Welcome to Shadow! Shadow is a site for artists to share digital artwork to their followers. We prioritize artistic freedom and user privacy.
This is v1.0 of our Terms of Service and it was last updated 21 May 2025.
1.1 Upon registering for an account on Shadow, you agree to abide by all the guidelines provided in these Terms of Service and any other documents mentioned herein, including our Privacy Policy, and Content Guidelines. If you do not agree with these terms in full, you should not nor are permitted to use Shadow.
Artwork can contain mature themes or subject matters that may be inappropriate for minors. Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure a safe environment for artists on Shadow, we do not permit any users under the age of 18. The age requirement will not be waived nor otherwise excused for anyone.
2.1 By creating an account and accessing Shadow, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old.
2.2 No one is able to agree or consent to these terms on your behalf, not even a parent. You cannot make an account on behalf of another person nor allow them to access Shadow using your account.
3.1 Shadow is provided on an as-is and as-available basis. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the service at our discretion and are not responsible nor liable for any consequences thereof.
3.2 You are free to stop using Shadow at any time and for any reason. To terminate this agreement, delete your account using the Deletion section of your account settings. However, certain provisions will survive termination:
3.3 Subject to applicable laws, we reserve the right to terminate your account at our discretion, without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to breach of these terms or other policies, account inactivity, or you pose a risk to Shadow or its users.
3.4 Shadow may be unavailable at times such as when upgrades or maintenance is being performed. You are free to contact us during maintenance if something urgent arises but we may not be able to take actions until Shadow's functionality is fully restored. We will do our best to prevent any unexpected or unplanned downtime but we cannot make any promises nor are liable should they arise.
3.5 Shadow may be unavailable at times due to interruptions faced by our service providers, Discord and Hetzner. Issues of this kind are wholly out of our control and we are not liable if and when they arise.
3.6 Although we will do our best, it's possible Shadow may suffer an unrecoverable loss of data. This can even include being unable to restore from backups we've taken. You agree not to hold us liable for this and we encourage you to make personal backups of any content you upload to Shadow.
3.7 In the event Shadow is discontinued or otherwise shut down, all content will be securely and permanently erased, so long as we are able. If possible, we will provide notice of impending closure and allow users to download their content, but we still would recommend making your own backups off Shadow.
3.8 We do not mediate disputes between artists and their followers, especially ones related to monetary or transactional issues. Please seek resolution from either the transaction facilitator or monetization platform(s) used by the artist.
3.9 You release us from the following liabilities:
4.1 To access Shadow, you will need to create an account. An account is created the first time you sign in with Discord. Your Discord user ID is stored with your account, allowing us to identify you on subsequent sign-ins. As of now, you do not create nor provide a password; the only way to sign in is via Discord.
4.2 As of now, Shadow accounts cannot be transferred to another Discord account. So, if you can no longer access your Discord account, you will not be able to access your Shadow account either. Since we cannot verify who you are unless you sign in with Discord, there is no way for us to restore or grant access to any Shadow accounts. If you are unable to access your Discord account, we recommend resolving the matter with Discord.
4.3 Your account is only for you. Anyone using or otherwise accessing your account other than you is prohibited. You are responsible for securing your account and preventing unauthorized access. If your Discord account becomes compromised, you must follow Discord's processes for recovery.
4.4 Any information that we require you to provide must be accurate and truthful.
4.5 Do not impersonate other users or public figures, including artists and site admins. We reserve the right to revoke or change your display name or username if you have violated this term. Simply having a similar name as someone else does not constitute impersonation. Shadow admins will use their best judgement in determining cases of impersonation. If you believe someone else on Shadow is impersonating you, please contact us at contact#@example.shadow.comspace.
4.6 You will not use your account to do any of the following:
Your "content" on Shadow includes everything you may post or otherwise add to the service, either directly (including but not limited to posts, artwork, comments, reactions, and emotes) or indirectly (including but not limited to information imported or retrieved from Discord such as server and user names, icons, and pictures).
5.1.1 If you contribute content to Shadow, you must have the right to do so, you must be able to grant us a license to it as outlined in these terms, and it must be permissible by law.
5.1.2 We take no responsibility for your content nor are we responsible for what others may do with your content.
5.1.3 Your content may be seen by others. Additionally, who has access to certain content can change over time as new users join servers or their roles within those servers change. Be mindful of the potential audience for your content and its level of access.
5.1.4 We will do our best to ensure the content gating mechanisms we have in place remain functioning as intended; however, outages or issues can occur and they may impact those mechanisms. If we find such an issue or we believe that content may have been accessed by an audience for whom it was not intended, we will notify you via notification on Shadow and/or a message to your account on Discord.
5.1.5 Your content is yours and we do not claim ownership of it. However, so we can operate Shadow, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to store, copy, distribute, re-format, prepare derivative works based on, and sublicense your content.
