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Disclaimer & Terms of Use

Effective date: March 15, 2026
Last updated: March 23, 2026

1. Nature of the Project​

vacs (VATSIM ATC Communication System) is a free, open-source software project maintained by a team of volunteer contributors. It is a personal project with no legal entity, commercial backing, or organizational support behind it. vacs is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to VATSIM or any other organization.

These terms apply to the vacs desktop application, the official vacs signaling servers (the "Official Servers", production at vacs.network and development at dev.vacs.network), the vacs project website at vacs.network and its subdomains (including docs.vacs.network).

2. Simulation Only​

vacs is designed exclusively for use within the VATSIM flight simulation network. It is a tool for coordinating virtual air traffic control operations in a simulated environment.

vacs must not be used for real-world air traffic control, real aviation operations, or any safety-critical purpose. The software has not been certified or validated for real-world aviation use and is not suitable for any such application. The core maintainers accept no responsibility for any use of vacs outside its intended simulation context.

3. No Warranty​

vacs is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

The entire risk as to the quality, performance, and reliability of the software rests with you. Should the software prove defective, you assume the cost of all necessary servicing, repair, or correction.

This is consistent with the terms of the MIT License and Apache License 2.0 under which vacs is distributed.

4. No Guarantee of Availability or Uptime​

The core maintainers operate Official Servers as a convenience to the community. However:

  • We make no guarantees regarding the availability, uptime, or reliability of the Official Servers or any related services.
  • The service may be interrupted, suspended, or discontinued at any time, temporarily or permanently, with or without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to maintenance, technical issues, or resource constraints.
  • We are under no obligation to maintain, support, or continue operating the Official Servers or any part of the vacs infrastructure.
  • Features, functionality, or supported platforms may change or be removed at any time without prior notice.

As vacs is designed to be self-hostable, you are free to operate your own server instance if you require guaranteed availability.

5. Limitation of Liability​

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the core maintainers, contributors, and anyone involved in the creation, production, or delivery of vacs shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages, including but not limited to:

  • Loss of data or service interruptions
  • Inability to use the software or service
  • Any unauthorized access to or alteration of your transmissions or data
  • Any conduct of third parties using the service
  • Any other matter relating to the use of vacs

This limitation applies whether the alleged liability is based on contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or any other basis, even if the maintainers have been advised of the possibility of such damage.

6. Use at Your Own Risk​

By using vacs, you acknowledge and agree that:

  • You use the software and connect to the Official Servers entirely at your own risk.
  • The core maintainers are volunteers who maintain this project in their free time and are not obligated to provide support, updates, or fixes.
  • The software may contain bugs, errors, or security vulnerabilities. While we strive for quality, we cannot guarantee that the software is free of defects.
  • Audio communications are peer-to-peer. Your IP address may be visible to other call participants. See our Privacy & Data Handling Policy for details.

7. Acceptable Use​

When using the Official Servers, you agree not to:

  • Attempt to exploit, probe, or test vulnerabilities in the server infrastructure or other users' systems
  • Use automated tools, bots, or scripts to access the service without prior authorization from the core maintainers
  • Deliberately disrupt, degrade, or interfere with the service or the experience of other users
  • Impersonate other users or misrepresent your identity beyond the standard use of ATC callsigns
  • Use the service for any purpose unrelated to VATSIM ATC coordination
  • Violate any applicable law or regulation while using the service

We reserve the right to determine, in our sole judgment, what constitutes unacceptable use.

8. Right to Terminate Access​

The core maintainers reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to deny, suspend, or revoke any user's access to the Official Servers at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to:

  • Violation of these terms or the acceptable use provisions in Section 7
  • Conduct that is harmful to other users, the service, or the project
  • Requests from VATSIM or legal authorities
  • Technical or operational necessity

No right of access to the Official Servers is guaranteed. As vacs is self-hostable, affected users may operate their own server instances.

9. Third-Party Services​

vacs relies on third-party services (VATSIM Connect, Cloudflare TURN) that are outside our control. We are not responsible for the availability, performance, or conduct of these services. Changes to third-party services may affect the functionality of vacs, and we cannot guarantee uninterrupted compatibility.

10. VATSIM Relationship​

vacs is designed for use on the VATSIM network but is an independent, unofficial project. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by VATSIM. The VATSIM name and any associated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Your use of VATSIM is governed by VATSIM's own policies, codes of conduct, and terms of service. vacs does not alter or supersede any VATSIM rules or requirements.

11. Open-Source Licenses​

The vacs software is dual-licensed under the MIT License and the Apache License 2.0. The full license texts are available in the project repository. The terms set forth in these licenses, including their warranty disclaimers and liability limitations, apply in full.

The vacs documentation is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

12. Severability​

If any provision of these terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be severed from these terms. The remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

13. Changes to These Terms​

We may update these terms at any time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Your continued use of vacs after any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

14. Applicable Law​

These terms are governed by Austrian law. The courts of Austria have jurisdiction over any disputes arising from or in connection with these terms, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer protection provisions of your country of residence that may apply under EU law.

15. Contact​

For any questions about these terms:

Email: privacy@vacs.network
PGP: EE04 BCFE 87C9 57F1 03D4 6E98 BC2C 78DA 902B 1B2C
GitHub: github.com/vacs-project/vacs