Terms of Use - Maldives Independent

Effective Date: 31 January 2025
Last Updated: 25/10/2025

Welcome to The Maldives Independent (“we,” “our,” or “us”). These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of our website, maldivesindependent.com (the “Site”), and all related services, including podcasts, newsletters, mobile apps, and social media channels (collectively, the “Services”).

By accessing or using our Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use our Services.

1. Access and Use of Services

a. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to use our Services. By accessing or using the Services, you represent that you meet this age requirement.

b. User Accounts

You may need to create an account to access certain features of our Site, such as commenting, personalised recommendations, or membership benefits. When creating an account:

Provide accurate, complete, and up-to-date information.

Maintain the confidentiality of your login credentials and do not share them with others.

Notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.

You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account.

You may register directly on our Site or via third-party authentication services (such as Google or Facebook). If you register through a third-party provider, you authorise us to access certain information from that service, such as your name and email address, in accordance with their privacy settings.

We reserve the right to suspend, limit, or terminate any account that violates these Terms or remains inactive for an extended period

2. Membership and Subscriptions

We may offer membership or subscription options that provide access to exclusive content and features.

By subscribing:

You agree to pay the membership fees as outlined during the sign-up process.

Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled prior to the renewal date.

You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings.

We will notify you in advance of any material changes to your membership or renewal terms via the email associated with your account.

Creating a user account may be required to access and manage your membership.

3. User Content and Conduct

a. User-Generated Content

You may submit content — including comments, reviews, or other materials — through our Site or associated platforms. Your username or display name may appear publicly alongside your submissions.

By submitting content:

You agree to abide by our commenting guidelines.

You grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute your content in connection with our Services.

You represent that your content does not infringe on any third-party rights or violate any laws.

You acknowledge that your content may be publicly visible and may not be completely removable once published.

We may remove or moderate content that violates these Terms or is deemed inappropriate.

b. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

Use the Services for any unlawful purpose.

Post or share content that is defamatory, obscene, or harassing.

Impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation.

Create multiple or fake accounts for deceptive purposes.

Share, sell, or transfer your account access to another person.

Attempt to gain unauthorised access to another user’s account or our systems.

Disrupt or interfere with the operation of the Site or Services.

We reserve the right to remove content, restrict functionality, or suspend accounts at our discretion.

4. Intellectual Property

a. Ownership

All content provided on the Site — including articles, videos, podcasts, graphics, and logos (“Maldives Independent Content”) — is owned by or licensed to us and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

b. Permitted Use

You may access and use Maldives Independent Content for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not:

Reproduce, modify, or distribute any Maldives Independent Content without our prior written permission.

Use our content for data scraping, machine learning, AI model training, or similar automated analysis.

5. Third-Party Links and Services

Our Site may include links to third-party websites or integrate with third-party platforms (such as YouTube or social media services). These third-party sites are not under our control, and we are not responsible for their content or practices. Please review their respective terms and privacy policies before engaging with them.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

We provide our Services “as is” and “as available.” To the fullest extent permitted by law:

We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

We do not guarantee that the Services will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.

You use our Services at your own risk.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for:

Indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of our Services.

Any loss of data, revenue, or profits.

Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid (if any) for accessing our Services during the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

8. Changes to the Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with the updated “Effective Date.”If material changes affect registered users, we may also notify you via email or through your account dashboard.

Your continued use of the Services after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

9. Account Termination or Suspension

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting us at editorial@maldivesindependent.com. Deleting your account will remove your personal data and access to any member-only content, subject to our data retention obligations as outlined in our Privacy Policy.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account, without prior notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent or abusive activity, or used the Services in a manner that could harm us, other users, or the public.

Certain provisions — including intellectual property, limitation of liability, and governing law — will continue to apply even after account termination.

10. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Maldives. Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or the Services shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Maldives.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about these Terms, please contact us:

Email: editorial@maldivesindependent.com