Terms of
Service

By accessing or using the CompassNG platform, API, website, or any associated services (collectively, the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Service. Please also review our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference.

CompassNG is a news intelligence and API platform focused on African news, starting with Nigeria. The Service aggregates, enriches, and serves structured news data from 50+ Nigerian publishers through a developer-friendly REST API.

Key capabilities include:

• Structured access to news articles from Nigerian publishers via RESTful API endpoints.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) enrichment including sentiment analysis, named entity recognition, article categorization, and language detection across English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo.
• Article version tracking to detect content changes over time.
• Organization management with team collaboration, role-based access, and shared API keys.
• Usage analytics, rate limiting, and tiered subscription plans.

To use most features of the Service, you must create an account. When registering, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration.
• Verify your email address through the verification link we send.
• Maintain the security of your account credentials and not share your password with others.
• Notify us immediately at legal@compassng.com if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.
• Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that contain false information or are used in violation of these Terms.

Your use of the CompassNG API is subject to the rate limits and quotas associated with your subscription plan. You agree to use the API in a fair and responsible manner.

You must not:

• Exceed the rate limits or quotas of your plan through any means, including using multiple accounts or API keys to circumvent limits.
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically download the API to build a competing dataset or service.
• Redistribute raw article data obtained through the API without adding substantial value or transformation.
• Use automated tools to stress-test or overload the API without prior written authorization.
• Access the API through any means other than the documented endpoints and authentication methods.

We reserve the right to throttle, suspend, or terminate API access for any account that violates this fair use policy.

CompassNG supports organization-based collaboration. When you create an account, a default personal organization is created automatically. You may create additional organizations and invite team members.

Organization roles and their capabilities:

Organization owners are responsible for the actions of all members within their organization, including API usage, compliance with these Terms, and any charges incurred.

API keys are the credentials used to authenticate requests to the CompassNG API. You are solely responsible for the security and proper use of your API keys.

• Keep your API keys confidential. Do not expose them in client-side code, public repositories, or browser-accessible locations.
• Use server-side proxies to make API calls from web applications. Never embed keys directly in frontend JavaScript.
• Revoke and regenerate keys immediately if you suspect they have been compromised.
• Do not share API keys across organizations or with unauthorized third parties.
• Use separate keys for development, staging, and production environments.

CompassNG reserves the right to revoke any API key that is found to be compromised, misused, or associated with activity that violates these Terms. You are liable for all usage incurred by your API keys, whether authorized by you or not.

The CompassNG platform, including its software, API design, NLP models, data processing pipelines, documentation, trademarks, and visual design, is the intellectual property of Metronio Technologies Ltd. and is protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You retain ownership of any applications, products, or services you build using the CompassNG API. Your use of the API grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Service in accordance with these Terms.

This licence does not grant you any rights to the CompassNG name, logo, or branding beyond what is required for reasonable attribution (e.g., "Powered by CompassNG").

News articles accessible through the CompassNG API are the intellectual property of their respective publishers. CompassNG provides structured, enriched access to this content under licensing arrangements with publishers.

When using article data from the API, you agree to:

• Respect the intellectual property rights of original publishers.
• Provide appropriate attribution to the source publication when displaying article content.
• Not use the API to create a service that directly competes with the original publishers (e.g., a news aggregator that replaces visiting publisher websites).
• Not bulk-download or cache article content beyond what is necessary for your application's functionality.
• Comply with any content-specific restrictions communicated through API response headers or documentation.

You may not use the CompassNG Service for any of the following purposes:

• Reverse engineering, decompiling, or disassembling any part of the Service or its underlying technology.
• Building a competing news data aggregation, enrichment, or API service using data obtained from CompassNG.
• Any activity that violates applicable local, national, or international laws or regulations.
• Distributing malware, spam, or engaging in phishing through applications built with the API.
• Harassment, defamation, or any activity that infringes on the rights of others.
• Misrepresenting your identity, affiliation, or the source of data obtained through the API.
• Attempting to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts, API keys, or data.
• Using the Service in any way that could damage, disable, or impair the platform or interfere with other users' access.

