Arcnode Remote Terms of Service

01 About these terms

These Arcnode Remote Terms of Service (the Remote Terms) form an agreement between you and Arcnode Network, established in the Netherlands. By installing or using Arcnode Remote, or by visiting remote.arcnode.dev, you accept them together with the Terms of Use.

The Terms of Use take precedence on general matters, such as intellectual property, beta services, and the general rules on suspension, liability and disputes.
These Remote Terms add rules that are specific to Arcnode Remote, and apply to those specific matters.
The Acceptable Use Policy (including its Arcnode Remote section) and the Helper Code of Conduct are part of these Remote Terms. How we handle personal data is described in the Arcnode Remote Privacy Notice and the Privacy Policy.

The English version of these terms is binding. A translation, if offered, is for convenience only.

02 Definitions

The definitions in the Terms of Use apply, including Platform, Arcnode Account, Identity Provider, Service, User and Personal Data. In addition:

Term	Meaning
Arcnode Remote	The Arcnode Remote desktop application for Windows, the Arcnode Remote relay, the website at remote.arcnode.dev, and the Arcnode Remote features of the Identity Provider (helper access, operator attestations, relay tokens, the Computers List and update delivery).
Helper	A User who signs in to Arcnode Remote with an Arcnode Account that has Helper Access, to see and, where allowed, control another computer.
Person Being Helped	The person at the computer that a Helper connects to. They need no Arcnode Account.
Helper Access	The permission, given per Arcnode Account by an Arcnode owner on the Identity Provider, that allows an account to help others with Arcnode Remote. Owners always have it.
Organization	A business or other organization whose staff use Arcnode Remote as Helpers, for example to support its own customers.
Session	A connection between a Helper’s computer and the computer of a Person Being Helped, from the moment the Person Being Helped allows it until either side ends it.
Session Content	Everything exchanged in a Session: screen images, keyboard and mouse input, clipboard text, chat messages, files and camera pictures.
Session Code	A nine-digit, single-use code that a Helper gets from the Relay and gives to the Person Being Helped. It expires after 10 minutes. A Support Link carries the same code.
Support Link	A link such as remote.arcnode.dev/join/123456789 that fills in a Session Code. Opening it never connects anything by itself.
Verification Code	A six-digit code that both computers show at the start of every Session, derived from that Session’s encryption handshake. When both sides see the same code, nobody is in between.
Device Key	A long-term key pair that identifies one Arcnode Remote installation. Its public part is shown as a fingerprint of twenty characters; its private part never leaves the computer.
Relay	The Arcnode server that pairs two computers by Session Code or Relay Id and then forwards their end-to-end encrypted data, which it cannot read.
Any-time Access	Also called unattended access: a setting the Person Being Helped can turn on for a specific Helper, so that Helper can connect later without someone at the computer clicking Allow.
Relay Id	A random 128-bit identifier made by a computer with Any-time Access turned on, under which that computer waits at the Relay for its trusted Helpers.
Computers List	The list, kept with a Helper’s Arcnode Account on the Identity Provider, of computers that trust that Helper for Any-time Access: for each, its Relay Id, its name and its Device Key fingerprint.
Privacy Mode	A support tool that, with the consent of the Person Being Helped, covers their screens and pauses their own keyboard and mouse for an agreed time while the Helper works.

03 The service

Arcnode Remote is a Service on the Platform. It lets a Helper see the screen of a Person Being Helped and, with their permission, use their keyboard and mouse, exchange clipboard text, chat, send and receive files, and see their camera. It runs on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit).

Over the internet, the two computers are connected by the Relay using a Session Code or, for Any-time Access, a Relay Id. On the same local network they can also connect directly, if the Person Being Helped has switched that on.
Session Content is encrypted end to end between the two computers. Arcnode Network cannot read it and does not record sessions.
Arcnode Remote does not transmit sound, and it cannot reach the Windows sign-in screen, a locked screen or administrator (UAC) prompts.
Features described as planned on our websites are not part of the Service until they are released.

Arcnode Network provides the tool. We are not a party to the help itself: the arrangement between a Helper (or their Organization) and the Person Being Helped is theirs, and we do not supervise sessions.

04 Eligibility

Getting help needs no account. The minimum age in the Terms of Use applies: 16 within the European Economic Area, 13 elsewhere. Below that age, get help only with a parent or guardian present.
Helpers must be at least 18 years old, legally able to enter into this agreement, and must use Arcnode Remote lawfully. If you help on behalf of an Organization, you confirm that you are authorized to do so, and the Organization is bound by these Remote Terms as well.
You may only install Arcnode Remote on a computer that you own or are authorized to manage, and only get help on a computer whose owner allows it (for example, your employer’s rules for a work computer).

