Effective date: April 2, 2026 — Last updated: April 2, 2026
These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," "your") and Hackemy ("Company," "we," "us," "our"), the operator of HONK (the "Service," "Platform"). By creating an account or using HONK in any capacity, you agree to be bound by these Terms in their entirety. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
1. Description of Service
HONK is a privacy-preserving vehicle communication platform. It enables users to send messages to vehicle owners using only a license plate number, without revealing the sender's or recipient's personal identity (phone number, email, name, or address) to each other.
HONK is not a vehicle registration database. HONK is not a law enforcement tool. HONK is not an emergency service. HONK does not provide access to government motor vehicle records, and does not replicate the capabilities of any government database or law enforcement system.
2. Eligibility
You must be at least 16 years of age to use HONK. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that you are at least 16 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.
3. Vehicle Registration Consent
BY REGISTERING A VEHICLE ON HONK, YOU AFFIRM:
"I, the user, have voluntarily added my license plate number to HONK for the sole purpose of enabling lawful communication from other drivers and authorized parties in cases of urgent, time-sensitive need — including but not limited to requests to move a blocking vehicle, alerts about vehicle damage or hazards, and notifications from verified city officials or emergency responders."
By registering a vehicle on HONK, you explicitly consent to the following:
Voluntary participation. You are registering your license plate voluntarily. HONK does not obtain plate-to-owner data from any government registry, DMV, or third-party database. The only way your plate appears on HONK is because you chose to add it.
Purpose limitation. Your plate is registered exclusively for the purpose of receiving lawful, time-sensitive communications from other HONK users. This includes parking and blocking alerts, vehicle hazard notifications, and messages from verified officials acting in their official capacity.
You own or operate the vehicle. You represent and warrant that you are the legal owner, registered keeper, or authorized operator of the vehicle whose plate you are registering. Registering a plate you have no legal relationship with is a violation of these Terms.
Right to receive messages. You consent to receiving messages from other HONK users directed to your registered plate. You understand that messages may come from strangers and that HONK moderates all messages for safety before delivery.
Right to withdraw. You may remove your vehicle from HONK at any time by deleting it from your account. Upon removal, no further messages can be sent to that plate through HONK. This withdrawal is immediate and permanent.
GDPR lawful basis. For users in the European Union: the lawful basis for processing your license plate data is explicit consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). You provide this consent by the affirmative act of registering your plate. You may withdraw consent at any time by removing your vehicle, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
4. User Categories & Responsibilities
4.1 All Users
Every user of HONK, regardless of category, agrees to:
Provide accurate information when registering vehicles
Only register vehicles that they own or are legally authorized to operate
Use the Platform solely for legitimate vehicle-related communication
Not use the Platform to harass, threaten, stalk, deceive, or intimidate any person
Not use the Platform to send fraudulent, misleading, or deceptive messages
Not use the Platform to send unsolicited commercial messages (spam)
Not attempt to discover the personal identity of other users through the Platform
Not attempt to circumvent content moderation or safety systems
Not create multiple accounts for deceptive or abusive purposes
Comply with all applicable local, national, and international laws
4.2 Standard Users (Private Citizens)
Standard users may use HONK to:
Request a vehicle owner to move a blocking vehicle
Alert a vehicle owner to a problem with their vehicle (lights on, alarm sounding, damage observed, etc.)
Communicate with other drivers about parking or vehicle-related matters
Standard users shall not:
Claim or imply any official authority, title, or capacity they do not hold
Send messages designed to create false urgency or panic to lure vehicle owners to a location
Impersonate law enforcement, municipal authorities, towing companies, or emergency services
IMPERSONATION WARNING: Claiming to be a police officer, city official, towing operator, or emergency responder when you are not is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions. HONK actively detects and blocks impersonation attempts. Your account may be terminated and your information may be disclosed to law enforcement.
4.3 Verified Official Users
HONK provides a self-certification mechanism for city officials, law enforcement officers, towing operators, and emergency workers ("Official Users"). By activating Official User status, you are subject to the additional terms in Section 5 (Official User Oath & Obligations) below.
