🔒 Privacy Policy

Effective date: August 6, 2026

We (the FAKTMAP team) respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights under CCPA (California) and GDPR (EU).

1. What data we collect

• Anonymous User ID – generated on your first visit and stored in a session cookie. It lets you edit or delete your own facts.
• Facts & metadata – fact text, coordinates (latitude/longitude), marker color, tag, and timestamp. These are visible to all visitors.
• Votes (up, down) – public statistics for each fact.
• Account data (optional) – if you register, we store your username, display name, hashed password, bio, and avatar emoji.

2. How we use your data

• To display facts on the map and enable interactions (voting, commenting).
• To improve the service (e.g., analyzing popular tags, search performance).
• Your User ID is used solely to identify your own facts so you can delete them.
• If you register, we use your account data to show your profile and associate facts with you.

All data is stored in a secure PostgreSQL database hosted on Aiven. Only project administrators have access.

3. Data retention

• Facts and votes – stored indefinitely until you delete them or we remove the project.
• Anonymous User ID – stored in your browser session cookie and deleted when you close your browser.
• Account data – retained until you delete your account. You can delete your account at any time from your profile.

You can delete your own facts at any time using the "Delete" button on the map or in the "My facts" list.

4. Third-party services

We do not sell or share your data with third parties, except as required by law. However, we use the following services:

• Maplibre GL – open-source map library. May collect browser and device information for performance optimization.
• Render – our hosting provider. Stores server logs (IP addresses, request timestamps, user agents) for security and debugging. These logs are not used to identify users and are retained for a limited time.
• Aiven – cloud database provider. Stores all data on servers in the EU/US with encryption at rest and in transit.
• Google Gemini API – used for AI moderation of facts. Only fact text is sent; no personal data is shared.

These services have their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to review.

5. Cookies

We use one session cookie (no expiration) to store your anonymous User ID or authenticated session.

• Name: session (contains user_id or session token)
• Purpose: strictly necessary for the service to work (so you can edit your own facts and stay logged in).
• Duration: until you close your browser (or up to 30 days if you choose "Remember me" – not currently implemented).

6. Your rights (CCPA & GDPR)

For California residents (CCPA):

• Right to know – what personal data we collect and how we use it.
• Right to delete – you can delete your facts and account using the provided tools.
• Right to opt-out – we do not sell your data, so no opt-out needed.

For EU residents (GDPR):

• Right to access – all your facts are visible on the map.
• Right to rectification – you can delete and re-add facts, or update your profile.
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") – use the "Delete" button next to your facts or delete your account.
• Right to restrict processing – you can stop using the site at any time.
• Right to data portability – we can provide your facts in JSON format upon request.

7. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your data from unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction. All connections are encrypted with HTTPS, and passwords are hashed using strong algorithms (werkzeug security).

8. Contact us

If you have any questions about this policy or want to request deletion of all your data, contact us:

• Project Administrator: me
• Tiktok: @faktmap

We will respond within 30 days.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a new effective date. By continuing to use the service, you accept the current version.

10. Governing law

This policy is governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable.

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