Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Email address – used for account creation, authentication, and communication.
• Account preferences – such as light/dark mode and account level.
• Photos captured through your telescope – including metadata embedded in the image file.
• User‑submitted forms – including account deletion or data requests.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device information – such as device type, operating system, and basic technical identifiers.
• Usage analytics – collected through our infrastructure and internal logs.
• Location data (used but not stored) – required for telescope positioning and functionality, but not retained.

1.3 Information from Third‑Party Services

• Cloudflare network logs – Cloudflare may collect IP addresses and security‑related request data as part of providing network protection and performance services.

2. How We Use Your Information

We process your data for the following purposes:

• To provide the service – including telescope control, account management, and photo storage.
• To maintain platform security – including abuse detection and enforcement of our Terms of Service.
• To improve performance and reliability – through usage analytics and system diagnostics.
• To communicate with you – regarding your account, updates, or support requests.
• To moderate content – photos may be scanned by locally‑run AI models to detect prohibited content.

We do not use your photos to train AI models, and we do not sell or share your data for advertising.

Additionally, captured images may be displayed in anonymised form for educational or demonstration purposes, consistent with the Terms of Service.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (UK/EU GDPR)

We rely on the following legal bases:

• Contract – processing necessary to provide the Remote Telescope System service you agreed to.
• Legitimate interests – platform security, fraud prevention, analytics, and service improvement.
• Legal obligations – retaining information when required by law or in response to lawful requests.

4. How We Store and Protect Your Data

• All data is stored on servers hosted on an OVHcloud VPS.
• Photos and account data are stored indefinitely unless deleted by the user, the account is closed, or the Service is permanently discontinued.
• We use industry‑standard security measures, including encryption where appropriate.
• AI moderation is performed locally using Ollama models; no photo data is sent to external AI providers.

Safety note: All telescope operations are remote; the Service does not grant physical access to the hardware. Users are responsible for following safe operational practices.

5. Data Retention

We retain data according to the following rules:

• Account data – kept for as long as your account is active.
• Photos – kept indefinitely unless you delete them manually.
• Logs and analytics – retained as long as necessary for security and operational purposes.
• TOS violations – if a user breaches our Terms of Service, we retain identifying information and records of the infringement even after account deletion.
• Service shutdown: If the Service is permanently discontinued, users are encouraged to download or delete their data, as retention cannot be guaranteed after shutdown.

All other data is deleted when your account is deleted.

6. Sharing Your Information

We only share data in the following circumstances:

• Service providers – such as Cloudflare, for security and network performance.
• Legal compliance – if required by law or law enforcement.
• TOS violations – if content or behaviour breaches our Terms of Service, relevant information may be shared with authorities.

We do not share your data with advertisers or unrelated third parties.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your data
• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete your data
• Object to certain processing
• Request data portability

You can update some information directly from your dashboard. For deletion or access requests, you may use our account deletion forms or contact system.

8. Children's Privacy

Telescope Project is not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect data from individuals under the age required by applicable law. If we discover such data, it will be deleted.

9. Cookies and Tracking

We do not use cookies. All data is stored in our internal systems (e.g., SQLite databases) and not through browser‑based tracking.

10. Photo Handling and Moderation

• Photos captured through your telescope are stored on our servers.
• You may delete your photos at any time.
• Photos are not used to train AI models.
• AI moderation is performed locally to detect prohibited content.
• Photos may be shared only in cases required by law or Terms of Service violations, or anonymously for educational/demo purposes.

11. International Users

We operate globally, but primarily in the UK and EU. Your data may be processed in the UK or EU depending on server location.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding your data, you can contact us through the support system provided in the app or website.