mediations may take place online or in person in Phuket, Thailand, and decisions may be legally binding. Parties are responsible for splitting associated costs. The prevailing party may recover attorneys' fees.

If the mediation framework is found to be unenforceable, all disputes shall be governed by Thai law and resolved through the Thai legal system as described above.

15. Disclaimers

Aurapedia strives to provide accurate and useful educational content. However, your use of our services is at your own risk. We provide the platform “as is” and make no guarantees regarding accuracy, completeness, availability, or fitness for any specific purpose.

We are not liable for third-party content or external websites linked on Aurapedia. Any downloads or data usage are at your own risk.

Some disclaimers may not apply to you, depending on your jurisdiction under Thai law.

16. Limitation on Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by Thai law, Aurapedia Foundation shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including loss of data, profits, or reputation. Our maximum liability in any case shall not exceed ฿35,000 THB (or equivalent to $1,000 USD).

If local law does not allow such limitations, our liability shall be limited as permitted.

Modifications

17. Modifications to these Terms of Use

Just as the Aurapedia community's input is essential for the ongoing development, accuracy, and integrity of the platform, we believe your feedback is equally vital in shaping these Terms of Use. To ensure fairness and transparency, we will present any substantial revisions to these Terms for community comment at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of the review period. In cases where the revisions are significant, an additional 30-day comment window will be provided after the draft is translated into at least three languages (selected at our discretion). We also welcome and encourage the community to translate proposed revisions into additional languages where appropriate.

For modifications that are administrative, legal in nature, aimed at correcting factual inaccuracies, or directly responding to community feedback, we will provide a minimum of three (3) days’ notice before implementation.

As periodic updates may be necessary, notice of such changes and the opportunity for community input will be provided via the Aurapedia platform and other official communication channels maintained by the Auradevi Foundation. We encourage you to periodically check for the most current version of these Terms of Use.

Your continued use of Aurapedia following the expiration of the notice and comment period constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you disagree with any part of these Terms of Use, please refrain from using the platform, as your use signifies acceptance.

18. Other Terms

These Terms of Use do not establish an employment, agency, partnership, or joint venture between you and Aurapedia or its parent organization, the Auradevi Foundation. Under the laws of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or any jurisdiction with similar legal definitions, your use of this platform does not place you under the authority of the Auradevi Foundation.

Unless you have a separately signed agreement with us, these Terms represent the entire agreement between you and the Auradevi Foundation regarding your use of Aurapedia. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and a formally executed written agreement, the written agreement will take precedence.

We may deliver important notices, including updates to these Terms, via email, postal mail, or direct notification on Aurapedia or its affiliated websites.

If, at any time, we choose not to enforce a particular provision, that decision will not be considered a waiver of our right to enforce it in the future.

You understand and agree that, unless explicitly stated in writing by us, you should have no expectation of financial compensation for your participation, contributions, or ideas submitted to Aurapedia, its community, or any of its language editions.

Regardless of anything stated in these Terms, both you and Aurapedia agree not to alter the terms of any open or free license used within the platform where that license is already authorized by these Terms of Use.

These Terms were originally drafted in English (U.S.). While we strive to ensure that translations are accurate and accessible, in the event of a conflict between the original English version and any translated version, the English version will prevail.

If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that portion will be removed or modified to the extent permitted by law, and the remaining provisions will continue to be fully enforceable.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read and understand these Terms of Use. We are honored to have you as part of the Aurapedia community. Your contributions help build more than just a global reference platform—they strengthen a movement dedicated to empowering education, preserving knowledge, and fostering collaboration across cultures and generations.

Together, we are building something meaningful. Welcome aboard.