SpotterHub.net Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2025

Welcome to SpotterHub.net (“SpotterHub,” “we,” “us” or “our”). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, with whom we share it, and your rights concerning your data. By accessing or using SpotterHub’s website (www.spotterhub.net) and any related applications or services (collectively, the “Services”), you agree to the practices described here.

1. Who We Are

SpotterHub.et is a community-driven platform where aviation enthusiasts can upload, share, and explore aircraft photos and related information. SpotterHub.net is private driven with no financelly incoming (May 2025) (domain-registered in Germany).

2. Information We Collect

2.1. Information You Provide Directly

  • Account Registration: When you create an account, you provide a username, email address, and password.
  • Profile Details: You may choose to supply additional profile information (e.g., real name, location, biography, profile picture).
  • Uploaded Content: Any photos, captions, tags, comments, private messages, or other materials you submit.
  • Communications: Any inquiries, feedback, reports of bugs or violations, or other messages you send to us.

2.2. Information Collected Automatically

  • Device & Usage Data: Each time you visit or use the Services, we automatically collect your IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, pages viewed, links clicked, time stamps, and referring URLs.
  • Log Data: Server logs record technical data (e.g., web requests, errors, performance metrics).
  • Location Information: If you grant location permissions via your browser or mobile device, we may collect approximate or precise location data to improve certain features (e.g., nearby airports).

2.3. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We (and third parties on our behalf) use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, local storage, and similar tools to:

  • Remember login credentials and user preferences;
  • Monitor aggregate usage patterns (e.g., page views, time spent);
  • Provide targeted advertising and measure ad performance;
  • Enhance site security and detect fraud.
You can manage or disable cookies via your browser settings, but some features of the Services may not function properly if cookies are blocked.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal information for these primary purposes:

  1. Account Administration
    • Create, maintain, and secure user accounts.
    • Verify your identity when you log in.
    • Send you service-related notifications (e.g., password resets, security alerts).
  2. Delivering the Services
    • Enable you to upload, store, and view photos and metadata (e.g., aircraft registration, airport codes).
    • Provide user-to-user interaction features (comments, messaging).
    • Show you personalized content (e.g., “More of this registration,” “More of this airport,” “More of this user”).
  3. Personalization & Improvement
    • Analyze usage patterns to optimize site navigation, search results, and recommendation algorithms.
    • Tailor in-app prompts, site layout, email newsletters, and marketing communications to your interests.
    • Conduct A/B testing and gather feedback for feature improvements.
  4. Communications & Marketing
    • Send you newsletters, promotional offers, surveys, and other marketing messages (only if you opt in).
    • Provide you with updates about new features, events, or policy changes.
    • Permit third-party partners to send you relevant offers (only where you’ve consented).
  5. Security & Fraud Prevention
    • Monitor for suspicious behavior and misuse of the Services.
    • Detect, prevent, and respond to data breaches, spam, unauthorized access, or other harmful activities.
    • Enforce our Terms of Service and take action against violators.
  6. Legal Compliance & Corporate Transactions
    • Comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax, accounting, regulatory requests).
    • Protect our rights and the rights of others in legal proceedings.
    • Facilitate business transactions (merger, sale, asset transfer), in which case user data may be part of the transferred assets.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR/Similar Jurisdictions)

If you reside in the EU, EEA, or other jurisdictions with data-protection frameworks, our lawful bases include:

  • Performance of Contract: Processing data necessary to provide you the Services (e.g., creating your account, displaying photos).
  • Legitimate Interests: Improvements of our platform, fraud detection, network security, enforcing our policies, and ensuring a safe community.
  • Consent: When you agree to receive marketing communications or participate in surveys, and for any optional profiling.
  • Legal Obligations: Compliance with laws, subpoenas, or regulatory inquiries.

You may withdraw consent at any time (for marketing emails, cookie preferences, etc.), but that will not affect processing already performed in reliance on consent.

5. Disclosure of Your Information

5.1. Within SpotterHub Group & Service Providers

We share your data with:

  • Affiliated Companies & Subsidiaries: Entities under common ownership that help deliver or analyze Services.
  • Third-Party Service Providers: Hosting providers, payment processors, analytics platforms, email service providers, customer support tools, and other vendors who perform services on our behalf. They are contractually bound to use your data only as needed for those services.

5.2. Publicly Visible Content

User-Posted Photos & Comments: Any photo, comment, or metadata (e.g., aircraft registration, airport, tags) you make public is visible to all users and the general internet.

Profile Information: Your username and any profile details you choose to make public (e.g., profile image, location, website link) can be viewed by anyone.

5.3. Analytics & Advertising Partners

We may share aggregated, de-identified data (e.g., total photo uploads per month, viewer statistics) with advertisers, sponsors, and research partners. We may also disclose hashed or encrypted identifiers (e.g., hashed email) to advertising networks so that they can deliver interest-based ads when you visit other sites.

5.4. Legal Requirements & Protection

If required by law or legal process (e.g., subpoena, court order), we may disclose your personal data to law-enforcement or government authorities. To protect our rights, safety, property, or that of others (e.g., investigation of fraud or claims of intellectual-property infringement), we may also disclose your information.

5.5. Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your personal data may be transferred to a successor entity, subject to applicable confidentiality obligations.

6. Your Choices & Rights

6.1. Account Access & Management

  • Profile Edits: Once logged in, you can review and modify your profile information (e.g., username, email, bio, profile picture) at any time.
  • Password Reset: You can change your password from your account settings.

6.2. Email Preferences

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any promotional message or by adjusting your “Email & Notifications” settings in your account. You cannot opt out of service-related announcements (e.g., security alerts, policy updates, payment confirmations), which are required to operate the Services.

6.3. Cookie & Tracking Controls

You can adjust your browser settings to block or delete cookies. Hover over our cookie banner and click “Cookie Settings” (if available) to manage which categories (e.g., functional, analytics, marketing) you accept. To opt out of certain interest-based advertising networks, you may also use industry-standard opt-out tools such as the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) or Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) opt-out pages. Note that disabling cookies may limit some features and user-experience enhancements.

6.4. Data Subject Rights (if applicable in your jurisdiction)

If local law grants you the following rights, you may exercise them as described below:

  1. Right to Access: Request a copy of your personal information in our records.
  2. Right to Rectify: Ask us to correct or update inaccurate or incomplete data (e.g., email address).
  3. Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): Ask us to delete your account and associated data, subject to legal and legitimate business obligations (e.g., we may retain certain logs or aggregated metrics for security or compliance).
  4. Right to Restrict Processing: Ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances (e.g., during a dispute about data accuracy).
  5. Right to Data Portability: Obtain a machine-readable copy of data you provided (e.g., profile details, your uploaded content).
  6. Right to Object: Object to certain processing activities (e.g., direct marketing, profiling).
  7. Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time (e.g., for personalized advertising, email marketing).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@spotterhub.net or send a written request to:

We may require certain information to verify your identity (e.g., username, email) before fulfilling your request. We strive to respond to data-access requests within 30 days, or as required by law.

7. Data Retention

  • Active Accounts: We retain account and profile information for as long as your account remains active.
  • Deleted Accounts: If you request account deletion, we will remove or anonymize your personal data from active systems within a reasonable period (typically 30–60 days), except where we are legally obligated to retain it (e.g., for tax, accounting, or compliance purposes).
  • Uploaded Content: User-uploaded photos and metadata may persist beyond account deletion if other users have downloaded, shared, or embedded them; however, any personally identifiable information we control will be removed.
  • Logs & Aggregates: We keep server logs, analytics data, and performance metrics (in anonymized or aggregated form) for up to two years to help us improve the Services and ensure security.

8. Security Measures

We implement technically and organizationally appropriate safeguards—such as encryption (TLS/HTTPS), secure password hashing (bcrypt), access controls, and regular security audits—to protect your personal data. However, no system is completely immune from breaches or hacking. If we discover a security incident that may present a risk to your personal information, we will notify you and any applicable regulatory authorities as required by law.

9. Children’s Privacy

Our Services are not directed to children under the age of 13 (or higher age if required by local law). We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information without parental consent, we will delete such data promptly. If you believe we may have collected personal data from a minor, please contact privacy@spotterhub.net.

10. Third-Party Links & Embeds

SpotterHub.net may display content, ads, or social-media plugins (e.g., a “Share on [social network]” button) provided by third parties. When you interact with these elements, your browser or device may directly communicate with that third party, and that third party may set cookies or track usage. We do not control the privacy practices of those third-party websites or services. Please review their privacy policies before sharing personal data with them.

11. International Data Transfers

If you access SpotterHub.net from outside US, be aware that we (and our service providers) may store and process your personal data on servers located in [your country], as well as in other jurisdictions (e.g., the United States, the European Union). Those countries may have data-protection laws that differ from your own. By using the Services, you consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of your data in other countries. Where required by law, we will implement appropriate safeguards—such as Standard Contractual Clauses, Binding Corporate Rules, or other mechanisms—to ensure the security of your data when transferred internationally.

12. California Residents

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including:

  • The right to request disclosure of the categories of personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell.
  • The right to request deletion of personal information, subject to exceptions.
  • The right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information for targeted advertising.

To exercise these rights, please email us at contact@spotterhub.net or click the “CCPA Privacy Rights” link at the bottom of our homepage. We do not discriminate against you for exercising any privacy rights.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy at any time (e.g., to reflect changes in law, new features, or business practices). When we make material changes, we will post a prominent notice on our homepage, update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page, and, where required by law, obtain your consent. Continued use of the Services after changes have been posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

14. How to Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Email: contact@spotterhub.net

We will endeavor to respond to your inquiry within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable laws.

Thank you for trusting SpotterHub.net with your personal data. We appreciate your support and look forward to delivering a safe, transparent, and engaging community for aviation enthusiasts.

— The SpotterHub.net Team