Terms of use

Last updated: 30 September 2026

What ChatTorrent is

ChatTorrent is a free, non-commercial experiment run by lwn. It's an AI chatbot that runs in its users' browsers: each person who chooses to contribute runs part of the AI model on their own graphics card, and together they answer everyone's messages. By using ChatTorrent, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use it.

An experiment, provided as it is

ChatTorrent is an experiment, and it's provided as it is, with no guarantees. It may be slow, stop working, lose your chats, or change without notice. It only works while enough people's graphics cards between them hold the whole model, and it may be shut down at any time.

AI-generated replies

Every reply comes from an AI model, not a person. Replies can be wrong, made up, out of date or offensive. They aren't professional advice of any kind, whether medical, legal, financial or anything else. Check anything important with a reliable source, and don't rely on ChatTorrent for decisions that matter.

Your GPU and connection

Contributing your graphics card is optional. You choose whether to, and how much memory to give, in the welcome popup. If you do, your browser downloads part of the AI model (several gigabytes) and uses your graphics card, electricity and internet connection to run other people's messages. You do this at your own risk, and any costs, such as your electricity or data usage, are yours. You can stop at any time by closing the tab.

Other people on the mesh

The AI runs in other people's browsers. They're independent: ChatTorrent doesn't control them or what they do, including whether they look at or record messages that pass through their browser, and isn't responsible for other users' actions. If you want to control who runs your chats, create a private mesh and share its invite only with people you trust. See the privacy notice for what others can see.

Code of conduct

You must not use ChatTorrent to:

do, plan or help with anything illegal;
create, request or share sexual content involving children, in any form;
seek help making weapons capable of mass harm, or malicious software;
harass, threaten or harm anyone;
try to read, record, change or interfere with other people's messages or connections;
attack, overload or disrupt the service, the servers or other users' devices.

Breaking these rules may get you blocked from the service, and serious illegal activity may be reported to the relevant authorities. To report misuse, email [email protected].

Age

ChatTorrent is for adults only. You must be 18 or over to use it.

Liability

ChatTorrent is free and provided as it is. As far as the law allows, ChatTorrent and lwn aren't liable for any loss or damage from using it, including lost chats, anything you do based on a reply, other users' actions, or wear, costs or problems with your own device or connection. Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law doesn't allow to be excluded, and nothing here affects your legal rights as a consumer.

Software and model licences

ChatTorrent's source code is public on GitHub. It is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If you live elsewhere in the UK, you can also bring a claim in the courts where you live, and you keep any protections the law of your home country gives you.

Changes and contact

These terms may be updated. If they are, the date at the top will change, and continuing to use ChatTorrent after that means you accept the new version. For any questions, email [email protected].