Terms & Conditions

WebNEWS (“WebNEWS”, “we”, “us”) is an online platform where members of the public publish, read and share news stories. It is operated by Webnews Network Private Limited, a company incorporated in India.

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and Webnews Network Private Limited. By creating an account, publishing, or otherwise using the website and services (the “Service”), you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract under Indian law to create an account. By using the Service you confirm that you meet these requirements and that you are not barred from using it under any applicable law.

If you use the Service on behalf of a newsroom, company or other organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to accept these Terms for it, and “you” includes that organisation.

• You can sign up with an email address and password, or with Google. Before your account can be used you must complete your profile: a username, display name, profile photo and bio, and accept these Terms.
• Give accurate information and keep it up to date. Do not impersonate any person, newsroom or organisation, or suggest an affiliation that does not exist.
• Usernames use lowercase letters and dots only. Some names are reserved, and we may reclaim or change a username that impersonates others, infringes a trademark, or is misleading or offensive.
• You are responsible for everything that happens under your account. Keep your password secret, and tell us at contact@webnews.in straight away if you think your account has been compromised.
• One person may not run accounts to evade a suspension or to manipulate engagement.

A Press Pass lets you publish stories. To get one you may need to verify your identity (for example with a government ID). A Verified badge means we have checked who you are — it does not mean you work for WebNEWS, or that we confirm every story you publish.

• Trainee reporters’ stories may be reviewed by our editors before they go live.
• Do not use your Press Pass, badge or the WebNEWS name to claim press privileges, access or payment from anyone, or to suggest you speak for us.
• We may downgrade, suspend or revoke a Press Pass or badge if your details turn out to be false, if you break these Terms, or if your stories repeatedly fail our publishing standards.

You own what you publish. Stories, images, bios and other material you submit (“Your Content”) remain yours, together with any rights you hold in them.

To run the Service, you grant Webnews Network Private Limited a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable and sub-licensable licence to host, store, reproduce, format, adapt (for example resizing images, creating excerpts and previews), display, distribute and promote Your Content on and in connection with the Service, including in feeds, share previews and our official social media channels.

This licence ends when you delete Your Content or your account, except for copies that others have already shared (for example through share links), copies in backups for a limited time, and copies we must keep to comply with law or resolve disputes.

You confirm that you have all rights needed to publish Your Content and grant this licence, that it is accurate to the best of your knowledge, and that publishing it does not break any law or anyone’s rights. When you rely on another source, add the source link so readers can check it.

WebNEWS is built on trust between publishers and readers. When you publish a story you agree to:

• report what you know to be true, and make clear what is opinion, analysis or unconfirmed;
• credit and link your sources, and never present someone else’s work as your own;
• use headlines and images that fairly represent the story;
• correct material errors promptly once you become aware of them; and
• respect the privacy and dignity of the people you write about, especially victims and minors.

You must not publish, share or do anything on the Service that:

• is misinformation — content you know or have reason to believe is false or misleading presented as fact, fabricated quotes or documents, or manipulated or synthetic media designed to deceive;
• is hateful or harassing — attacks people based on religion, caste, race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or similar characteristics, or bullies, threatens or targets individuals;
• incites or glorifies violence, terrorism or self-harm, or promotes dangerous organisations;
• is sexually explicit, or sexualises minors in any way (we report child sexual abuse material to the authorities);
• is illegal — including content that is defamatory, obscene, violates court orders, threatens the sovereignty, integrity, security or public order of India, or is otherwise unlawful under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made under it;
• infringes copyright, trademarks or other intellectual property, or reveals trade secrets;
• invades privacy — for example publishing someone’s private contact details, identity documents, health data or intimate images without consent;
• impersonates a person, newsroom, public authority or WebNEWS itself;
• is spam or manipulation — fake engagement, coordinated inauthentic behaviour, automated posting, or buying and selling likes, follows or accounts;
• contains malware or phishing, or attempts to probe, scrape at scale, overload, reverse-engineer or bypass the security or rate limits of the Service.

News sometimes has to show hard things. When it does:

• Do not show graphic violence, injuries or dead bodies for shock value. Where an image is essential to the story, choose the least graphic one and say so in the story. We may blur, label or limit such content.
• Never reveal the identity of a victim of a sexual offence, or of a child who is a victim, witness or accused in a case — no names, photos, addresses, schools or other details that could identify them (as required by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the POCSO Act, 2012 and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015).
• Report on suicide and self-harm responsibly: no methods or locations, and add helpline information where you can.
• Do not publish someone’s photo, video or voice taken in a private place, or of a private person in distress, without a clear public interest.
• Report crimes and accusations fairly: say what is alleged and by whom, and do not present a suspect as guilty before a court decides.

You may use editing tools and AI to help you write, translate or design a poster, but you are responsible for the result, as if you had made it yourself.

• Clearly label any image, video or audio that is AI-generated or altered in a way that could make it look like something real happened.
• Never use AI or editing to create fake quotes, fake documents, or realistic images, video or voices of real people saying or doing things they did not do.
• We may add a label to content that we believe is synthetic or manipulated, or remove it if it could mislead people or cause harm.

Do not publish false information about how, when or where to vote, false claims about election results, or content that intimidates voters or election officials. During elections, follow the Election Commission of India’s rules on campaigning, exit polls and the silence period. Paid political content must be clearly marked as paid and say who paid for it.