5. Official User Oath & Obligations
OFFICIAL USER CERTIFICATION & PLEDGE
By activating Official User status on HONK, you solemnly certify, affirm, and pledge that:
I am who I claim to be. I am a duly authorized law enforcement officer, city official, municipal worker, emergency responder, licensed towing operator, or other authorized public servant, currently employed or contracted by a legitimate government agency or licensed entity.
I am acting in my official capacity. I am using HONK exclusively while on active duty, within the scope of my official responsibilities, and under the authority of my employing agency or organization.
I understand the legal consequences of false claims. I acknowledge that falsely claiming official status may constitute impersonation of a public official, which is a criminal offense punishable by fines and/or imprisonment under applicable law, including but not limited to:
EU Member State criminal codes regarding impersonation of public officials
Any other applicable jurisdiction's laws
I accept personal liability. I understand that my Official User status is a personal certification. My employing agency is not a party to this certification unless it has separately authorized my use of HONK.
I will deactivate when off duty. I will disable my Official User status when I am no longer on active duty or acting in my official capacity.
I will not abuse official status. I will not use my verified status for personal purposes, score-settling, intimidation, or any use unrelated to my official duties.
HONK reserves the right to:
Request proof of identity or employment from any Official User at any time
Immediately suspend or terminate Official User status without notice if abuse is suspected
Disclose Official User identity and activity logs to law enforcement if false certification is suspected
Cooperate fully with criminal investigations into impersonation
6. Message Visibility & Privacy Model
IMPORTANT: Understand how message visibility works before using HONK.
6.1 What the Sender Can See
When you send a message to a license plate, you can see:
The message you sent
Whether the message was delivered
Any replies from the vehicle owner
You cannot see the vehicle owner's name, phone number, email, or any personal information.
6.2 What the Recipient Can See
When you receive a message on your registered plate, you can see:
The message text
The sender's proximity to your vehicle (at vehicle, nearby, far, or unknown)
Whether the sender is a verified official and their official type (e.g., police, towing)
The timestamp
You cannot see the sender's name, phone number, email, license plate, or any personal information.
6.3 Acknowledgment
By using HONK, you acknowledge and agree that:
As a sender: The recipient can see your proximity to their vehicle and your verified official status (if applicable), but not your personal identity
As a recipient: You will not receive the sender's personal information under any circumstances through the Platform
Law enforcement access: Law enforcement agencies have their own independent systems (DMV databases, license plate recognition, etc.) to identify vehicle owners. HONK does not replicate, supplement, or provide access to any government database. HONK is a communication tool, not an identification tool.
7. Prohibited Conduct
The following actions are strictly prohibited and may result in immediate account termination, data disclosure to law enforcement, and/or legal action:
Impersonation of officials. Claiming to be law enforcement, a city official, a towing operator, a firefighter, a paramedic, or any other public authority when you are not.
Luring. Sending false emergency messages (e.g., "Your car is being broken into!") to trick a vehicle owner into going to a specific location for malicious purposes.
Stalking or tracking. Using HONK to monitor, track, or surveil a vehicle owner's movements or patterns.
Threats and intimidation. Sending messages that threaten violence, property damage, or other harm.
Harassment. Repeatedly sending unwanted messages, especially after being asked to stop.
Fraud and phishing. Sending messages containing fraudulent links, scam attempts, or requests for personal information.
Discrimination. Sending messages containing hate speech, slurs, or content targeting any protected characteristic.
Doxxing. Attempting to discover or publish another user's personal information.
System abuse. Attempting to reverse-engineer, hack, overload, or otherwise compromise the Platform's systems, security, or moderation.
False vehicle registration. Registering a vehicle you do not own for the purpose of intercepting messages intended for the actual owner.
8. Content Moderation
All messages sent through HONK are automatically screened by AI-powered content moderation before delivery. This moderation system:
Blocks messages containing threats, harassment, sexual content, hate speech, and phishing
Detects and blocks luring attempts (fake emergencies from distant senders)
Detects and blocks impersonation of official authority by unverified users
Operates on a fail-closed basis: if moderation cannot be completed, the message is blocked
You acknowledge that:
No moderation system is perfect. Some harmful content may occasionally pass through, and some legitimate content may occasionally be blocked.
