Terms of Service

1. About Silent Hero

Silent Hero ("the Platform") is a web-based anonymous safety reporting tool designed for use in secondary school environments. Silent Hero provides a channel through which students may anonymously submit reports of safety concerns, bullying, harassment, threats, or other incidents to designated school staff.

Silent Hero is operated by Zain Askari ("the Operator"), based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

2. Role of Silent Hero

Silent Hero is a reporting channel only. The Platform does not:

• Investigate, assess, or act on any report submitted through the Platform
• Employ or direct school staff in their response to any report
• Make decisions regarding student discipline, safety interventions, or school policy
• Guarantee any particular outcome as a result of a submitted report

The responsibility for reviewing, assessing, and responding to any report submitted through Silent Hero rests entirely with the receiving school and its staff, in accordance with their existing policies, duty-of-care obligations, and applicable law.

Silent Hero's role is limited to the secure transmission and storage of submitted reports to designated school administrators.

3. School Responsibilities

By using Silent Hero, the participating school and its designated staff agree to:

• Review submitted reports in a timely manner
• Handle all reports in accordance with applicable school board policies and Ontario law
• Maintain the confidentiality of report contents
• Not attempt to identify the submitting student through any technical or administrative means except as permitted under these Terms
• Ensure that admin credentials are kept secure and used only by authorized personnel
• Notify Silent Hero immediately if admin credentials are compromised

4. Student Anonymity

Silent Hero is designed to protect the anonymity of reporting students. The Platform does not collect names, email addresses, or government-issued identification from students.

Student identity may be disclosed only in the following limited circumstances:

• The student voluntarily discloses their identity within a report or through the two-way messaging feature
• A student has been confirmed to have submitted two or more knowingly false reports, triggering the disclosure process outlined in the False Reporting Policy below, and has exhausted their right of appeal
• Silent Hero is required by a valid court order or applicable law to disclose identifying information

Outside of these circumstances, Silent Hero will not disclose, sell, share, or otherwise reveal any information that could identify a reporting student.

5. False Reporting Policy

Silent Hero takes false reporting seriously. Knowingly submitting false reports undermines the safety and trust of the Platform.

First Confirmed False Report

When a school administrator marks a report as a confirmed false report, the Platform automatically delivers a warning notification to the student through the app. This warning is triggered by the administrator's action — not by Silent Hero independently.

• The student has 10 business days to submit an appeal
• The appeal is submitted directly through the Platform and is routed back to the same school administrator who issued the warning — not to Silent Hero
• Silent Hero does not receive, review, or adjudicate appeals in any form
• The administrator reviews the appeal and determines the outcome in accordance with school policy

Second Confirmed False Report

If a school administrator confirms a second false report from the same student, and all appeal rights have been exhausted through the school:

• The student's identity may be disclosed to school administration
• Consequences are determined solely by the school in accordance with its own disciplinary policies
• Silent Hero plays no role in determining or enforcing consequences

At every stage of this process, Silent Hero's role is limited to routing communications between the student and the school administrator. All decisions and determinations are made by school staff.

6. Data Storage & Privacy

All data submitted through the Silent Hero Platform is stored on Canadian servers located in Montreal, Quebec (AWS ca-central-1). Silent Hero does not transfer student data outside of Canada.

Silent Hero collects only the minimum data necessary to operate the Platform, including:

• Anonymous report content submitted by students
• Timestamps of report submission
• Coarse, binary location data (on-campus / off-campus) if provided by the student
• Two-way message content between students and school staff
• School administrator account credentials

Silent Hero does not sell, rent, or share any user data with third parties for commercial purposes. Data may be shared only where required by law or as outlined in these Terms.

The Platform is designed to comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable Ontario privacy legislation.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Silent Hero and its Operator shall not be liable for:

• Any harm, loss, or damage arising from a school's failure to act on a submitted report
• Any harm, loss, or damage arising from a school's actions taken in response to a submitted report
• Any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from use of the Platform
• Any interruption, suspension, or termination of the Platform
• Any unauthorized access to Platform data resulting from a school's failure to maintain credential security

Silent Hero provides the Platform "as is" and makes no warranties, express or implied, regarding its fitness for any particular purpose.

In no event shall Silent Hero's total liability to any party exceed the total fees paid by that party to Silent Hero in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

8. Pilot Program Terms

Schools participating in the Silent Hero Founding Pilot Program agree to the following:

• The pilot period is provided at no cost for the duration agreed upon at onboarding
• Either party may terminate participation at any time with reasonable notice
• Pilot participation does not constitute a commitment to continue using the Platform following the pilot period
• Feedback provided during the pilot may be used by Silent Hero to improve the Platform

Following the pilot period, continued use of the Platform is subject to a subscription agreement and applicable fees, which will be communicated to the school prior to the end of the pilot.

9. Modifications to Terms

Silent Hero reserves the right to update these Terms of Service at any time. Schools and users will be notified of material changes. Continued use of the Platform following notification constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

10. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved in the courts of Ontario.

11. Contact

For questions regarding these Terms, please contact:

Zain Askari
Founder, Silent Hero
zain@silenthero.ca
silenthero.ca