HelpMap · DocumentationDOCUMENTATION · HELPMAP
Terms of use
Conditions of use for HelpMap Venezuela. They are deliberately short: what matters is what this tool is for and which uses we will not tolerate. Last updated: August 2026.
1. What HelpMap is for
HelpMap is a free, non-profit tool for families to find their loved ones after an emergency, and to surface shelters, donation points and citizen initiatives where people can help. We do not charge, show advertising or sell data.
2. The information is indicative
We guarantee the truthfulness and the date of the published data: every verified record was confirmed in the field with contacts at health centres, and every record shows when it was last updated. What we cannot guarantee is that the person is still at that centre right now: in an emergency there are constant transfers. Use HelpMap as a search and contact tool, not as an official registry, and confirm by phone before travelling.
Records without a verification badge are information still being confirmed and should be read as such. The green badge indicates that that specific record was verified.
3. Prohibited uses
This database exists to reunite families. Any use that turns it into a tool against the people listed is prohibited and, in several cases, is a criminal offence under the Special Law against Computer Crimes.
- Contacting families for scams, extortion, charges or false promises of help.
- Bulk-collecting data to re-identify, profile or locate people outside the reunification purpose.
- Reselling the data or incorporating it into commercial products.
- Submitting false, duplicate or intentionally misleading information through the forms.
- Using data about deceased people to build casualty counts or sensationalist material.
- Attempting to access admin fields, the team panel or the database outside the public application.
We may limit access, revoke volunteer credentials and report any such use to the competent authorities. Use of the public read API is subject to these same conditions and to per-IP rate limits.
4. What you submit
By submitting a report, a contribution or a photograph you state that the information is truthful to the best of your knowledge and that you have a legitimate reason to share it. Nothing you submit is published automatically: it goes through human verification and we may reject it. We will never publish a photograph of a minor, even if you send us one.
5. Volunteer accounts
Searching for someone on HelpMap requires no account, no registration and no minimum age: the public application is open to anyone. A volunteer account is a different matter, because it allows publishing information about other people live, and is therefore granted only to people the team has vetted.
- You must be 18 or older to request a volunteer account. You declare this expressly when you submit the application.
- Every application is reviewed and approved by an administrator. Access is revocable at any time and without prior notice.
- What you publish is visible immediately: there is no prior review to catch a mistake. That is why access is granted carefully and revoked without discussion in case of misuse.
- Your account is personal and is not shared. Every action is recorded in an immutable log along with your identity.
- You can ask us to close your account at any time by writing to info@helpmapvzla.net.
6. Licences and reuse
- HelpMap's code is open, under the MIT licence: you can read, audit, reuse and deploy it in your country.
- Shelter and donation-point data comes in part from AcopioVE, under a CC BY 4.0 licence: if you reuse it, you must attribute it to acopiove.org.
- Base maps are by OpenStreetMap and its contributors, under the ODbL licence.
- Data about people is not licensed for reuse: it is sensitive personal data published for one specific, bounded purpose.
7. No warranty and availability
HelpMap is offered "as is", built by volunteers in the middle of an emergency and with minimal resources. We do everything we can to keep it online and up to date, but we cannot guarantee continuous availability or accept liability for decisions taken solely on the basis of the published information. During maintenance we pull data down to re-verify it, and we say so with a visible notice in the app.
8. Applicable law and contact
These terms are governed by the laws of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For questions, complaints or requests about your data, write to info@helpmapvzla.net.
Need something or want to collaborate? info@helpmapvzla.net