HONK is not liable for any message that passes through moderation, nor for any message that is incorrectly blocked.
HONK reserves the right to review, modify, or enhance its moderation systems at any time without notice.
9. Limitation of Liability
READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY. IT LIMITS OUR LIABILITY TO YOU.
9.1 General Limitation
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HONK AND HACKEMY, INCLUDING ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND AFFILIATES, SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:
Any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from or related to your use of, or inability to use, the Service
Any conduct or content of any third party on the Service
Any unauthorized access to or alteration of your data
Any loss or damage resulting from messages sent or received through the Platform
9.2 Criminal Conduct by Users
HONK is not responsible or liable for any criminal act committed by any user of the Platform. This includes, without limitation:
Impersonation of law enforcement, emergency services, or government officials
Use of the Platform to facilitate stalking, harassment, assault, robbery, or any other crime
Luring or entrapment using false emergency messages
Fraud, phishing, or identity theft conducted through messages
Any other illegal activity, whether or not it involves the Platform
Users who commit crimes using the Platform bear sole and exclusive criminal and civil liability for their actions. HONK provides a communication tool; it does not endorse, authorize, enable, or facilitate any illegal use.
9.3 Impersonation Liability
Any user who falsely certifies themselves as a law enforcement officer, city official, or emergency worker through the Official User certification:
Bears sole criminal liability for the offense of impersonation under applicable law
Bears sole civil liability for any damages resulting from their impersonation
Indemnifies and holds harmless Hackemy, HONK, and all affiliated parties from any claims, damages, costs, or legal proceedings arising from their false certification
Acknowledges that HONK may disclose their account information, IP address, and activity logs to law enforcement agencies investigating the impersonation
9.4 No Warranty on Message Delivery
HONK provides the Service on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. We do not guarantee that:
Messages will be delivered to the intended recipient
The intended recipient has registered their vehicle on HONK
Push notifications will be received in a timely manner
The Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure
9.5 Maximum Liability
In no event shall HONK's total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising from or related to the Service exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid to HONK in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or (b) ten euros (€10.00).
10. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Hackemy, HONK, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and suppliers from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to:
Your use of the Service
Your violation of these Terms
Your violation of any law or regulation
Your violation of any third party's rights
Any message you send through the Platform
Any false certification of Official User status
11. Account Termination
We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Grounds for termination include but are not limited to:
Violation of any provision of these Terms
Suspected criminal activity
Repeated sending of messages rejected by content moderation
Suspected impersonation of officials
Registration of vehicles you do not own
Any use that endangers other users' safety
You may delete your account at any time. Upon deletion, all your data is permanently and irreversibly removed as described in our Privacy Policy.
12. Intellectual Property
The HONK name, logo, design, software, and all associated intellectual property are owned by Hackemy. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Service for its intended purpose. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Service.
13. Dispute Resolution
13.1 Governing Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Hellenic Republic (Greece), without regard to conflict of law principles.
13.2 Arbitration
Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved through binding arbitration administered in accordance with the rules of the Hellenic Arbitration Association, conducted in Athens, Greece. The arbitration shall be conducted in English.
13.3 Class Action Waiver
YOU AGREE THAT ANY CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE MUST BE BROUGHT IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.
13.4 Exceptions
Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction for matters relating to data security, intellectual property, or unauthorized access.
14. Cooperation with Law Enforcement
HONK will cooperate with law enforcement investigations when required by valid legal process. We may disclose user data including:
Account registration information (email or phone used for OTP)
Message content and metadata
Timestamps, IP addresses, and geolocation data associated with messages
Official User certification history
Any other data stored in connection with the account
We will provide such data in response to court orders, subpoenas, warrants, or other valid legal process. We may also proactively report suspected criminal activity, including impersonation of officials, to relevant law enforcement agencies.
15. Modifications to Terms
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated to users via push notification and/or email at least 30 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Service after the effective date of changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.
16. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or severed if modification is not possible, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
17. Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Hackemy regarding the use of HONK and supersede all prior agreements, representations, and understandings.