Here's why we need all of that:
This license is strictly limited to the operation and maintenance of Shadow. We do not claim ownership of your work or the right to use it beyond these purposes.
Regarding perpetuity, this license shall remain valid so long as your content remains hosted on Shadow. In the event you delete your account, once any remaining copies of your content have been expunged from caches and backups, this license is automatically revoked.
5.2.1 Shadow includes content that belongs to us, such as our site design, our logo, and content written by us. You may use Shadow and the software that powers it in accordance with these terms. We retain all intellectual property rights to and ownership of our content.
5.2.2 You may not use our brand, logo, or other aspects of our identity without prior written permission.
5.3.1 Shadow and its operators reserve the right to, at our discretion, enforce these terms by actions such as removing content, suspending accounts, or terminating accounts. We are not liable for the consequences of these enforcements and you agree not to hold us responsible.
5.3.2 If you encounter content on Shadow that is a violation of these terms or our Community Guidelines, please email us at contact#@example.shadow.comspace. Future versions of Shadow may include reporting tools alongside the content, but they are not yet implemented. We will review reported content and take appropriate actions, including but not limited to content removal, account suspension, or account termination.
5.4.1 If you believe content on Shadow infringes on your copyright, please contact us at dmca#@example.shadow.comspace and include the following information:
5.4.2 Upon receiving a valid DMCA notice, we will promptly remove the allegedly infringing content and notify the user who uploaded it.
5.4.3 If you are notified that your content has been removed due to a DMCA takedown notice but you believe the content is not infringing, you can submit a counter-notice to us. To submit a counter-notice, please contact us at dmca#@example.shadow.comspace and include the following information:
5.4.4 In the event we receive a valid counter-notice, we will forward it to the party that submitted the takedown notice. If there is still a dispute, it is up to the parties to resolve any issues in court. If the party that submitted the takedown notice does not notify us that they have filed a court order to litigate the dispute, we will restore the original content within 10 to 14 days after receipt of the counter notice.
5.4.5 If you repeatedly infringe others' copyrights, we will terminate your account.
Shadow is a new service with a single developer. While it is under active development, we have not yet implemented widespread accessibility (a11y), internationalization (i18n), or localization (l10n) features. To help us prioritize work in this space, please submit any requests or issues you're facing to contact#@example.shadow.comspace.
6.1 For a11y, we are aiming for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level A. We may increase the goal level to AA or AAA once initial compliance has been reached.
6.2 Shadow's interface (including buttons, controls, and copy) is currently only available in American English and is arranged left-to-right. Dates are in the 'd M Y' format (e.g. 1 January 2025) and times are in the 'H:i' format (e.g. 17:10).
7.1 You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Shadow, its operators, affiliates, and service providers from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your content, actions, or violation of these terms, except to the extent that any such claims result from our own gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
8.1 Most issues and disputes can be resolved informally, quickly, and amicably. You must engage in this informal resolution process before initiating arbitration or filing any formal claim, unless you are legally prohibited from doing so (for example, in cases involving urgent injunctive relief). To initiate the informal dispute resolution process, email dispute#@example.shadow.comspace a written notice, which must include your Discord ID (so we can identify your account), a detailed description of the issue, and how you'd like to resolve it.
8.2 Except where prohibited by law, any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of Shadow shall be resolved through binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in accordance with its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration will be conducted in the English language and, unless otherwise agreed, will be held virtually. For more information on AAA and its rules, visit: https://www.adr.org/consumer.
8.2.1 For users residing in the European Union, arbitration under this clause is optional and non-exclusive. You may instead bring a claim in your local courts, and nothing in this clause limits any rights you may have under applicable consumer protection laws.
8.2.2 These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Subject to TS 8.2.1 and any other mandatory consumer protection laws applicable to you, you agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of Shadow, not subject to arbitration under TS 8.2, shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state or federal courts located in the United States, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.
8.2.3 You or Shadow may alternatively bring an individual claim in small claims court if the claim qualifies under applicable limits.
8.2.4 This arbitration agreement, and any obligations arising under it, shall survive the termination of your account or these Terms for any reason. Termination does not affect our right to resolve disputes under this agreement unless expressly stated otherwise.
9.1 We reserve the right to change our terms and policies at any time, without prior notice, and for any reason as permitted by law. We will notify you of these changes when they occur, either via notifications or announcements on Shadow itself or via messages to your Discord account.
9.2 Some changes to our terms may require explicit acceptance by you. Those changes are considered to take effect at the time of your agreement. If you do not accept these new terms, you may not continue using Shadow and should terminate your account.
9.3 Changes that do not require explicit acceptance are assumed to be accepted by your continued use of Shadow once they have taken effect. Any changes to the terms that do not require explicit acceptance will take effect no less than two weeks (14 days) following their announcement, but we may provide a longer notice period at our discretion.