Each subscription plan includes specific rate limits (requests per minute) and monthly credit quotas. These limits are designed to ensure fair access for all users and maintain platform stability.

• Rate limits are enforced per API key. Exceeding the limit returns a 429 (Too Many Requests) response with a Retry-After header.
• Monthly credit quotas reset at the beginning of each billing cycle. Unused credits do not roll over.
• When your credit quota is exhausted, API requests will return a 402 (Payment Required) response until the next billing cycle or until you upgrade your plan.
• Attempting to circumvent rate limits or quotas — including distributing requests across multiple keys or accounts — is a violation of these Terms.

Current plan limits are listed on our Pricing page. We reserve the right to modify rate limits with 30 days' notice.

CompassNG offers both free and paid subscription plans. By subscribing to a paid plan, you agree to the following:

• Subscription fees are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis, depending on your chosen billing cycle.
• Prices are listed in both Nigerian Naira (NGN) and US Dollars (USD). You will be charged in your selected currency.
• You authorize us to charge your payment method on file at the beginning of each billing cycle.
• Plan upgrades take effect immediately. The prorated difference is charged to your payment method.
• Plan downgrades take effect at the end of the current billing cycle.
• Refunds are generally not provided for partial billing periods. If you cancel mid-cycle, you retain access until the end of the current paid period.

All fees are exclusive of applicable taxes. You are responsible for paying any taxes associated with your use of the Service.

You may terminate your account at any time by deleting it from your dashboard settings. Upon termination:

• Your access to the Service will be immediately revoked.
• All API keys associated with your account will be permanently invalidated.
• Your personal data will be deleted or anonymized within 30 days, in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• Any outstanding charges will remain payable.

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if we determine that you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or if required by law. In cases of violation, we are under no obligation to provide a refund.

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

CompassNG does not guarantee:

• The accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of news articles or NLP enrichment data delivered through the API.
• Uninterrupted or error-free operation of the Service. Uptime commitments, if any, are governed by our Service Level Agreement (SLA) for enterprise plans.
• That the Service will meet your specific requirements or expectations.
• That defects or errors will be corrected within any particular timeframe.

News content is sourced from third-party publishers, and CompassNG is not responsible for the accuracy or editorial decisions of those publishers.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, COMPASSNG AND ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE.

Our total aggregate liability for all claims arising from or related to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid to CompassNG in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or one hundred US dollars (US$100), whichever is greater.

These limitations apply regardless of the theory of liability (contract, tort, strict liability, or otherwise) and even if CompassNG has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CompassNG, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Service or any application you build using the CompassNG API.
• Your violation of these Terms or any applicable law or regulation.
• Your infringement of any third-party rights, including intellectual property rights.
• Any content you transmit through or publish using the Service.

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any legal action or proceeding related to these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the courts located in Lagos, Nigeria.

In the event of any dispute arising from or related to these Terms or the Service, the parties agree to first attempt to resolve the matter informally by contacting legal@compassng.com. We will make reasonable efforts to resolve disputes within 30 days of receiving notice.

If informal resolution is unsuccessful, the dispute shall be submitted to binding arbitration administered in Lagos, Nigeria, in accordance with the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 of Nigeria. The arbitration shall be conducted in English, and the arbitrator's decision shall be final and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in court to protect intellectual property rights or prevent irreparable harm.

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will provide at least 30 days' notice by email (sent to the address associated with your account) and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

Your continued use of the Service after the 30-day notice period constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you must stop using the Service and delete your account before the changes take effect.

For questions or concerns about these Terms of Service, please contact us:

• Email: legal@compassng.com
• Company: CompassNG (Metronio Technologies Ltd.)
• Location: Lagos, Nigeria

You may also wish to review our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy for additional information about how we handle your data.