Terms of Use

1. Purpose

These terms govern the use of Piercing Reference (piercingreference.org), an encyclopedia and community around piercing. By creating an account or using the site, you accept these terms.

2. Age

Minimum age: you must be at least 13 years old to create an account — no account may be created below that age (a mandatory checkbox at sign-up). The site remains open to minors and adults. Some content (genital piercings) is restricted to adults: when signing up, you declare your age group on your honour. Social features apply rules to protect minors. If you are under 18, ask your parents or guardians for permission before chatting with other members.

3. Account

You are responsible for your account, the confidentiality of your password, and the accuracy of the information you provide. One account corresponds to a single person.

4. Code of conduct

By using the site, you agree not to:

• harass, threaten, intimidate or inappropriately contact other members, especially minors;
• post illegal, hateful, defamatory or sexually explicit content, all the more so involving minors;
• share or request personal information (address, phone…) or arrange offline meetings via the site;
• impersonate someone, create fake accounts, or bypass the age and blocking rules;
• spam, post unsolicited advertising, or misuse the contact system for commercial or abusive purposes.

5. Your content

You retain ownership of what you post (photos, reviews, messages) and are responsible for its legality. You grant Piercing Reference a non-exclusive licence to display this content on the site, solely to operate the service. You can delete your content and your account at any time.

6. Messaging & contact

The contact system is limited to short question/answer exchanges (piercers, advice between members). Strict age rules govern who can write to whom. You can report or block any member at any time. Never share personal information with people you don't know.

7. Moderation

We may review reported content and, in case of a breach, hide content, suspend or delete an account — without notice if needed to protect the community.

8. Liability

Piercing Reference acts as a host of its users' content. We are not responsible for members' content or behaviour, but we act as soon as we become aware of reported, manifestly unlawful content. The service is provided "as is", with no guarantee of continuous availability.

9. Intellectual property

The brand, design and illustrations of the site are protected. The schema illustrations are released under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA licence. The rest of the site may not be reused without permission.

10. Information, not medical advice

Content is provided for information and education and does not constitute medical advice. Piercing carries risks. Consult a qualified professional, and a doctor in case of doubt, pain or infection.

11. Governing law & contact

12. Changes

We may update these terms; significant changes will be flagged. Continued use of the site constitutes acceptance.

13. Warranties and liability

The site is provided "as is", without warranty that it will be error-free or uninterrupted. To the extent permitted by law, Piercing Reference cannot be held liable for indirect damages arising from the use of, or inability to use, the site. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot be limited by law (in particular for gross negligence or personal injury).

14. Reference language

These terms are written in French, the authoritative reference language. Versions in other languages are provided for your convenience; in the event of any discrepancy, the French version prevails, without prejudice to the mandatory consumer-protection rules of your country of residence.