05 Accounts and helper access

Helpers sign in with Login with Arcnode, using their Arcnode Account. Arcnode Remote has no separate sign-up.
Helper Access is given per account by an Arcnode owner, at our discretion. Nobody has a right to it. We may refuse, limit or remove it at any time, for example when we have reason to believe it is being misused.
An Arcnode Account is personal. Do not share it, and do not let anyone else help others under your name. You are responsible for everything done with your account and your computer.
Keep your account secure. We strongly recommend two-step verification (a passkey or an authenticator app), and we may require it for Helper Access. Tell us at once at legal@arcnode.dev if you think your account has been misused.
“Verified Arcnode account” means that Arcnode confirmed the Helper’s account name and picture. It identifies the account; it does not mean the Helper works for Arcnode Network, nor that we vouch for them or their help.
Use your real name, or the real name of the Organization you help for. Names that pose as a company, bank or authority are refused.

06 License to the desktop app

Subject to these Remote Terms, Arcnode Network grants you a free, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable and revocable license to install and use the Arcnode Remote desktop app, in object code form, on Windows computers you own or are authorized to manage, for getting or giving remote support.

You may not:

Sell, rent, lend, sublicense or redistribute the app or its installer, or offer it as part of another product. Get it only from arcnode.dev or remote.arcnode.dev.
Reverse-engineer, decompile or disassemble the app, except to the extent that mandatory law expressly allows this despite this restriction, for example to achieve interoperability.
Modify the app, remove or bypass its consent dialogs, indicators (such as the session banner, the control glow or the tray icon) or security checks, or remove copyright and other notices.
Use the app to build a competing product, or to test its security other than under our Security Policy.

The app is licensed, not sold. Arcnode Network keeps all rights in it that are not expressly granted here. The app includes open-source components, which are licensed to you under their own licenses; nothing in these Remote Terms limits your rights under those licenses. Contact info@arcnode.dev for a list of these components and their licenses.

This license ends automatically when you breach these Remote Terms, or when we end it under section 16. When it ends, stop using the app and uninstall it.

07 Your obligations as a helper

As a Helper, you must:

Get consent every time. Connect only to someone who wants your help right now and allows the session in the app. A Session Code or Support Link never replaces their consent.
Be authorized. Only access a computer that the Person Being Helped is entitled to let you use, and only for the purpose they agreed to.
Be honest about who you are. Say who you are and, if applicable, which Organization you help for. Read out the Verification Code when asked.
Never scam or impersonate. Do not pose as Arcnode, Microsoft, a bank, an authority or anyone else, and do not use Arcnode Remote to obtain money, payment details, passwords or other credentials.
Ask before you do more. Ask for more access (control, clipboard, files, privacy mode, camera, any-time access) only when it is needed, and explain why.
Respect the limits. Respect a “no”, the duration of privacy mode, and the limits and end date of any-time access. Do not try to get around them.
Protect what you see. Look only at what you need, do not copy or keep personal data without a lawful reason, and comply with data protection law. If you help for an Organization, that Organization is responsible for the personal data you process.
Follow the Helper Code of Conduct and the Acceptable Use Policy.

08 If you get help

Allow a session only if you asked this person for help or you know them. Compare the Verification Code before you allow. Arcnode, Microsoft and banks never call you to offer help with your computer.
You decide what the Helper may do, and you can lower their access or disconnect at any time. Disconnecting stops the session; it does not undo what was already done.
Don’t log in to your bank, and never read out passwords or bank codes, while someone is connected.
If something feels wrong, disconnect and report it as described in the Acceptable Use Policy.

09 Any-time access

Any-time Access is off by default. Only the Person Being Helped can turn it on, during a session, for a Helper Arcnode has confirmed, after ticking that they trust that Helper to use the computer when nobody is there.
Per Helper, they can limit keyboard and mouse and clipboard, and let trust end after 30 days or a year. They can see each Helper’s last connection, remove a Helper, or turn Any-time Access off at any time from the tray icon or Settings.
While it is on, Arcnode Remote starts with Windows and shows an icon in the tray, and the window opens when a Helper connects.
Trust is given to the Helper’s Arcnode Account, so any device signed in to that account with Helper Access can connect. Helpers must therefore keep their account especially secure.
Helpers may use Any-time Access only for the purpose agreed with the Person Being Helped, within the limits they set, and must stop as soon as they are asked to. Using it to monitor someone is never allowed.
Turning Any-time Access off does not end a session that is already running; disconnect to end it.

10 Privacy mode

Privacy mode covers the screens of the Person Being Helped and pauses their own keyboard and mouse for the time they agree to, while the Helper works, for example on something private. Only a Helper Arcnode has confirmed, who has control, can ask for it.

A convenience, not a security guarantee

Privacy mode does not protect against malware on the computer, a separate screen recorder, or Windows overriding the cover, and it does not hide anything from the Helper. Disconnecting ends it, but does not undo anything already done. The Person Being Helped can always disconnect or ask to see the screen, and Ctrl + Alt + Del always works.

Helpers must explain what they will do under privacy mode before asking for it, keep it as short as possible, and must never use it to hide what they do from the Person Being Helped.

