Terms of Use

These terms govern your use of DotDashKey, including its translators, reference pages, blog, and any paid product or donation feature. By using the site, you agree to these terms.

Use of the Translators

The Morse, NATO phonetic, braille, binary, Caesar cipher, pigpen and A1Z26 translators are provided free of charge for personal, educational and professional reference use. They are provided as-is: while every translator is built from the standard code tables described on the Methodology page and is checked for accuracy, DotDashKey makes no guarantee that a translation is error-free, and you should not rely on it as the sole check in a context where an incorrect signal could create a safety risk — for example, real distress signalling or official aviation/maritime communication should follow your organization's official reference material, not a free web tool, as the authoritative source.

Reference and Editorial Content

The reference charts, history articles and blog posts on this site are provided for informational and educational purposes. Historical claims are researched in good faith from the sources described on the Methodology page, but history — especially in a field with over a century of folklore attached to it — can involve genuine scholarly disagreement, and DotDashKey does not claim to be the final word on any disputed historical detail.

Intellectual Property

The site's design, original written content, and code are the property of DotDashKey unless otherwise noted. The underlying code systems described here — Morse code, the NATO phonetic alphabet, braille, and classical ciphers like the Caesar and pigpen ciphers — are open, public standards or centuries-old techniques and are not owned by DotDashKey; you are free to use the codes themselves however you like. You may not copy DotDashKey's written articles, chart layouts, or site design wholesale for republication elsewhere without permission.

Braille Pages Are a Sighted-Learning Reference

The braille reference pages on this site display standard Unicode braille dot patterns for sighted reference and learning purposes. They are not a substitute for tactile braille literacy instruction from a qualified educator, and DotDashKey makes no claim that viewing these pages constitutes braille literacy.

Paid Products and Donations

The Code & Cipher Activity Pack and any donation made through the Support Us page are processed via Stripe. Digital products are delivered by email, typically within 24 hours of purchase; because the product is a digital download, purchases are generally non-refundable once delivered, except where required by applicable law. Donations are voluntary and non-refundable.

Advertising

DotDashKey may display third-party advertising, including through Google AdSense, to help support the site. Advertisements are the responsibility of the advertising party, and their inclusion does not constitute DotDashKey's endorsement of any advertised product or service.

Limitation of Liability

DotDashKey is provided on an as-is, as-available basis, without warranties of any kind, express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law, DotDashKey is not liable for any damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the site or its tools.

Acceptable Use

You agree not to use DotDashKey to transmit anything unlawful, to attempt to interfere with the site's normal operation (including automated scraping at a volume that degrades service for other visitors), or to misrepresent DotDashKey's reference content as your own original research or historical scholarship when republishing it elsewhere.

Third-Party Links and Services

DotDashKey may link to sister sites and other third-party resources where genuinely relevant to the content you're reading. DotDashKey is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of any third-party site linked from here, and following such a link is at your own discretion.

Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which DotDashKey is operated, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, to the extent permitted by applicable local law where you access the site.

Changes to These Terms

These terms may be updated from time to time; the current version, with its effective date, is always the version posted on this page. Continued use of the site after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. If any provision of these terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full effect, and the unenforceable provision is interpreted to reflect its original intent as closely as applicable law allows.