We do not check every story before it is published, and publication does not mean we endorse it. We may review content that is reported to us or that our systems flag, and we may, at our discretion and in line with applicable law:

• remove content or restrict who can see it;
• add labels or context to a story;
• limit features such as publishing, liking or following; or
• suspend or permanently close accounts, especially for serious or repeated violations.

Where practical and lawful, we will tell you what action we took and why. If you think we got it wrong, write to contact@webnews.in with the link to the content and your reasons, and we will review the decision.

Anyone can report a story, profile or image that they believe breaks these Terms or the law, including copyright owners and people whose privacy has been violated. Email contact@webnews.in with:

• the link(s) to the content;
• what the problem is, and for copyright, the work you own;
• your name and contact details; and
• a statement that the information in your report is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

We act on valid orders from courts and authorised government agencies as required by law. We may share a report (without your personal contact details, unless the law requires otherwise) with the person who published the content so they can respond.

Use only photos, videos, music and text that you created, that you have permission to use, or that the law allows you to use (for example a short quote with credit for news reporting). A credit alone is not permission.

When we receive a valid copyright complaint we may remove the content and tell the publisher. If you believe it was removed by mistake, write to contact@webnews.in with your explanation. Accounts that infringe repeatedly will be closed.

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made under it, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, complaints about content on the Service or about the processing of your personal data can be sent to our Grievance Officer:

Grievance Officer, Webnews Network Private Limited
Email: contact@webnews.in

We aim to acknowledge complaints within 24 hours and to resolve them within 15 days of receipt.

• These Terms apply to everything you send in direct messages, group chats and communities, and everything you say or show in a live press meet.
• Community owners and press meet organisers are responsible for the spaces they run: they must keep them within these Terms and remove content that breaks them. We may step in, remove a community or end a press meet.
• Do not record, screenshot or share a private chat or a press meet in a way the people in it did not agree to, unless the law allows it. Press meets may be recorded by the organiser where the press meet says so.
• Do not use messages to spam, harass, sell, or ask people for money or personal details.

• Some features cost money — for example Spotlight placement, advertorials and paid press meets. The price and what you get are shown before you pay. Payments are handled by our payment partners under their own terms.
• Unless the offer says otherwise or the law requires it, payments are not refundable once the feature has been delivered. If we cannot deliver a paid feature, or remove it because of something that was not your fault, we will refund you.
• If anyone pays you, or gives you anything of value, to publish or promote something, you must clearly mark the story as sponsored or paid and name who paid. Hidden paid promotion is not allowed.
• Paid placement never changes our rules: sponsored stories must meet the same standards as every other story, and we may still remove them.

• Our Android app and website are the same Service under these Terms. Keep the app updated — older versions may stop working.
• We send notifications about activity on your account (for example new followers, replies and press meet reminders). You can turn push notifications off in Settings.
• Translations of stories are made automatically and may not be exact. The story in its original language is the version that counts.

The Service, including its software, design, the WebNEWS name and wordmark, the speed-lines mark and the tagline “Pulse of the Public”, belongs to Webnews Network Private Limited or its licensors. These Terms do not give you any right to use our brand without written permission.

We may change, add or remove features, and we may suspend the Service for maintenance or security reasons. We will try to give notice of significant changes where reasonably possible.

Stories may link to third-party websites (for example source links). We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content or practices.

If you sign in with Google, your use of your Google account is also governed by Google’s own terms and privacy policy. We receive only the information described in our Privacy Policy.

Stories on WebNEWS are written by members of the public. Their views are their own and are not those of Webnews Network Private Limited. Nothing on the Service is professional (for example legal, medical or financial) advice. Check important information with the original sources before relying on it.

The Service is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free or that any content is accurate or complete.

To the extent permitted by law, Webnews Network Private Limited and its directors, employees and partners will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, goodwill or reputation, arising out of or in connection with the Service or any content on it.

Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the amount, if any, that you paid us for the Service in the twelve months before the claim. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Webnews Network Private Limited and its directors, employees and partners from claims, losses and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from Your Content, your use of the Service, or your breach of these Terms or of anyone’s rights.

You may stop using the Service at any time. To close your account and delete your profile and stories, email contact@webnews.in from the address linked to your account.

We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms, if required by law, or if your use creates risk or legal exposure for us or other users. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (such as the licence for content already shared, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity and governing law) will survive.

We may update these Terms from time to time. The version and date at the top of this page show when they last changed. If a change is material, we will give notice on the Service and may ask you to accept the new Terms before you continue publishing. Continuing to use the Service after changes take effect means you accept them.

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Subject to any rights you have that cannot be waived, the courts at Mumbai, Maharashtra have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service. Before going to court, please contact us so we can try to resolve the issue informally.

• These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any rules shown for a specific feature, are the whole agreement between you and us about the Service.
• If any part of these Terms cannot be enforced, the rest still applies.
• If we do not enforce a part of these Terms straight away, we can still enforce it later.
• You may not transfer your account or your rights under these Terms to anyone else. We may transfer ours, for example if Webnews Network Private Limited is reorganised or acquired.
• We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control, such as network outages, natural disasters or government action.

Questions about these Terms? Write to contact@webnews.in.