Terms of use

1. Purpose

These terms set the rules for using Aura Linux, an operating system published by Yohan Simon. By installing or using Aura Linux, you accept them. They complement the licence and the privacy policy.

2. Access

• Aura Linux is free. It requires no account, no subscription and shows no ads.
• It installs on a compatible computer (64-bit Intel or AMD processor, or 64-bit ARM for the dedicated edition). Some hardware needs additional drivers (for example Microsoft Surface, older NVIDIA cards); proper operation also depends on those drivers.
• Installation may erase the chosen disk. Back up your files before installing.
• Aura Studio kernel: an optional tool that builds, on your computer, a modified kernel able to see an SSD hidden by Intel RAID mode (Surface Studio 1 and some Intel PCs). It comes with no warranty and is used at your own risk: keep a backup; the original Ubuntu kernel stays available at boot.
• Browsers blocked out of the box: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Opera can neither be installed nor run on Aura Linux, as a privacy choice. Firefox, Aura Browser and Chromium are offered instead. By using Aura, you accept this choice.

3. Your account and codes

• You are responsible for your session password, your PIN and the passphrases of your secure folders and encrypted disk. Aura cannot recover them: a forgotten code may make encrypted files permanently unreadable.
• Choose codes only you know and never share them, including with someone claiming to be technical support.

4. Permitted use

You may use Aura Linux for any lawful purpose: personal, family, school, non-profit or professional.

You may not use it to:

• access without authorisation a computer, account, network or data that is not yours; Aura's security tools are defensive and only meant to protect your own devices;
• monitor another person without their knowledge, or capture their image or voice without consent;
• download, share or distribute protected works without the right to do so; emulators and the Store's torrent client must only be used with content you legally own or that is free;
• distribute unlawful, hateful or violent content, or content harmful to minors.

5. What the protections do, and do not do

• Aura's guardians (firewall, blocking of tracking and malicious sites, camera guardian, breach guardian, security check, parental control…) greatly reduce risks without eliminating them entirely. No system is invulnerable.
• Data-breach alerts are informational: they rely on the public XposedOrNot database and may be incomplete.
• Blocklists may block a legitimate site by mistake: you can allow it in the settings.
• The file sentinel checks new or modified files in the background. A file judged dangerous is moved to quarantine, from where you can restore it. A scan can be wrong both ways: a clean file may be flagged, a very recent threat may go unnoticed. Do not open a flagged file if you are unsure where it comes from.
• Parental control helps parents; it does not replace their guidance.

6. Third-party software, services and sites

The Store, the Launchpad and some features give access to other publishers' software, services and sites (Flathub, GitHub, Docker, Proton, XposedOrNot, SimpleLogin, addy.io, GIPHY, Tenor, cloud services…). They are subject to their own terms and privacy policies. The publisher of Aura does not control them and is not responsible for them.

7. Updates

Aura offers security updates (installed automatically according to the mode chosen in the settings) and new versions. Keeping Aura up to date is the best way to stay protected. An update may change or remove a feature.

8. Intellectual property

Aura's own elements (name, logos, wallpapers, aura-* tools, texts) belong to Yohan Simon; their terms of use are set by the licence. Aura Linux is free and may not be sold; the name and logos may be used to talk about Aura, following the licence's charter. Included free software remains under its own licence (see the legal notice).

9. Warranty and liability

Aura Linux is provided free of charge, “as is”, without warranty of operation on specific hardware or of being error-free. To the extent permitted by law, the publisher cannot be held liable for data loss, interruption or indirect damage related to the use of Aura Linux. These limits do not apply to gross negligence or wilful misconduct, nor to consumer rights that cannot be excluded by law.

10. Changes to the terms

These terms may evolve with Aura Linux. The applicable version is the one shipped with your system version; the date at the top shows the latest update.

11. Governing law and contact

These terms are governed by French law. In case of difficulty, first contact the publisher: yohan.simon3@gmail.com. Failing an amicable solution, French courts have jurisdiction, subject to consumer-protection rules.