---
title: Data use terms
description: What's the data use terms concept of Loculus and how to configure it.
---

import { Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';

<Aside type='caution'>
  The data use terms currently hardcode textual descriptions and behaviour designed around the Pathoplexus database. You
  can disable the data use terms entirely, as below. If you require custom data use terms handling please feel free to
  reach out to us by raising a Github issue.
</Aside>

Loculus comes with built-in handling of data use terms for submitted data, which means that data can either be _open_ or _restricted_. You can define, what restricted means yourself. Users can submit data as restricted, but they have to give a date at which point the sequences become open, this date can at most be one year from the submission date.

When data use terms are enabled, you can also filter for only open or only restricted data, and when downloading you will have to accept the data use terms. The same applies to API usage.
You can then enable data use terms like this:

```yaml
dataUseTerms:
  enabled: true
```

Optionally, you can provide links to pages where the data use terms are descripted:

```yaml
dataUseTerms:
  enabled: true
  urls:
    open: https://example.org/open
    restricted: https://example.org/restricted
```

## Disabling data use terms

To disable data use terms, set `enabled` to `false`:

```yaml
dataUseTerms:
  enabled: false
```
