Terms of Use

Cestia is an experimental research tool that generates statistical estimates from U.S. survey microdata. By using Cestia, you agree to the following terms. Use of Cestia is also governed by our Privacy Policy.

Estimates are not official statistics

Estimates produced by Cestia are derived from public-use microdata samples (PUMS) and may differ from official Census Bureau or BLS published tabulations. Differences arise from sampling methodology, variable coding, universe definitions, weighting assumptions, and computationally derived logic. Outputs may contain errors due to automated interpretation of statistical concepts.

No professional advice

Cestia does not provide legal, financial, medical, or professional statistical advice. All outputs are for informational purposes only. Nothing produced by Cestia should be construed as a substitute for professional statistical consulting or expert review.

User responsibility

You are solely responsible for evaluating, verifying, and validating any outputs before reliance, publication, or decision-making. This includes reviewing the derivation logic, variable selections, and assumptions disclosed with each estimate.

Methodology and review

Some estimates use reviewed definitions that have been cross-checked against official tabulations. Others use AI-generated methodology that has not been reviewed by a statistician. In both cases, errors in variable selection, code interpretation, or universe specification are possible. Reproducibility of R scripts and methodology is provided on a best-effort basis and is not guaranteed.

Acceptable use and restrictions

Cestia estimates are provided for informational and exploratory purposes only. Do not use them as the sole basis for policy decisions, legal arguments, medical guidance, or any context where statistical accuracy is critical without independent verification.

You agree not to: (a) reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code, pipeline logic, or DSL of Cestia; (b) use automated means to scrape, harvest, or bulk-download estimates or data; (c) use Cestia or its outputs to develop or operate a competing service; or (d) misrepresent Cestia outputs as official government statistics.

API usage

API access is provided for programmatic querying within reasonable usage limits. We reserve the right to throttle, suspend, or revoke API access for usage that is excessive, abusive, or inconsistent with the intended purpose of the service. API keys are personal, non-transferable, and must not be shared or embedded in client-side code. Commercial use of the API — including embedding Cestia outputs in paid products or services — requires prior written consent.

License to outputs

Subject to these terms, you are granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use query outputs for lawful purposes. You may publish or cite results with appropriate attribution to the underlying data source (e.g., U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey). You may not resell, sublicense, or redistribute outputs in bulk, or embed them in commercial data products, without prior written consent.

Intellectual property

The operators of Cestia retain all rights in the platform, methodology, software, derived code, and pipeline architecture. Query results are computed from publicly available survey data and are licensed to you under the terms above.

No warranty

Cestia is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any estimate produced by the system.

Service availability and force majeure

We do not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free, or continuous access to Cestia. The service may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time without notice. We are not liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to infrastructure outages, third-party service failures, natural disasters, or government actions.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the operators of Cestia shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from use of the platform, reliance on any estimate, or inability to access the service, regardless of the theory of liability.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the operators of Cestia from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) your breach of these terms; (b) your misuse of outputs in violation of the restrictions above; or (c) your violation of any applicable law.

Data handling and privacy

We log queries and usage data for system improvement, quality assurance, and abuse prevention. We do not sell user data. Authentication is handled via OAuth; we store only the minimum information necessary to operate your account. We implement reasonable security measures but do not guarantee the security of data transmitted to or from the platform. For users in jurisdictions with specific data protection rights, please contact hello@cestia.ai. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Beta access and termination

Access is currently limited to invited users. We may revoke access at any time and for any reason. Upon termination, your API keys will be deactivated. Query history and stored results may be retained for audit and compliance purposes or deleted at our discretion.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the state in which the operating entity is organized. This section will be updated when a formal legal entity is established.

Dispute resolution

Any dispute arising from these terms or your use of Cestia shall be resolved through binding arbitration administered under the rules of the American Arbitration Association. Either party may bring claims in small claims court if eligible. You agree to waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.

Modification of terms

We may update these terms at any time. Continued use of Cestia after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. Material changes will be communicated via email or in-product notice.

Last updated: April 2026. Questions: hello@cestia.ai