Privacy Policy — BestSpots

1. Introduction

BestSpots ("we", "our", "us") is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data when you use our platform, website, and mobile applications.

2. Information We Collect

Account information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and authentication credentials.

Contributed content: Any information you submit about a place, including text, tags, and value ratings.

Location data: When you use the Create feature, we request your device location solely to verify physical presence at a place. We do not store your precise location after verification is complete.

Payment information: Payout account details are handled by Stripe Connect. We do not store full bank account or card numbers.

Usage data: Page views, interactions, and session data collected via analytics tools to improve the platform.

3. How We Use Your Information

To provide and operate the BestSpots platform
To verify your physical presence when submitting place information
To calculate and process earnings payouts via Stripe
To detect and prevent spam, fraud, and abuse
To send transactional notifications (payout confirmations, verification alerts)
To improve our recommendation and pricing algorithms
To comply with applicable legal obligations

4. Location Data

Location access is requested only on the Create tab and only when submitting information about a specific place. Your coordinates are compared against the place's known coordinates to determine presence within a defined radius. We do not track your location in the background, store your precise coordinates, or share location data with third parties for advertising purposes.

5. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data with:

Stripe — for payment processing and payout disbursement
Firebase / Google — for authentication and real-time data storage
Supabase — for relational data storage
Vercel Analytics — for anonymized usage analytics
Google AdSense — for serving contextual advertisements
Law enforcement or regulators when required by law

6. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Contributed place information may be retained indefinitely as part of the community dataset. You may request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you
Correct inaccurate data
Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
Object to or restrict certain processing
Data portability

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@bestspots.xyz.

8. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, theme preferences, and analytics. Google AdSense may set cookies to serve relevant ads. You can control cookie behavior through your browser settings.

9. Children's Privacy

BestSpots is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy periodically. We will notify you of material changes by email or via an in-app notice. Continued use of BestSpots after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy? Reach us at privacy@bestspots.xyz.