Starlyze Privacy Policy

1. Data Controller

The data controller is Starlyware di Gianluca Grasso, Chieti (CH), Italy. For any privacy question or to exercise your rights, write to info@starlyware.com.

2. At a Glance

• You need an account to use Starlyze: posts, profiles and dark sky spots are visible only to signed-in users.
• What you publish (posts, photos, comments, profile, dark sky spots) is visible to the other signed-in users. Do not publish anything you want to keep private.
• The exact position of a sighting is published only if you press the GPS button. When you do, it is rounded to about 110 metres.
• Photos are recompressed on your phone before upload, so the EXIF data of the shot, including any GPS position, is not uploaded.
• Private messages are visible only to you and the other person, but they are not end-to-end encrypted.
• Your position for the "Tonight's sky" forecast stays on your phone: only rounded coordinates (about 1 km) are sent to the weather service.
• The app does not show advertising, and we do not sell your data.
• You can delete your account and all the data linked to it at any time, in the app or by email (instructions).

3. Data We Process

3.1 Account and profile

To sign in you can use your email address and a password, or your Google account. We process:

• your email address and password (the password is handled by Google Firebase Authentication and we never see it), or the data we receive from Google if you sign in with it (name, email, profile photo);
• the display name and the username you choose, your profile photo, your short bio and, if you want, the equipment you use, which are visible to the other signed-in users;
• a unique account identifier (UID) and the status of your profile (for example "verified" or "supporter").

3.2 Posts, photos and comments

• Posts: the text you write (up to 2,200 characters in the app), an optional photo, the category (astronomy, celestial event or UAP sighting), the equipment you used, the place of the sighting as free text, and the date and time of the sighting.
• Position of a sighting: latitude and longitude are saved only if you press the GPS button when you create the post. They are rounded to three decimals (about 110 metres) and saved together with a geohash derived from them. If you do not press the button, no coordinates are saved.
• Photos: before upload the app decodes the photo and compresses it again (JPEG, maximum 1,920 pixels on the longest side), so the EXIF data of the original, including any GPS position, is not uploaded. Photos are saved in secure cloud storage and are shown through a web link that contains a secret token: anyone who has that exact link can open the photo, so do not share it if you do not want others to see it.
• Interactions: the comments and replies you write, the likes you give and your votes on the credibility of a post. Votes on credibility are shown to other users only in aggregate form.

Posts, comments, replies and likes are visible to all signed-in users, and your name, username and profile photo are shown next to them.

3.3 Dark sky spots

If you add a dark sky spot to the map we save its title, description, coordinates, Bortle class, elevation, and your name and account identifier as the author. Spots are visible to all signed-in users. You can delete the spots you created.

3.4 Follows, saved posts and blocks

• Follows: the accounts you follow and those who follow you.
• Saved posts: the posts you save. They are private and visible only to you.
• Blocks: the accounts you block. We also keep, for the blocked user, the information that they have been blocked by you, so that the block works in both directions. We do not tell the blocked user.

3.5 Private messages

You can exchange text messages (up to 1,500 characters) with other users. Messages are saved on our servers and can be read only by the two participants of the conversation. The sender can delete a message within 60 minutes of sending it, and it disappears for both. Messages are protected in transit (HTTPS/TLS) but they are not end-to-end encrypted. The push notification of a new message shows only the name of the sender, not the text. We do not read your messages; our team can see the last messages of a conversation only if you or another user report it (see section 3.9) or if the law requires it.

3.6 Notifications

If you allow notifications (Android permission), we save the identifier of your device given by Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM token) and the list of notifications of your account (likes, comments, new followers, messages), in order to send them to you. You can refuse or withdraw the permission at any time in the Android settings.

3.7 "Verified" badge

If you ask for the verified badge we do not ask for identity documents. We ask you to put a short code we give you (in the form "starlyze-XXXXXX") in a public profile of yours on another website, and to send us from 1 to 3 links (https) to those profiles, with an optional message. The request is saved until the team examines it: if it is approved the request is deleted, if it is rejected it is kept with its status, and you can try again after 30 days.

3.8 "Supporter" purchase

The "Supporter" purchase is handled entirely by Google Play: we never receive your card or payment method details. To verify the purchase and show the supporter recognition, we receive from Google Play the product, the order ID, the date of purchase and a purchase token, which we check with the Google Play Developer API and keep also in hashed form.

