Terms of Service

Last updated: March 2026

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using FOIA Gras ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Service. FOIA Gras is operated by FOIA Gras, LLC ("we," "us," or "our").

Description of Service

FOIA Gras is a newsletter and public records research service covering Evanston, Illinois government accountability. We provide:

  • A newsletter covering local government meetings, decisions, and public records
  • A searchable database of government meeting documents and agendas
  • An MCP (Model Context Protocol) API for programmatic access to public records data
  • A commenting system for subscribers

User Accounts and Comments

Subscribers may create accounts to leave comments on posts. You are responsible for all content you post. You agree not to post content that is:

  • Defamatory, harassing, or threatening
  • Spam or commercial solicitation
  • False or misleading
  • In violation of any applicable law

We reserve the right to remove comments and suspend accounts that violate these terms.

Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

  • Use the Service for any unlawful purpose
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service or its systems
  • Scrape or harvest content in bulk without our permission
  • Use the Service to send spam or unsolicited communications
  • Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers connected to it
  • Impersonate any person or entity

MCP API and Programmatic Access

Subscribers may obtain API keys to access public records data programmatically via our MCP (Model Context Protocol) API. By using the API, you additionally agree to:

  • Use the API only for lawful purposes consistent with these Terms
  • Not use the API to build competing products or services without our written consent
  • Respect rate limits; we may throttle or suspend API access that degrades service for others
  • Keep your API key confidential and not share it with third parties
  • Accept that API access is provided as-is and may change or be discontinued

We log API usage (tool calls, timestamps, and associated subscriber account) for security and rate-limiting purposes. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Subscription and Payments

Some features require a paid subscription. Subscriptions are billed monthly and may be canceled at any time. Refunds are not provided for partial months. We reserve the right to change subscription pricing with advance notice to subscribers.

Intellectual Property

The content of our newsletter, including articles, analysis, and original writing, is owned by FOIA Gras, LLC. Government documents and public records are not our property and are reproduced for informational purposes. You may share or excerpt our original content with attribution.

Disclaimers

FOIA Gras is an independent publication and is not affiliated with the City of Evanston or any government agency. Public records information is provided for informational purposes and may not be complete, current, or accurate. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice. Always verify important information with official government sources.

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access to the Service.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, FOIA Gras, LLC shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claim shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the preceding twelve months.

Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service at our discretion, including for violations of these Terms. You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of Cook County, Illinois.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify subscribers of material changes via email. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us or email tom@foiagras.com.