11 Files, clipboard, chat and camera

Files are only transferred after the receiving person accepts each file, up to 4 GB each. Received files are never opened or run by the app. Send only files you are entitled to share, and never malware.
Clipboard sharing (text only) is off unless the Helper asks and the Person Being Helped turns it on; it can be switched off at any time.
Chat is plain text for the session only and is not stored.
The camera of the Person Being Helped is shared only after they agree, and only until they stop it. The Helper’s camera is never shared.

You are responsible for what you share and receive. Arcnode Network cannot see, scan or check it, because it is encrypted end to end.

12 Security features and their limits

Arcnode Remote is built to make misuse hard: end-to-end encryption, Verification Codes, Device Keys, consent dialogs, a session banner with Disconnect now, the control glow, lockouts after wrong codes, and signed updates. These features only protect you if they are used: compare the Verification Code, read who is asking, and only allow people you trust.

No software can prevent a person from being persuaded to give access to a scammer. We do not guarantee that Arcnode Remote is free of vulnerabilities. Please report any you find under our Security Policy.

13 Availability and changes

We aim to keep the Relay and the Identity Provider available, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted access, and Arcnode Remote is not suitable for situations where a failed or interrupted session could cause harm. Sessions can end when a network or server fails.

We may change, add or remove features, and change how the app connects, for example to move the connection to the Relay inside TLS. Older versions of the app may then stop connecting; where we can, we announce this in advance in the app or on remote.arcnode.dev.

14 Updates

The app checks for updates automatically, shortly after it starts and then every 6 hours.
An update is installed only when you choose Install or Install after this session.
An update is never installed during a session, while someone asks to connect, or while a Session Code waits.
Only updates signed with Arcnode Remote’s update key are installed.

We support the latest version. Install updates promptly: they may fix security issues, and an outdated version may stop working. These Remote Terms apply to every update.

15 Price and future paid plans

Arcnode Remote is free for now, for both Helpers and people who get help.

We may introduce paid plans or paid features later. If we do, we will announce them in advance, they will come with their own terms that we present to you before you buy, and we will never charge you without your explicit agreement. The Premium services section of the Terms of Use and your statutory consumer rights apply.

16 Suspension and termination

You may stop using Arcnode Remote at any time by uninstalling it. Helpers can also ask us to remove their Helper Access or delete their account.
We may suspend or end your use of Arcnode Remote, remove Helper Access, suspend the Arcnode Account, or revoke the license in section 6, if we reasonably believe you breached these Remote Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy or the Helper Code of Conduct, if your use puts others at risk, or if the law requires it.
We give notice and reasons where reasonably possible, unless that would help someone cause harm, compromise an investigation or break the law. You can object by replying to our notice or writing to legal@arcnode.dev.
If we stop offering Arcnode Remote altogether, we will announce it in advance where we can.

Sections 6 (restrictions), 17, 18 and 19 survive the end of this agreement.

17 Disclaimers and limitation of liability

Arcnode Remote is provided “as is” and “as available”, free of charge, without warranties of any kind, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, as set out in the Terms of Use.

Arcnode Network is not responsible for what Helpers do, or for the help they give. Any claim about the conduct of a Helper is a matter between you and that Helper or their Organization, without prejudice to our own obligations under these Remote Terms and data protection law.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Arcnode Network is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damage, including loss of data, loss of profits or business interruption, and our total aggregate liability arising from Arcnode Remote is limited as set out in the Terms of Use: the amount you paid us in the twelve months before the claim, or €50, whichever is greater.

Mandatory consumer rights

Nothing in these Remote Terms limits or excludes any liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or intentional misconduct or deliberate recklessness. If you are a consumer, your mandatory rights under Dutch law and EU consumer protection law apply regardless of these Remote Terms.

18 Indemnity

If you use Arcnode Remote as a Helper, you indemnify Arcnode Network against claims by third parties, including people you helped and authorities, and against reasonable costs of defending them, to the extent these result from your breach of these Remote Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy or the Helper Code of Conduct, or from your unlawful use of Arcnode Remote, such as accessing a computer without authorization. An Organization is responsible in the same way for its Helpers.

If you are a consumer, this applies only to the extent the law allows and only where you are to blame. We will tell you promptly about any such claim and let you take part in the defense.

19 Governing law and disputes

These Remote Terms are governed by Dutch law. Disputes are subject to the competent courts of the Netherlands, except where mandatory consumer protection law gives you the right to go to the courts where you live. Please contact us first, so we can try to solve the problem together. The Terms of Use apply to everything else about disputes.

20 Changes to these terms

We may change these Remote Terms when Arcnode Remote or the law changes. The date at the top shows the current version. For material changes, we give notice in the app or on this website before they take effect.

If you do not agree with a change, stop using Arcnode Remote before it takes effect. Continued use afterwards means you accept the new version.

21 Contact

For questions about these terms, write to info@arcnode.dev. To report misuse, a scam or a security problem, write to legal@arcnode.dev.

Arcnode Network, Netherlands

info@arcnode.dev

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