Terms of Service

Last updated: August 19, 2026

1. Who we are

DishDrift is a community platform for expats and travelers to share recipes and local ingredient substitutes. It is operated by Chia-Chi Shih, based in Kleve, Germany (see our Impressum).

Contact: [email protected]

2. Using DishDrift

By creating an account, you agree to use DishDrift in good faith. You must be at least 16 years old to create an account.

DishDrift has zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users. You may not use DishDrift to post content that is harmful, deceptive, abusive, or that infringes on any third-party rights. This applies to everything you post — including recipes, comments, your profile (photo, bio, and external link), and the photos and notes you add when you mark a recipe as “made”. In particular, you may not post:

  • Sexually explicit, violent, or otherwise inappropriate images
  • Harassment, hate speech, threats, or abusive comments toward anyone
  • Spam, scams, or advertising
  • Content that is not a genuine cooking attempt, or that impersonates someone else
  • Anything illegal under applicable law

Reporting: Every recipe, every shared photo, and every user profile has a report option. If you see something that breaks these rules, please report it — reports reach us directly, and we act on them within 24 hours: content that violates these terms is removed, and for serious or repeated violations the user who posted it is ejected from the platform.

Enforcement: We may remove any content that violates these terms. Depending on severity, we may issue a warning, temporarily suspend an account, or — for serious or repeated violations (such as posting explicit images, harassment, or hate speech) — permanently ban the account without prior notice.

3. Your content and intellectual property

You retain full ownership of the recipes, photos, and other content you post on DishDrift.

By posting content, you grant DishDrift a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, display, and reproduce your content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the platform. This license ends when you delete the content or your account.

Photo copyright: By uploading a photo, you confirm that you own it or have the necessary rights and permissions to share it. Do not upload photos that belong to others without their authorisation.

No AI training: Your recipes, photos, and other content will never be used to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models — by us or any third party we work with.

Licensed reposts: A DishDrift curation account publishes some recipes with the original creator's permission. Those pages name the creator and link back to their original post. Creators can ask us to take their content down at any time, and we remove it within 24 hours.

You can delete your content at any time by editing or deleting individual recipes, or by deleting your account entirely.

4. Disclaimers

DishDrift is provided as-is during beta. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access or that all features will work perfectly at all times.

Food safety: Recipes on DishDrift are shared by community members and have not been professionally verified. DishDrift is not a dietitian, medical, or food safety service. Please exercise your own judgment regarding allergens, dietary restrictions, and food handling — especially when cooking for others.

We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform or from following any recipe found on it.

5. Account termination

You may delete your account at any time from your Profile page. We may suspend or permanently terminate accounts that violate these terms without prior notice, and serious violations may result in a permanent ban. Suspensions may also be applied automatically when our systems detect attack patterns or abuse. If you believe an action was taken in error, you can appeal by emailing us at the address in the Contact section — every appeal is reviewed by a person.

6. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as the platform evolves. Significant changes will be communicated via the email address on your account at least 14 days before taking effect.

7. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. Disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Germany.

8. Contact

Questions about these terms? Email us at [email protected].

9. Early Adopter Programme

DishDrift is currently free for everyone, and no paid features exist today. The Early Adopter Programme grants the first 100 users who publish a qualifying recipe on DishDrift permanent free access to any premium features DishDrift may introduce in the future for individual accounts. On iOS, any such future paid digital features would be offered exclusively through Apple's In-App Purchase system.

Eligibility. A recipe qualifies if it meets all of the following at the time of review: (1) the cover photo shows a dish you personally prepared — stock photos, landscape photos, and AI-generated images are not accepted; (2) the recipe contains at least 3 steps.

One benefit per person. The Early Adopter benefit is limited to one account per person. Accounts found to have circumvented this limit will have the benefit revoked from all associated accounts.

Allocation. Status is assigned in a single batch review, allocated in order of recipe publication date. Recipients will be notified in-app and assigned a permanent Early Adopter number (e.g. #7).

Deletion. Deleting a recipe after receiving Early Adopter status does not revoke the benefit. Deleting your account permanently forfeits your Early Adopter status. Whether the slot is reallocated remains at DishDrift's discretion.

Revocation. DishDrift reserves the right to revoke Early Adopter status if an account violates these Terms or our community standards. We will notify the account holder and allow 7 days to respond before revocation takes effect.

Claiming benefits. Should premium features ever launch, all Early Adopter accounts will receive an email with instructions on how to activate their benefits. There is no deadline to claim — the benefit remains valid for as long as the account exists. Deleted accounts are subject to the Deletion clause above.

Scope. This benefit applies to individual account features only. It does not extend to enterprise plans, API access, or other product lines separately defined by DishDrift in the future.

DishDrift reserves the right to close the Early Adopter Programme once 100 qualifying recipients have been confirmed.

10. Donations (Ko-fi)

DishDrift accepts voluntary donations through Ko-fi. A donation is a gift to support the project — it is not payment for any product or service, and it does not create a subscription, an entitlement to features or support, or any advantage in the Early Adopter Programme. Payments are processed by Ko-fi under Ko-fi's own terms; refund requests are handled through Ko-fi. Donations are available on the DishDrift website only — the iOS app contains no payment or donation functionality of any kind.

11. iOS app (Apple App Store)

The DishDrift iOS app is distributed through the Apple App Store. These terms are an agreement between you and DishDrift, not with Apple. Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the app, and Apple is not responsible for addressing any claims relating to the app or your use of it. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms with respect to the iOS app and may enforce them against you. Your use of the app must also comply with the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions.