Terms of Service

Welcome to CommentShark

CommentShark is a YouTube comment management tool that helps content creators engage with their audience more effectively. By using CommentShark, you agree to these Terms of Service and YouTube's Terms of Service.

What CommentShark Does

CommentShark uses the YouTube Data API to provide comment management features for your YouTube channel. When you use CommentShark, the service will request specific permissions from Google to access your YouTube channel data.

Revoking Access

You can revoke CommentShark's access to your channel at any time through Google's security settings:

Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

CommentShark is operated from San Francisco, California, United States. These Terms of Service and any separate agreements whereby we provide you Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising from or relating to the subject matter of these Terms shall be finally settled in San Francisco County, California, in English, in accordance with the Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. ("JAMS") then in effect.

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using CommentShark, you accept and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the service.

The following definitions apply throughout these terms: "you" and "your" refer to you, the user of CommentShark; "we", "us", and "our" refer to CommentShark; "the service" refers to the CommentShark platform and all related features.

YouTube Data API Compliance

Data Processing & Authentication

CommentShark uses JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for user authentication. Google's OAuth authentication service may use cookies during the login process. By using CommentShark, you consent to this authentication mechanism.

Your use of the service is also subject to our Privacy Policy, which covers how we collect, use, share, and store your personal information. We strongly encourage you to review it: Privacy Policy.

Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise stated, CommentShark owns all intellectual property rights for the service and its contents. All rights are reserved. You may use CommentShark for your personal or business YouTube channel management subject to these terms.

You must not:

• Republish, sell, rent, or sub-license CommentShark's content
• Reproduce, duplicate, or copy material from CommentShark
• Redistribute content from CommentShark (unless specifically made for redistribution)
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code

User Responsibilities

You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account and for any content posted through CommentShark, whether manually or through automated rules. You agree to:

• Comply with YouTube's Community Guidelines, YouTube's Terms of Service, and all applicable YouTube posting policies at all times
• Not use CommentShark for spam, harassment, hate speech, impersonation, or any abusive purpose
• Not use automation features to post repetitive, deceptive, or misleading replies on your videos (i.e., spam as defined by YouTube)
• Not attempt to circumvent any service limitations, rate limits, or usage quotas
• Keep your account credentials secure
• Monitor automated rules you create and ensure their output remains compliant with platform policies

Acceptable Use Policy

You must not use CommentShark to:

• Spam your own comment sections — This includes posting repetitive, generic, or deceptive replies to manipulate engagement or mislead your viewers
• Harass, bully, or threaten others — Automated or manual replies must not target commenters with abusive, hateful, or threatening language
• Deceive or mislead viewers — Do not use AI features to fabricate endorsements, post misleading information, or generate replies that misrepresent your views or intentions
• Manipulate engagement metrics — Do not use CommentShark to artificially inflate comment counts, engagement rates, or to game YouTube's recommendation algorithms
• Post illegal or harmful content — This includes replies that promote violence, illegal activities, or violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Circumvent YouTube enforcement actions — Do not use CommentShark to evade bans, strikes, or other moderation actions taken by YouTube against your channel or content

Your obligation: You are the publisher of all content posted through CommentShark on your behalf — including content generated by AI or executed automatically by your rules. YouTube holds channel owners responsible for comments posted from their accounts, and so do we.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate this Acceptable Use Policy. Repeated or egregious violations may result in immediate termination without prior notice.

AI-Powered Features

About AI Features:

• AI-powered features use machine learning models that may occasionally produce incorrect, unexpected, or inappropriate results
• AI classification may incorrectly match or fail to match comments that should trigger your rules
• AI-generated replies may not always reflect your intended tone, message, or brand voice
• AI outputs are not reviewed by CommentShark staff before being suggested or posted

Autonomous Execution Mode:

When you enable "Auto-execute" mode for rules using AI features, CommentShark will automatically post replies, delete comments, or take moderation actions without your manual review. By enabling autonomous AI actions, you:

• Accept full responsibility for all actions taken by the AI on your behalf
• Acknowledge that AI may make errors that could affect your channel's reputation or violate YouTube's policies
• Agree that CommentShark is not liable for any consequences resulting from autonomous AI actions
• Understand that you cannot hold CommentShark responsible for any damages, account penalties, or other negative outcomes

Recommendation: We strongly recommend using "Needs approval" mode for rules with AI features until you are confident in how the AI handles your specific use case.

Automation Rules & User Responsibility

CommentShark's rule builder lets you configure automated actions, including replying to comments, moderating comments, or deleting comments. You understand and agree that:

• You are solely responsible for the rules you create and the actions taken on your behalf based on those rules
• Automated actions can affect your channel's reputation, visibility, or compliance with YouTube policies
• You are responsible for reviewing, testing, and monitoring your rules to ensure they behave as intended
• CommentShark is not liable for any losses, damages, or claims arising from automated actions executed by your rules

Subscriptions & Billing

CommentShark offers both free and paid subscription tiers. All payment processing is handled securely by Stripe. CommentShark does not store your credit card or payment details. By subscribing to a paid plan, you agree to the following:

• Subscriptions are billed on a recurring monthly basis and automatically renew until cancelled
• You may cancel your subscription at any time. Cancellations take effect at the end of your current billing period, and you will retain access to paid features until then
• Refunds may be issued on a prorated basis depending on usage during the current billing period, at our discretion
• We reserve the right to change pricing with reasonable notice. Continued use after a price change constitutes acceptance

Service Quotas & Limits

Each subscription tier includes defined usage quotas and limits, such as the number of automation rules, monthly rule executions, reply posts, AI completions, and other feature-specific allocations. Current limits for each tier are displayed on our Pricing page.

We reserve the right to modify, adjust, or introduce new system quotas and limits at any time without prior notice. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Adjusting the number of permitted rules, executions, or AI-generated replies per billing period
• Introducing or modifying rate limits on API calls and automated actions
• Changing resource allocations to ensure fair usage across all users and maintain platform stability
• Updating limits in response to changes in third-party service constraints, including YouTube API quota allocations

While we will make reasonable efforts to communicate significant changes to paying subscribers, operational adjustments — such as rate limiting or quota rebalancing to protect system integrity — may take effect immediately. Continued use of the service after any quota or limit change constitutes acceptance of the updated limits.

Service Availability

We strive to provide reliable, uninterrupted service. However:

• The service may be unavailable at times for maintenance
• Features may change or be discontinued with notice

We endeavor to ensure the information and functionality on CommentShark is accurate and available, but we do not warrant its completeness, accuracy, or uninterrupted availability.

Disclaimer of Warranties

We specifically disclaim any and all warranties and conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, and any warranties arising out of course of dealing or usage of trade.

CommentShark makes no warranty that:

• The service will meet your requirements
• The service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free
• The results obtained from the use of the service (including AI content) will be accurate or reliable
• Any errors in the service will be corrected

Limitation of Liability

This limitation applies to any liabilities arising from:

• Your access to or use of or inability to access or use the service
• Any conduct or content of any third party on the service
• Any content obtained from the service
• Unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your transmissions or content

In no event shall CommentShark's aggregate liability for all claims relating to the service exceed the greater of $100 USD or the amount you paid CommentShark, if any, in the past 12 months for the services giving rise to the claim.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so some or all of the exclusions and limitations in this section may not apply to you.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold CommentShark harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees) arising from:

• Your use of and access to the service
• Your violation of any term of these Terms of Service
• Your violation of any third-party rights, including YouTube's policies
• Any claim that your content caused damage to a third party

This defense and indemnification obligation will survive these Terms of Service and your use of the service.

Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. We will notify users of material changes by posting the updated terms on this page with a new "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of CommentShark after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these Terms will otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable.

Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to CommentShark at any time, with or without notice, for any of the following reasons:

• Violations of these Terms of Service or the Acceptable Use Policy outlined above
• Use of the service in a manner that violates YouTube's Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, or any other applicable platform policies
• Spamming, harassment, or any abusive behavior conducted through the service
• Attempts to circumvent service quotas, rate limits, or other technical restrictions
• Any other reason at our reasonable discretion

You may terminate your use of CommentShark at any time by cancelling your subscription (if applicable) and revoking access through Google's security settings.

Contact Information

If you have questions or concerns about these Terms of Service, please contact us at support@commentshark.com