Terms & Privacy

By using SunSpotters, you agree to these terms. Please read them before using the app. If you do not agree, please do not use SunSpotters. These terms form a binding agreement between you and SunSpotters.

What is SunSpotters?

SunSpotters is a service that lets you spot, share, and explore the world's most beautiful sunsets and sunrises. It is provided by SunSpotters, based in the Netherlands.

The app is intended for personal, non-commercial use — for example, photographers, travellers, educators, and anyone chasing golden hour.

Your Account

Some features require you to create an account. You are responsible for keeping your login details secure. Please let us know immediately if you think someone else has accessed your account.

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. If you are under 16 you cannot use this service.

We may suspend or close your account if you break these terms or if we are compelled to do so by law.

Acceptable Use

You may use SunSpotters for lawful purposes only. In particular, you must not:

• Use the app to harm, harass, or mislead other users
• Copy, scrape, or extract data from the app in bulk without our written permission
• Attempt to access systems or data you are not authorised to access
• Upload content that is illegal, offensive, or infringes someone else's rights
• Use the app in a way that could damage or overload our systems
• Pretend to be another person or organisation

We may remove content or restrict access without notice if we believe these rules have been broken.

Your Content

If you upload images, observations, or other content to SunSpotters, you keep ownership of that content. By uploading it, you grant us a non-exclusive, indefinite licence to use, modify, distribute, or process image data (including metadata) for any purpose in connection with providing and improving the app or supporting services in future.

You are responsible for any content you upload. Please only share content you own or have the right to share.

Our Content

The SunSpotters name, logo, app design, and original content belong to us. You may not copy, reproduce, or redistribute them without our permission.

Liability

SunSpotters is provided "as is". We aim for accuracy but we cannot guarantee that our services will be correct or up to date. Do not rely in any way on SunSpotters for safety-critical decisions.

We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of the app, except where the law requires otherwise. If you are a consumer in the EU, your statutory rights are not affected by this clause.

Consumer rights in the EU: Nothing in these terms removes or limits your rights under EU consumer law, including the right to a remedy for faulty digital services under the Digital Content Directive (2019/770/EU).

Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. If we make a significant change, we will let you know in the app or by email at least 30 days before the change takes effect. Continuing to use SunSpotters after that date means you accept the updated terms.

Governing Law

These terms are governed by Dutch law. If you are a consumer in the EU, you also benefit from any mandatory protections provided by the law of your country of residence. Any disputes will be resolved through the courts of the Netherlands, or through an alternative dispute resolution scheme if you prefer.

You can also use the EU Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

We take your privacy seriously. This policy explains what personal information SunSpotters collects, why we collect it, and how we look after it. SunSpotters is the data controller — that means we are responsible for deciding how your data is used. Our legal basis for processing is set out in Article 6 of the EU GDPR.

What We Collect

We only collect information that is necessary to run SunSpotters. Here is what we may hold about you:

Location data is optional. The app will ask for your permission before accessing it. You can change this in your browser or device settings at any time.

Why We Use Your Information

• Providing the service — necessary to perform our contract with you (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR)
• Improving the app — legitimate interest in making SunSpotters better (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)
• Security and fraud prevention — legitimate interest in protecting users (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)
• Sending optional updates — only with your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can opt out at any time
• Complying with legal obligations — where the law requires us to (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR)

We do not sell your personal data to anyone.

Who We Share Your Information With

• Lovable — our application platform and hosting provider
• Supabase — database, authentication, and storage infrastructure
• Google — authentication, analytics, and optional cloud services
• Hosting and infrastructure providers — who store and process data on our behalf under strict data processing agreements
• Analytics providers — privacy-friendly tools that do not track you across other websites
• Customer support tools — to manage enquiries and support tickets
• Legal authorities — if we are required by law to disclose your data

All third-party providers we use are either based in the EU or operate under data transfer safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) approved by the European Commission.

How Long We Keep Your Data

• Account data: as long as your account is active, plus up to 12 months after you close it
• Usage and device data: anonymised or deleted within 26 months
• Support messages: up to 3 years in case of follow-up queries
• Content you upload: deleted when you remove it or close your account

We may keep some data longer if required by law — for example, for tax or compliance purposes.

How We Protect Your Data

We use industry-standard security measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, and regular security reviews. No system is completely secure, but we work hard to protect your information.

If a data breach occurs that affects your rights, we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours, as required by GDPR.

Children's Privacy

SunSpotters is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 and our terms do not allow children under 16 to use our service. If you believe we have collected data about a child under 16, please contact us and we will delete it.

Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have a number of rights over your personal data. These rights are free to exercise. We will respond to any request within one calendar month.

• Right to Access — ask for a copy of all the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Correct — fix any information about you that is wrong or incomplete.
• Right to Delete — ask us to delete your personal data (the "right to be forgotten").
• Right to Portability — get your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object — object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Right to Restrict — limit how we use your data while a complaint is resolved.
• Right to Withdraw Consent — withdraw consent at any time without affecting prior processing.
• Right to Complain — complain to the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) at autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl.

To exercise any of these rights, simply email us at privacy@sunspotters.net. We will never charge you a fee for a straightforward request. We may ask you to confirm your identity before we act.

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use them to keep the app working and to understand how it is being used. Under EU law (the ePrivacy Directive, implemented in the Netherlands as the Telecommunicatiewet), we need your consent for non-essential cookies.

You can manage cookies in your browser settings at any time. Deleting cookies will log you out of any active session.

If you have any questions about these terms or our privacy practices, or if you wish to exercise your data rights, please get in touch. We aim to respond within 5 working days for general enquiries, and within one calendar month for formal data rights requests.

For privacy enquiries, data rights requests, or general questions about these documents: privacy@sunspotters.net