Terms of Service (TOS)

1. Preamble and Formal Acceptance of Terms

This version (v2 B.E. 2569 / 2026) of the Terms of Service represents a comprehensive overhaul of the Places Thailand (“the Platform”, “places-th.com”) regulatory and operational framework. Designed to address the maturation of the Kingdom of Thailand’s digital hospitality economy and the specific operational realities of the HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering) sector, this update ensures seamless alignment between algorithmic discovery and the evolving legal standards of Southeast Asia.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between the Platform and all Users, categorized under these terms as Tourists/Diners, Expatriates, and Merchant Partners.

2. Specialized Definitions and Technical Nomenclature

Precise technical and legal definitions govern the interpretation of this Agreement and establish the boundaries of automated processing:

• Places TH Expert Score: An objective quality metric (scale of 0–100) derived via the canonical E-E-A-T methodology, evaluating ingredient quality, culinary authenticity, physical sanitation, service stability, operational speed, price transparency, and verified guest sentiment.
• Comfort Index (10 Criteria): A tri-state evaluation matrix for tourist convenience, verifying Air Conditioning, payment options (PromptPay / Credit Cards), high-speed Wi-Fi, noise decibels, English-proficient staff, and accessibility.
• Dynamic Match Score (DMS): A contextual, algorithmic ranking coefficient balancing baseline organic quality with real-time variables (geoposition, weather, operating hours).
• Emerald Verified: A protected trust status awarded exclusively to Merchant Partners who have completed official ownership verification, DBD business certification, and physical audit.
• Stateless SaaS Tool: The Platform’s defined legal role as an automated technical facilitator for AI-driven language translations, menu digitization, and dietary classification, operating without assuming tort liability for raw merchant-submitted source data.
• Moral Rights: The non-economic author rights recognized under Section 18 of the Thai Copyright Act B.E. 2537, specifically the rights of paternity (attribution) and integrity.

3. Commercial Tiers and Service Architecture

Places Thailand operates under an Agile A La Carte First framework, designed to foster healthy commercial participation while rigorously safeguarding consumer trust and organic discovery.

Modular “A La Carte” Enhancements (Tier 1 Add-ons)

• Signature Dish Spotlight (+$15/mo): High-intent categorical ranking for a single verified specialty dish.
• Multi-Language Switcher (+$15/mo): Neural AI translation across Thai, English, Simplified Chinese, and Korean.
• Smart Digital Menu & Allergens (+$19/mo): Interactive digital card with filtered gluten-free, nut-free, vegan, and Halal flags.
• AI-Concierge Booster x1.5 (+$25/mo): Algorithmic weighting for autonomous chat queries and nearby recommendations.
• AI-Plan “Fix-to-70” (+$20/mo): Diagnostic deficiency audit and actionable roadmap for improving tourist comfort scores.

4. ETDA Compliance: Algorithm Transparency and Ranking Criteria

Pursuant to Section 18 of ETDA Royal Decree B.E. 2565, Places Thailand provides algorithmic disclosure to eliminate anti-competitive manipulation and opaque pay-to-win systems.

Where the mathematical components are strictly defined as:

• E_s (Expert Score): The foundational 100-point organic rating calculated via E-E-A-T criteria.
• M_c (Match Coefficient): User-declared culinary, dietary, and atmospheric preferences.
• C_w & W_w (Contextual Weights): Real-time geographical proximity, current weather, and open operating status.
• C_m (Commercial Multiplier): Constrained commercial factor: C_m = 1.0 for Tiers 0 and 1; C_m = 1.2 for Tiers 2/3 and AI-Booster subscribers.

5. UCTA Health Indemnity and AI-Generated Content Liability

In compliance with Section 8 of the Thai Unfair Contract Terms Act (UCTA) B.E. 2540, liability for bodily harm, injury, or gross negligence cannot be lawfully waived. The Platform acts strictly as a Stateless SaaS intermediary.

Merchant Verification Protocol (MVP)

To eliminate consumer health risks surrounding AI dietary classification (e.g., Peanut Allergies, Celiac Gluten-Free, Halal certification):

1. The Platform generates suggested dietary classifications using automated optical character recognition and natural language processing of merchant menus.
2. The Merchant Partner must manually review, confirm, and digitally sign all AI dietary markers via the verified LINE OA or WhatsApp management portal.
3. Unconfirmed dietary markers are immediately suppressed from the public front-end until verified by the merchant.

6. Copyright Act B.E. 2537: Moral Rights Waiver and Media Pipeline

To power the Platform’s automated content engine, promotional reels, and syndication pipelines (utilizing n8n workflows and JSON2Video APIs), specific intellectual property authorizations are enforced:

Moral Rights Waiver: By publishing reviews, uploading photography, or submitting video content (“User Generated Content / UGC”), Users and Merchant Partners irrevocably waive their Moral Rights of Attribution and Integrity under Section 18 of the Thai Copyright Act B.E. 2537.

This authorization grants Places Thailand the non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free right to:

• Automatically re-frame, crop, edit, and synthesize media into short-form vertical video formats (Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts).
• Overlay synthetic multi-lingual voice narration, subtitles, and branding watermarks.
• Distribute synthesized editorial compilations across social channels without individual per-frame author attribution.

7. Computer Crime Act Compliance: Zero-Extraction Policy

The Places TH Expert Score database, Comfort Index calculations, and merchant telemetry represent original, compiled intellectual property protected under Thai copyright law and the Computer-Related Crime Act B.E. 2550 (CCA).

8. Rating Integrity and Mathematical Protections

To protect against malicious review bombing and algorithmic defamation, the Platform applies rigorous statistical smoothing:

• Spike Dampening: Automated quarantine of statistically anomalous review volumes originating from sudden IP clusters or newly created social accounts.
• Volatility Caps: A hard algorithmic throttle limiting score movements to a maximum delta of ±5 points in any rolling 30-day window.
• Time-Decay Weighting: Historical feedback decays according to a 0.7 Fresh / 0.3 Old ratio, rewarding recent operational consistency.
• Non-Deletion Policy: Paid tier subscriptions confer no authority to delete authentic, verified negative critiques. Deficiencies must be resolved through physical improvement or the “Fix-to-70” diagnostic remediation module.

9. PDPA and Global Privacy Alignment

Data processing conforms to the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (PDPA) and international GDPR standards:

• Minors: Processing data of minors under 10 years requires explicit parental consent. Individuals aged 10–20 require legal guardian authorization for commercial transactions.
• 72-Hour Breach Notification: Mandatory notification of high-risk security compromises to the Office of the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) within 72 hours.
• Data Subject Rights: Right of access, data portability, correction, and erasure granted upon request through our designated privacy channels.

10. Governing Law, Dispute Resolution, and Cultural Nuance

Places Thailand honors Thai commercial traditions, embedding principles of Greng Jai (mutual consideration) and the protection of reputation (Saving Face) within its formal dispute protocols.

Notice and Take-Down Protocol: Merchant dispute inquiries, factual corrections, or trademark assertions must be submitted through our verified LINE Official Account (@places-th) using an authenticated cryptographic session token. Business claims must include verified Department of Business Development (DBD) registration credentials.

Governing Law & Jurisdiction: This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Thailand. All disputes arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in Bangkok, Thailand.