3.9 Reports and moderation

• Reports: you can report posts, comments, profiles, dark sky spots and private conversations. We save who reported, what was reported, the reason you choose and the date. For comments, profiles and conversations the team receives a copy of the reported content (for a conversation, the last 5 messages), so that the report can be evaluated even if the content is later modified or deleted.
• Automatic hiding: a post reported by at least 5 different users, and a dark sky spot reported by at least 3, is hidden in the app until the team reviews it. The decisions to remove content, send a warning or suspend an account are always taken by a person, not by an automated system.
• Outcome of reports: we keep a count of how many of your reports were found valid or unfounded, to identify abuse of the reporting function.
• Notes and logs: the team may keep internal notes about an account and a log of the administrative operations (operator, date, IP address of the operator, reason).
• Emails: if content is removed, an account is suspended or a badge is decided, we may notify you by email.

3.10 Tonight's sky and external content

• Position: for the "Tonight's sky" forecast you can use the position of the phone (Android location permission, approximate or precise) or search for a city. The position you use is saved only on your phone. To obtain the forecast, the app sends rounded coordinates (about 1 km) to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway, api.met.no), which receives them together with your IP address. To search a city or to show the name of a place, the app uses the Android geocoding service, which on most phones is provided by Google.
• Space news and photo of the day: the app downloads the NASA "Astronomy Picture of the Day" and the news feed of the European Space Agency (ESA). Your device connects directly to those services, which receive your IP address under their own privacy policies and do not receive any account data.
• Maps: the dark sky map uses Google Maps, which receives your IP address and the data about the map areas you view, under Google's privacy policy.
• Links: external links open in your browser or in the related app, which receive your IP address under their own privacy policies.

3.11 Statistics, security and technical data

• Google Analytics for Firebase: aggregated statistics on how the app is used (screens opened, session length, device model, Android version, country or approximate area derived from the IP address), through an installation identifier.
• Server technical logs: IP address, date and time of requests and any errors, kept for security and troubleshooting.

4. Purposes and Legal Bases

• Performance of the service you request (Art. 6(1)(b)): account, profile, posts, comments, messages, follows, dark sky spots, notifications, verified badge, supporter purchase, forecast of the sky, replies to your requests.
• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): device location permission, notifications, use of the GPS position in a post. You can withdraw it at any time.
• Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)): content moderation, handling of reports, security of the services and prevention of abuse and of fake accounts, aggregated statistics to improve the app. You can object by writing to info@starlyware.com.
• Legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(c)): tax obligations and requests from authorities.

5. Recipients and Service Providers

We do not sell your data. For the purposes above, your data may be processed by:

• Google (Google Ireland Ltd and Google LLC): Firebase (authentication, database, file storage, server functions, Cloud Messaging, Analytics), Google Play (payments, distribution and updates), Google Maps, Sign in with Google. Google acts as a processor on our behalf.
• Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway), for the weather forecast of the "Tonight's sky" section.
• Aruba S.p.A., which hosts the website and the management panel used by the controller to moderate and administer the app, and which sends the moderation emails.
• Other users of the app, only for the content you publish and for your name, username and profile photo, and the participants of a conversation for the messages.
• Public authorities, only when required by law.

6. Where Your Data Is Stored

The Starlyze database and server functions are located in the European Union (europe-west1 region, Belgium). The photos you upload (post photos and profile photos) are stored in Google Cloud Storage in the United States (us-east1 region, South Carolina). Some Google services (for example Analytics, Maps and Cloud Messaging) may also process data outside the European Union, in particular in the United States. Such transfers are based on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and on the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

7. Retention

• Account and content: as long as the account exists. When you delete your account we delete your profile, posts with their photos, dark sky spots, messages, follows, saved posts, notifications and the other data listed in the account deletion page.
• Messages: until the sender deletes the message (possible within 60 minutes), until both participants have deleted the conversation, or until an account is deleted. Deleting a conversation removes it only for you: the other person keeps their copy. Deleting an account deletes the whole conversation, also for the other person.
• Reports and report copies: the raw report (who, what, reason, date) is kept as long as needed to evaluate it and to protect the community. The copy of a reported comment or profile is deleted 180 days after the report is closed; the copy of the messages of a reported conversation is deleted 90 days after the report.
• Content removed by moderation: a copy may be kept in an archive that users cannot access, to handle disputes, for the period chosen at removal (from 7 days to 24 months, normally 90 days), and is then deleted automatically.
• Accounts suspended for violations: they cannot be deleted. Email, username, date and reason of the suspension are kept to prevent further abuse, for as long as needed for that purpose.
• Log of administrative operations: up to 24 months, for security and accountability.
• Internal moderation notes: kept as long as needed to protect the community and to handle disputes, and deleted when no longer needed.
• Server technical logs: normally 30 days.
• Analytics statistics: according to the retention period set in Google Analytics, at most 14 months.
• Google Play orders: kept by Google according to its legal obligations.
• Forecast position: only on your phone, until you change it or uninstall the app.

8. Account Deletion and Your Choices

• Delete your account in the app from Profile → Edit Profile → Delete My Account, or follow the account deletion instructions.
• Without deleting your account you can delete your posts, comments, dark sky spots and messages, change or remove your profile photo, bio and equipment, unfollow and block users.
• You can withdraw the location and notification permissions in the Android settings.

Please note: if you delete your account, comments, replies and likes you left on other people's posts are not removed automatically. They stay without your name (the author is shown as "deleted user"). You can ask us to remove them by writing to info@starlyware.com.

The use of the app is also governed by the Starlyze Terms of Use.

9. Your Rights

Under Articles 15-22 of the GDPR you have the right to:

• access your data and receive a copy;
• ask for its rectification or erasure;
• ask for the restriction of processing or object to it;
• receive the data you provided in a structured format (portability);
• withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting processing already carried out;
• not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing: our moderation decisions are taken by a person;
• lodge a complaint with the Italian Data Protection Authority (www.garanteprivacy.it) or with the supervisory authority of your country.

To exercise your rights, write to info@starlyware.com from the email address of your account. We reply within one month.

10. People in Canada

Starlyware is based in Italy and the GDPR applies to the processing described in this policy. If you are in Canada, we also follow the principles of the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where it applies, of Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector.

• Accountability: Gianluca Grasso, owner of Starlyware, is responsible for our compliance with privacy rules and can be reached at info@starlyware.com.
• Consent: we collect, use and share your personal information for the purposes described in this policy, with your consent or as the law permits. You can withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal requirements, by writing to us or by using the choices described in this policy. If you do, some features of the app may no longer be available to you.
• Your rights: you can ask us for access to your personal information, to know how it is used and shared, to correct it if it is inaccurate or incomplete, and to delete it. We reply within 30 days and do not charge a fee. If you live in Quebec you can also ask to receive your information in a structured, commonly used technological format, and ask us to stop disseminating it or to de-index it in the cases provided by law.
• Transfers outside Canada: your information is stored in the European Union (Belgium), the photos you upload are stored in the United States, and some of the providers listed in this policy may also process it in the United States. It can therefore be accessed by courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of those countries, under their laws.
• Security incidents: if a breach of security safeguards creates a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and the competent authorities as required by law.
• Questions and complaints: write to us first at info@starlyware.com. You can also complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (www.priv.gc.ca) or, if you live in Quebec, to the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec (www.cai.gouv.qc.ca).

11. Children

Starlyze is not intended for people under 16 and you must be at least 16 to create an account. If we find that an account belongs to a person under 16, we delete it together with its data. If you believe a person under 16 is using Starlyze, write to us and we will delete the account.

12. Security

All communication between the app and the servers is encrypted (HTTPS/TLS). Access to data is protected by rules that allow only signed-in users to read community content, only the two participants to read a conversation, and only you to read your private data (for example saved posts). Sensitive operations (moderation, verification, purchases, account deletion) are performed and verified only by the server. The management panel is accessible only to authorized staff. No system is completely secure: in case of a data breach that presents a risk for you we will notify you and the competent authorities as required by law.

13. Changes

We may update this policy for new features of the app or changes in the law. The date of the last update is shown at the top. In case of important changes we will let you know in advance, by email and in the notes of the app update on Google Play.