Specialist Service Terms

01SCOPE & ACCEPTANCE

These Specialist Service Terms apply to you as a service provider (Specialist) on Cipher, in addition to the general Terms of Service. The platform is operated by keysa gaan OU (registry code 17531664), Pallasti tn 33-154, Tallinn 11416, Estonia. By registering as a Specialist and accepting these terms, you agree to be bound by them.

02ELIGIBILITY & RESTRICTIONS

Before you apply to offer services on Cipher, confirm that all of the following apply to you:

• +You are at least 18 years old. You must give your date of birth and upload a government-issued identity document during Specialist onboarding, and an application from anyone under 18 will be rejected.
• +You are not located in, or ordinarily resident in, a country or region subject to applicable trade or financial sanctions — currently Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Cuba. This is enforced at registration, at every sign-in, and on every page request, using the country of your email domain, the country of your phone number, and the country your connection resolves to.
• +You are legally able to work as an independent contractor in your own country and to enter into a binding contract.
• +You can provide a valid passport, driving licence or national identity card, and a proof of address document, both in your own name.
• +You genuinely hold the skills you list on your profile, and you will only offer services you are qualified to perform.
• +You do not hold, and are not applying on behalf of, an account we have previously suspended or closed for breach of these terms.

If you do not meet these requirements you may not offer services on Cipher. If you stop meeting them, we may pause your listing or close your account.

03INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR

You act as an independent contractor and are not an employee, partner, or agent of keysa gaan OU. You are solely responsible for your own taxes, social contributions, and any business registration required in your jurisdiction.

04VERIFICATION BEFORE YOU OFFER SERVICES

Specialist accounts are reviewed by a person before the Specialist workspace is opened to you. These are the steps, in order:

• 01. Register. Create an account with the Specialist role, give your name and accept these Specialist Service Terms. We review every new registration first: only once it is approved do we open the rest of the application (steps 02–09) to you, from your dashboard.
• 02. Profile. Give your name and a profile description of at least 50 characters.
• 03. Expertise. Select between one and five specialisations, state your years of experience, and list any certifications. Certifications are self-declared; we do not contact the issuing body.
• 04. Links. Optionally add a portfolio, GitHub or LinkedIn address for the reviewer to look at.
• 05. Rate. Set your hourly rate, between 50 and 500 credits.
• 06. Availability. Set your timezone, your expected response time, and whether you are open to new work.
• 07. Assessment. Complete a short scenario-based assessment. You need at least 60% to continue.
• 08. Identity. Give your full legal name, date of birth, country, and identity document type and number, then upload a photograph or scan of that identity document together with a proof of address.
• 09. Declarations. Accept these terms and the anti-money-laundering declaration.
• 10. Review. A member of our team opens the identity document and the proof of address you uploaded, checks them against the details you gave, and then approves or rejects your application. The decision is made by a person, not automatically.

Until your application is approved, the Specialist workspace stays locked and you cannot use it to take on or deliver work. If we reject an application we will tell you, and you may correct the problem and apply again.

We may ask for further documents at any time, and we may pause your listing, withhold payouts or suspend your account if your verification is incomplete, out of date, or fails. To be clear about what approval is not: we do not run an automated identity-verification service, a credit check or a criminal record check, and we do not independently verify your certifications, your portfolio or your employment history. Approval means we reviewed the documents you gave us — it is not a guarantee of your work to any buyer.

05SERVICE OBLIGATIONS

You must deliver services professionally, competently, and on time. Only offer services you are genuinely qualified to perform, keep all client data confidential, and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

06FEES & PAYOUTS

Buyers pay in credits (10 credits = €1 EUR). The platform charges a 20% service fee on each transaction; you receive 80% of the service price. Payouts are made only to verified Specialists and are subject to a minimum payout threshold and the platform's processing schedule. Amounts related to refunds, chargebacks, or fraud are deducted before payout.

07TAXES

You alone are responsible for reporting and paying all taxes, duties, and contributions arising from your earnings on the platform.

08INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Ownership and licensing of each deliverable are as agreed with the buyer for the specific order. You warrant that your work is original and that you hold all rights necessary to provide it.

09PROHIBITED CONDUCT

You must not solicit or accept payment off-platform to avoid fees, misrepresent your identity or skills, offer unlawful services, or manipulate ratings, reviews, or search rankings.

10SUSPENSION & TERMINATION

The platform may suspend or terminate your account for breach of these terms, failed verification, or fraud. Verified payouts for work already delivered will be settled in accordance with this agreement.

11LIABILITY & INDEMNITY

The platform facilitates matching and payments between buyers and Specialists and is not a party to the service contract between you and the buyer. Our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law, and you agree to indemnify the platform against claims arising from your services.

12REGULATORY STATUS & DISCLAIMERS

keysa gaan OÜ operates Cipher as an online marketplace. We are not a bank, an e-money institution, a payment institution or an employment agency, and we are not authorised or supervised as a provider of regulated financial services.

We introduce you to buyers and settle payment on their behalf. The service contract is between you and the buyer; we are not a party to it, and we do not supervise, direct or guarantee the work you deliver.

Payouts settle amounts you have already earned and are paid through authorised payment service providers. They are not wages, and nothing in these terms creates an employment, agency or partnership relationship between you and keysa gaan OÜ.

You are responsible for your own tax, social contributions, business registration, insurance and professional licensing. Where the work you accept is regulated in your country or in the buyer's, you must hold whatever licence or registration that regulation requires.

We apply sanctions screening and identity checks in order to meet our obligations under Estonian and EU law, and we may refuse, delay or reverse a payout, or close an account, where we reasonably believe that is necessary to comply with them.

13CHANGES TO THESE TERMS

We may update these Specialist Service Terms from time to time. Your continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.