Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

PostboxMap.co.uk is a community-driven platform for mapping and documenting postboxes across the United Kingdom. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our website and services.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly and information we obtain from your use of the Site.

• Account information: When you register, we collect your email address, display name, and password (stored securely). If you sign in with Google or Facebook, we receive your email and name from the provider.
• Profile: You may add a profile photo and other optional profile details. Your display name and public profile (including rank and submission count) are visible to other users.
• Submissions: When you add a postbox, we store the location, name, reign, notes, and the photo(s) you upload. This content is displayed on the map and postbox pages.
• Corrections and comments: When you suggest a correction or post a comment, we store that content and associate it with your account.
• API keys: If you create API keys, we store the key name and usage data for security and rate limiting.
• Technical and usage data: We may log IP addresses, browser type, and similar technical data for security and operation. We use Google Analytics to track page views and user actions (e.g. map views, add postbox, corrections, search) to understand usage and improve the site — see our Cookie Policy.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and operate the Site (map, search, postbox pages, leaderboard, user profiles).
• Process your postbox submissions, corrections, and comments, and run moderation workflows.
• Authenticate you and manage your account and session.
• Send you emails where relevant (e.g. submission status when your postbox is approved or rejected, password reset, optional notifications).
• Enforce our Terms, prevent abuse, and protect security.
• Improve the Site and understand usage (including via analytics).
• Display advertising (e.g. via Google AdSense) where we use ad services.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data as follows:

• Public content: Your display name, public profile, postbox submissions (once approved), and comments are visible to other users and may be indexed by search engines.
• Service providers: We use providers for hosting, email, authentication (e.g. NextAuth, OAuth), and analytics/advertising. They process data on our behalf under appropriate agreements.
• Legal: We may disclose data if required by law or to protect our rights, safety, or the safety of others.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, session management, preferences, and (where we use them) analytics and advertising. For full details, see our Cookie Policy.

6. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict processing of your personal data, or to object to certain processing. You can update your profile and account details in your account settings. To request access, correction, or deletion of other data, or to withdraw consent, please contact us. You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

7. Data Retention

We retain your account and submission data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service and comply with legal obligations. If you delete your account (Profile → Settings), we anonymise your profile (e.g. display name becomes "Deleted User") and you cannot log in again; your submissions stay on the map. You can also delete individual submissions from My Submissions.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe we have collected such data, please contact us so we can delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the revised policy on this page and update the "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

For privacy-related questions or requests, please contact us. You can also read our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.