Terms
of use.

1. Privacy and changes to the Site

Our Privacy Policy is incorporated into these Terms. We may update these Terms by posting a revised version with a new effective date. We may also modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Site, content, feature, account, or service at any time, with or without notice, to the extent permitted by law.

2. Research and editorial content

The Site provides general editorial, historical, and informational content about disputed events, public records, extraordinary claims, alleged conspiracies, folklore, and unresolved questions. We distinguish between documented facts, reported claims, analysis, and speculation where practical, but sources can be incomplete, disputed, mistaken, superseded, or unavailable.

Publication of a claim does not mean that The Shadow Index endorses it as true. You are responsible for checking primary records and authoritative sources and for reaching your own conclusions. Site content is not legal, medical, financial, safety, scientific, or other professional advice, and it is not a guarantee of accuracy or any result.

3. Limited license and access

Subject to these Terms, The Shadow Index grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and non-sublicensable license to access the Site for personal, non-commercial use. You may print or save one copy of an individual page for personal use while retaining all copyright and proprietary notices.

You may not reproduce, republish, sell, license, scrape, frame, mirror, create derivative works from, commercially exploit, or systematically extract Site content; use robots, data-mining tools, or similar automated methods except as permitted by law; bypass security or access controls; or use our name, trademarks, metadata, or proprietary layout without written permission.

Intellectual property

The Site and its original text, graphics, design, branding, software, compilations, and other content are owned by The Shadow Index or its licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws. Third-party records, quotations, photographs, and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

4. Affiliate links, advertising, and third parties

The Site and our emails may contain advertising, sponsored content, and affiliate links. We may earn a commission when you click a link or make a qualifying purchase, generally at no additional cost to you. Compensation may influence which products or services appear, but it does not create a warranty or endorsement.

Linked archives, publishers, advertisers, merchants, platforms, and other third parties are independent from us. We do not control and are not responsible for their content, availability, pricing, policies, products, services, or actions. Your dealings with them are solely between you and the third party and may be governed by separate terms.

5. Accounts, eligibility, and acceptable use

If the Site offers accounts or registration, you must provide accurate and current information, maintain the confidentiality of your credentials, and promptly notify us of suspected unauthorized access. You are responsible for activity conducted through your account.

You must be at least 13 to use the Site. Features involving purchases, promotions, or other age-restricted activities may require you to be at least 18. You may not use the Site unlawfully; impersonate another person; transmit malware or spam; interfere with Site operation; harvest personal information; infringe another person’s rights; threaten or harass anyone; knowingly submit fabricated evidence as authentic; or attempt unauthorized access.

6. Messages and other user submissions

If we allow source submissions, corrections, comments, reviews, photographs, documents, messages, or other content (“Submitted Content”), you represent that you own or have permission to submit it and that it is accurate to the best of your knowledge, lawful, and non-infringing. You retain ownership of your Submitted Content.

You grant The Shadow Index and its designees a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, adapt, publish, distribute, display, perform, verify, and otherwise use Submitted Content in connection with operating, promoting, and improving the Site and our work, in any media, subject to applicable law and our Privacy Policy. We may identify you as the author where appropriate and are not required to pay compensation.

We may, but are not obligated to, monitor, edit, fact-check, refuse, or remove Submitted Content. Prohibited content includes material that is unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, deceptive, invasive of privacy, infringing, malicious, commercially solicitous, or otherwise objectionable.

7. Copyright complaints

If you believe content on the Site infringes your copyright, send a notice identifying the copyrighted work, the allegedly infringing material and its location, your contact information, a good-faith statement that the use is unauthorized, a statement under penalty of perjury that your notice is accurate and you are authorized to act, and your physical or electronic signature.

Send notices through our Contact Us page or by mail to: The Shadow Index, 30 N Gould St. Ste. N, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States.

8. Disclaimers

THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT AND SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH IT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SHADOW INDEX DISCLAIMS ALL EXPRESS AND IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, ERROR-FREE, CURRENT, COMPLETE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

9. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SHADOW INDEX AND ITS OWNERS, AFFILIATES, LICENSORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND REPRESENTATIVES WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, LOST PROFITS OR DATA, PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY DAMAGE, REPUTATIONAL HARM, OR LOSSES ARISING FROM RELIANCE ON SITE CONTENT, THIRD-PARTY SERVICES, SITE USE, OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS, SO SOME OF THESE TERMS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

10. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless The Shadow Index and its owners, affiliates, licensors, service providers, and representatives from claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, losses, costs, and reasonable attorneys’ fees arising from your violation of these Terms, misuse of the Site, Submitted Content, infringement of another person’s rights, or dealings with third parties through the Site.

11. Termination

We may restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to all or part of the Site for any reason, including violation of these Terms. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination—including ownership, disclaimers, liability limitations, indemnification, and dispute terms—will survive.

12. Wyoming law and dispute resolution

These Terms and disputes relating to the Site are governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Before filing a claim, you and The Shadow Index agree to attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally by written notice and 30 days of discussion. If unresolved, the dispute will be resolved through confidential, binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its applicable Consumer or Commercial Arbitration Rules. Unless the parties agree otherwise, arbitration will take place in Sheridan County, Wyoming, or remotely when permitted by the applicable rules.

Either party may bring an eligible claim in small-claims court or seek temporary or injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to protect intellectual-property or confidential-information rights. For claims not subject to arbitration, the parties consent to the state and federal courts serving Sheridan County, Wyoming.

ARBITRATION WILL TAKE PLACE ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU AND THE SHADOW INDEX WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL AND TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION.

13. General terms

These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement concerning the Site and supersede prior communications on that subject. If a provision is unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary and the remainder will remain effective. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our consent; we may assign ours in connection with our work or business.

14. Contact information

Questions about these Terms may be submitted through our Contact Us page or by mail: