Provision record
Substack · Substack Terms of Use · View original document ↗

Mandatory JAMS Arbitration in San Francisco

High confidence Common · 197 of 343 platforms
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This analysis describes what Substack's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

Generated by a model from the captured document; not read by a person

Mandatory arbitration in a specific venue and under a specific set of rules removes disputes from public courts, limits procedural options available to users, and requires users outside California to arbitrate in San Francisco County.

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Interpretive note: The excerpt includes an ellipsis ('...of JAMS'), which may indicate omitted text specifying the full name or version of the rules. The canonical claim preserves the language as provided without speculating about omitted content.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Oct 7, 2026

The updated terms establish new content moderation procedures, including use of automated detection tools (hash-matching for CSAM, keyword filtering, direct message scanning) followed by human review before enforcement action, except where immediate action is necessary to prevent serious harm. Substack will notify users when content is removed or accounts are suspended for policy or safety reasons, unless notification would compromise an investigation or risk harm. Users may appeal content removal or account restrictions by contacting tos@substackinc.com, with Substack committing to respond within 3 business days. Beginning December 1, 2026, local VAT, GST, sales, or use tax will be added to Paid Subscription purchase prices, collected by Substack and remitted to applicable taxing authorities where its service provider is able to do so. You can report content violations using the report tool on each post or profile page, and appeal content moderation decisions by contacting the support email address.

View change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Generated by a model from the captured document; not read by a person

Users cannot litigate disputes arising from or relating to the Terms in court; such disputes must be arbitrated in San Francisco County, California under JAMS Streamlined Arbitration Rules.

How other platforms handle this

Target

The arbitration of any Dispute shall be administered by JAMS and conducted in accordance with the JAMS rules, including any Mass Arbitration Procedures and Guidelines applicable to the Dispute ("JAMS Rules")...

OpenAI

If any part of these arbitration terms is found to be illegal or unenforceable, the remainder will remain in effect, except that if a finding...would allow class arbitration...this entire dispute resolution section will be unenforceable.

Credit Karma

you may reject the change by sending us written notice within 30 days of the change to Credit Karma's address for Notice, in which case your account with Credit Karma will be immediately terminated

See all platforms with this clause type →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Any dispute arising from or relating to the subject matter of these Terms shall be finally settled by arbitration in San Francisco County, California, in accordance with the Streamlined Arbitration Rules...of JAMS.

Excerpt from Substack's Terms of Use

Provision details

Document information
Document
Substack Terms of Use
Entity
Substack
Date stated by the document
Oct. 6, 2026
As printed in Substack’s text (version CA-V-007372), not a ConductAtlas date.
Tracking information
First captured by ConductAtlas
April 19, 2026
Text quoted from version
CA-V-004272, captured June 28, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-029434
Document ID
CA-D-000177
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Extracted-text SHA-256 (version CA-V-004272; extractor version not recorded, may not reproduce today)
588554f9b85730eeac17d0ff294c8724bc6dcb53a824c540bd4cd2eec232a0b8
Analysis generated
May 21, 2026 01:31 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Excerpt found in version CA-V-004272, captured June 28, 2026 (checked Oct. 5, 2026)
Not the current version. The document's current version is CA-V-007372, captured Oct. 7, 2026; this clause has not been re-checked against it.
Citation Record
Entity: Substack
Document: Substack Terms of Use
Record ID: CA-P-029434
Version: CA-V-004272
Captured: 2026-06-28 00:24:17 UTC
SHA-256: 588554f9b85730ee…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/substack/substack-terms-of-use/provision/CA-P-029434/mandatory-jams-arbitration-in-san-francisco/
Accessed: Oct. 23, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Substack's Mandatory JAMS Arbitration in San Francisco clause do?

Mandatory arbitration in a specific venue and under a specific set of rules removes disputes from public courts, limits procedural options available to users, and requires users outside California to arbitrate in San Francisco County.

How does this clause affect you?

Users cannot litigate disputes arising from or relating to the Terms in court; such disputes must be arbitrated in San Francisco County, California under JAMS Streamlined Arbitration Rules.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 197 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Substack?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Substack.