Terms of Use

Last updated: October 26, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in The Dream Drop, a privacy-first dream journaling platform developed by Root Code Collective, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (“RCC”). These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of all services provided by Root Code Collective, including The Dream Drop app, affiliated websites, and integrated research features.

Not medical advice; not HIPAA-covered. The Dream Drop is for self-reflection and research. It is not intended to assess, diagnose, treat, or predict any health or mental-health condition, and RCC is not a health-care provider or other HIPAA-covered entity.

By using The Dream Drop or engaging with our services, you agree to these terms.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to use The Dream Drop. By using our services, you confirm that you meet this requirement.

3. Anonymous Use

We do not require names, email addresses, or other direct identifiers to use the app. Each user is represented only by an anonymous signature stored locally on your device.

If you choose to contact us via email or share information outside of the app, you do so voluntarily.

Account recovery. Because we do not collect contact information, we cannot recover accounts, restore deleted entries, or identify you outside the app.

4. Purpose of the App

The Dream Drop is intended for personal dream exploration and contribution to anonymized academic research. It is not intended for medical or psychological diagnosis or treatment, and it should not be used for emergencies. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, please seek professional support.

4A. Public vs. Private Dreams

By default, dreams are Public. You can designate each dream as Private in the app at creation or later. Dreams not marked Private are treated as Public Dreams. You can change a dream’s designation at any time; changes affect future use as described below.

  • Private Dreams: available to you in-app and for de-identified research only; not used in public-facing media or promotional content.
  • Public Dreams: may be used as described in Section 7 (User Content & License).

5. Research Participation

By logging dreams in The Dream Drop, your anonymized data may be used in academic studies approved or facilitated by Root Code Collective. Participation is entirely voluntary and data is never sold.

We do not collect identifiable information and take strong steps to preserve your privacy. For details, please review our Privacy Policy.

6. Your Responsibilities

You agree not to:

  • Use the platform for unlawful, abusive, or harmful behavior
  • Submit content that violates others’ rights
  • Attempt to reverse engineer, tamper with, or misuse the app or data

Root Code Collective reserves the right to remove access for users who violate these terms.

7. User Content & License

7.1 Ownership

RCC does not claim ownership of the dream entries or other content you submit (“User Content”).

7.2 License for Private Dreams (service-only)

For Private Dreams, you grant RCC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, process, back up, and display the content solely to provide the services to you, and to create de-identified and aggregated datasets for research and reporting as described in our Privacy Policy. RCC may sublicense this limited license to its service providers solely to deliver the services.

7.3 License for Public Dreams (RCC services only)

For Public Dreams (dreams not marked Private), you grant RCC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, and sublicensable license to host, reproduce, and publicly display the content on RCC-controlled services (including The Dream Drop app and RCC-operated websites) and to make non-substantive edits for formatting or length/clarity for those displays. RCC will not attribute content to you personally and will respect your anonymity. This display license is separate from—and in addition to—the de-identified research license in §7.4.

No compensation & no obligation. You agree RCC owes no compensation for such uses and has no obligation to use any content.

7.4 Research (all dreams)

For all dreams (Public or Private), you grant RCC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to create and use de-identified and aggregated datasets for research and reporting, as described in our Privacy Policy and applicable research agreements.

7.5 Changes and deletion

  • Changing a dream from Public → Private limits future public-facing uses; it does not require RCC to remove or undo uses already made (e.g., a published podcast episode).
  • Deleting a dream ends RCC’s license to use that content going forward (allowing a reasonable period for technical backups), except that (i) existing public-facing uses may continue, and (ii) de-identified or aggregated datasets already generated may be retained, as permitted by applicable law.

7.6 Representations

You represent that you have the right to submit User Content and that your submission and our use as permitted above will not infringe or violate any third-party rights or laws.

8. Intellectual Property (Service IP)

The Dream Drop and all original service content, features, and functionality (excluding your submissions) remain the exclusive property of Root Code Collective or its licensors. You may not reproduce or redistribute service content without written permission.

9. Data Security & Notices

We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards (e.g., encryption in transit, access controls). Because we do not collect contact information, if a material security issue arises we may provide substitute notice by posting a Security Notice in-app and on our website. See our Privacy Policy for details.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent allowed by law, Root Code Collective is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, emotional distress, or third-party misuse arising from or related to your use or inability to use the app. All services are provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, express or implied.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in such cases, these limitations apply only to the extent permitted by law.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms periodically. Changes will be reflected on this page and, if significant, announced within the app or by email if you’ve contacted us before.

Your continued use of The Dream Drop indicates your acceptance of any updated terms.

12. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles.

13. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at:
Root Code Collective / The Dream Drop
Sonoma County, California, USA
support@rootcodecollective.org