Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

SkySpot SA ("we", "us", "our") operates the SkySpot SA mobile application. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information in compliance with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

2. Information We Collect

• • Account information: email address, display name, username, province, pilot type
• • Profile information: bio, social media links, avatar photo
• • Phone number: if you choose to verify — stored as last 4 digits only
• • Location data: only when using map features, with your permission
• • Usage data: check-ins, spot submissions, votes, vouches, XP activity
• • Device information: submitted voluntarily via bug reports only

3. How We Use Your Information

• •Provide and improve the app experience
• •Display your profile to other community members
• •Process vouches and trust verification
• •Send notifications (with your consent)
• •Moderate content and enforce community guidelines
• •Generate anonymous usage statistics

4. Data Storage & Security

• •Data stored on Google Firebase (Firestore in the africa-south1 region)
• •Authentication via Firebase Auth
• •Images stored in Firebase Storage with user-scoped paths
• •All data transmitted over HTTPS
• •Server-side validation on all writes

5. Your Rights (POPIA)

Under POPIA, you have the following rights:

• •Right to access your personal information
• •Right to request correction of inaccurate data
• •Right to request deletion of your data
• •Right to object to processing
• •Right to withdraw consent

Contact us at privacy@skyspot.co.za to exercise these rights.

6. Data Sharing

• •We do not sell your personal information
• •Public profile information is visible to other users (display name, bio, pilot type, province)
• •Vouches and trust ratings are visible to other users
• •We may share data with law enforcement if legally required

7. Data Retention

• •Account data is retained while your account is active
• •Deleted account data is removed within 30 days
• •Anonymised usage statistics may be retained indefinitely

8. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• •Google Firebase — infrastructure and data storage
• •Google Maps — mapping and location services
• •Google Fonts — typography (Outfit and Inter)

9. Children's Privacy

SkySpot SA is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted in-app and on this page. Your continued use of SkySpot SA after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your POPIA rights, please contact us: