Privacy Policy
This policy explains what data Vertex Maps (the app and the website at skiapp.pages.dev) collects, why, who we share it with and what rights you have. We collect only what the app needs to work. We do not sell your data, show ads or track you across other apps and websites.
1. Who is responsible
The data controller is [NAME / COMPANY, ADDRESS]. For any privacy question or request, contact [CONTACT EMAIL].
2. What we collect and why
| Data | Why | Legal basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Account: email address, display name, password (stored only as a salted, one-way hash) | To create your account, sign you in and keep your data in sync between devices | Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Profile (optional): home area, bio | Shown to other users according to your privacy settings | Contract |
| Location while you use the map: your current position when you tap “My location” | To show where you are and name the place. Your position is sent to our server and to our map provider (rounded to about 10 m) to look up the place name. It is not stored. | Contract |
| Recorded activities: GPS track (position, altitude, time, accuracy) and statistics | To show and save your ski days and tours. Recordings are saved to your account so they are available on all your devices. | Contract |
| Saved routes and places: routes you draw, import (GPX) or save, and your saved mountains | To keep your routes and places and give you weather and conditions for them | Contract |
| Shared content: routes you publish to the community, friend connections, blocks and reports | To run the community features you choose to use | Contract; legitimate interest in keeping the community safe (Art. 6(1)(f)) for reports and blocks |
| Settings and subscription status: language, units, privacy and notification choices, plan (Free/Pro) | To apply your preferences and unlock Pro features | Contract |
| Security data: a one-way hash of IP address and email, used to limit repeated sign-in attempts | To protect accounts against password guessing | Legitimate interest |
We do not use analytics, advertising or crash-reporting services, and we do not build profiles of you for marketing.
3. What other users can see
Only signed-in users can see community content. In Settings you choose who sees your profile, activities, saved routes and season statistics: everyone, friends or only you. Routes you publish to the community are visible to all signed-in users with your display name, without timestamps. Remember that a route which starts or ends at your home or lodging reveals that place; trim it before publishing.
4. Who we share data with
We share data only with service providers that we need to run the app (processors and independent services). None of them may use your data for their own marketing.
| Provider | What they receive | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare, Inc. (USA/EU) | All account data and requests, including your IP address | Hosting, database and content delivery |
| MapTiler AG (Switzerland) | Map areas you view, place searches, coordinates for place names and elevation, points of routes for elevation profiles; your IP address for the weather map | Maps, search, place names, elevation, weather map |
| Open-Meteo (Switzerland) | Coordinates of places you look at or save (sent from our server) | Weather, snow and wind forecasts |
| OpenStreetMap Foundation (UK), OpenSnowMap, Mapterhorn | Map areas you view and your IP address (map tiles are loaded directly by your device) | Base map, ski pistes, terrain |
| Element 84 (Earth Search) and Amazon Web Services (open data hosting) | The area around a place (sent from our server); satellite image data requested by your device, with your IP address | Recent satellite images |
| unpkg / jsDelivr and MapTiler CDN | Your IP address when app libraries load | Delivering app code |
Avalanche bulletins are fetched by our server from the official warning services; they do not receive your location. Some providers are outside the EU/EEA. Where that is the case, transfers rely on an adequacy decision (for example Switzerland, the UK and the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework) or on the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses.
5. Cookies and storage on your device
We use one strictly necessary cookie, skiapp_session, to keep you signed in (valid for 30 days). We set no tracking or advertising cookies, so no cookie consent is needed. The app also stores data on your device (local storage, IndexedDB and the offline cache): your recordings and routes for offline use, saved places, cached forecasts and bulletins, downloaded offline map regions, and display preferences. Signing out keeps this data on the device; deleting your account removes your recordings, routes and saved places from it.
6. How long we keep data
We keep your account data for as long as you have an account. When you delete your account, we delete your profile, activities, routes, saved places, published routes, settings, friend connections and reports made by or about you. Sign-in protection records contain no readable personal data. Server logs kept by our hosting provider are short-lived.
7. Your rights
You can at any time:
- Access and correct your data: edit your profile and settings in the app, or ask us for a copy of all your data.
- Delete your account and data: Settings → Delete account.
- Export your routes and activities as GPX in the app, or ask us for a full export (data portability).
- Object to or ask us to restrict processing based on legitimate interest.
- Withdraw location access at any time in your device settings. The map still works; recording does not.
To use these rights, contact [CONTACT EMAIL]. You also have the right to complain to your data protection authority; in Sweden this is Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten (IMY, imy.se).
8. Security
All traffic is encrypted (HTTPS). Passwords are stored only as salted, slow one-way hashes. Sessions can be ended on all devices from Settings.
9. Children
Vertex Maps is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
10. Changes
If we change this policy, we will update the date above and, for important changes, tell you in the app.
The data sources we use and their licences are listed on Sources and licences.