Last updated: 22 October 2026
Terms of use
These terms govern your use of the Controversy app and of controversy.so (the "service"). By creating an account or using the service, you accept them. If you do not accept them, do not use Controversy.
Who we are
The service is published by Controversy, whose legal details are in the legal notice. Contact for users and for authorities, in English or French: [email protected].
Eligibility and your account
You must be at least 16, or older if the law of your country sets a higher minimum age, and able to accept these terms. You sign in with Apple or Google and must give accurate information, including your date of birth. One account per person. You are responsible for everything done from your account and for keeping access to it secure. Your username must not impersonate anyone, mislead about who you are or infringe someone else's rights.
What the service is
Controversy presents news stories as questions on which you can vote, argue and react. The service is provided as it is and as available. We may change, suspend or stop any feature at any time, in particular to improve the service, comply with the law or ensure security.
News and summaries
Stories are summarised automatically from the outlets that covered them, and labelled as such, with links to their sources. Summaries may contain errors or omissions. They are given for general information only and are not legal, medical, financial or professional advice. The outlets' content remains theirs. Report any error from the story and we will review it.
Votes and points
Your vote is private: it appears only next to an argument or comment you choose to post. Results are shown as totals. Points, badges and rankings reflect activity on the service, have no monetary value, cannot be transferred and may be adjusted if obtained through manipulation.
Your content
You keep ownership of what you post. You confirm that you have the right to post it and that it complies with the law and these terms. You grant Controversy a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, display, adapt to formats and share your content within the service, and to show public arguments with your username in Controversy's own communications, for as long as the content stays on the service and for the time needed to delete it from backups. You can delete your content at any time.
What is not allowed
Illegal content, including incitement to hatred, discrimination or violence, harassment, threats, defamation, glorification of terrorism, denial of crimes against humanity, and any sexual content involving minors. Doxxing or publishing someone's personal data, impersonation, spam and scams. Manipulating votes, reactions or rankings, using several accounts, bots or automated means, scraping, or reverse engineering the app. Infringing intellectual property or the rights of others, and attacking the security of the service. Reporting content in bad faith to silence someone. Debate ideas, not people.
Moderation
We act as a host of the content users post and do not review it before publication. Content may be filtered automatically and reports are reviewed by people. We may remove or limit content and restrict, suspend or close accounts that break the law or these terms, in proportion to the breach and with due regard for freedom of expression. Each time, we tell you the reasons and how to contest the decision. To appeal, reply to our message or write to [email protected]. We report to the authorities any information about a threat to someone's life or safety, and content where the law requires it.
Reporting illegal content
Anyone can report content they consider illegal from the app or by writing to [email protected], with the reasons, the exact location of the content, their name and email, and a statement that the report is made in good faith. We confirm receipt, review the report diligently and tell you our decision. Abusive reports may lead to sanctions.
Blocking
You can block any user: you will no longer see their content and they can no longer write to you.
Paid membership
Paid features are sold and billed by Apple under its terms. You manage and cancel your subscription in your Apple account; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current period. Refunds are handled by Apple. We may change the price or content of the membership in the future; any price change applies only after notice and from the next period.
Advertising
The free service is funded by ads from third-party partners, shown in the app. Paid members see none. We are not responsible for the content of ads or of third-party sites they lead to.
Intellectual property
The service, its name, logos, design, software and content other than yours belong to Controversy or its licensors. You may use the service only for your personal, non-commercial use and must not copy, reproduce or exploit it without our written permission.
Suspension and closing
You can close your account at any time in the app. We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms, after notice when the law requires it, or immediately for serious breaches or to protect users or the service. Your data is then handled as described in the privacy policy.
Liability
To the extent permitted by law, Controversy is not responsible for content posted by users, for third-party content and sites, for indirect damage, or for interruptions, errors or loss of data caused by events beyond its reasonable control. You are responsible for what you post and you will compensate Controversy for any claim brought by a third party because of your content or your breach of these terms. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, or your statutory rights as a consumer.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms as the service and the law evolve. We will tell you in the app before significant changes apply. If you do not accept them, you can close your account; if you continue to use the service, you accept the new version.
General
If a clause is held invalid, the others remain in force. Not enforcing a clause is not a waiver of it. These terms and the privacy policy are the entire agreement between you and Controversy about the service. In case of differences between language versions, the French version prevails, to the extent permitted by law.
Law and disputes
These terms are governed by French law, without depriving you of the protection of the mandatory rules of your country of residence. Before any legal action, write to us so we can try to settle the matter amicably. As a consumer, you may also use a consumer mediator or the courts with jurisdiction under the law.