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Slack API Terms of Service updates

With the limited release of the Real-Time Search API and the general availability of the Data Access API, we’re making some updates to the Slack API Terms of Service to better support these APIs now that they’re more widely available. We’re also taking the opportunity to make some minor changes to clarify questions we’ve seen from developers: nothing material that should change your development, but we hope it makes things easier and clearer!

  • We clarified your (relative lack of) responsibility for end user violations, noting that “complying with Slack’s Acceptable Use policy” included maintaining policies reasonably in line with it, but that applications are not responsible for violations by end users and that the breaches of your terms that trigger your obligation to notify Slack are security incidents or “known” breaches that could impact customers or users.
  • The “Distribution Beyond Your Organization” section has always only applied to applications distributed beyond your organization (i.e., third-party apps, not custom internal ones), but we added more language throughout emphasizing that.
  • We added the new “Real-Time Search API” to the “Data Access API” section, moved around the text to be clear that it applies to third parties only now that customers may access the Data Access API, and added some additional language on behavior such as temporary caching or storage required by law.