Privacy Policy

SkyBuddy ("we", "us") is a social aviation tracker. This page explains what we collect, why, and what your rights are. We try to keep this short and plain — if anything is unclear, email us.

What we collect

• Account data: email address, display name, password (stored only as a salted hash).
• Profile content you choose to add: avatar image, base airport, fleet, employer, voice samples used by your AI clone, and similar profile fields.
• Flight schedules and history: flights you log or import, layover information, and any notes you attach.
• Buddy graph: who you have added as a buddy, and the privacy tier you assigned them ("Family" vs "Friends").
• Observer share metadata: share links you create, who clicked them, and any audio messages observers leave.
• Chat content: messages and any voice clips you record in chat.
• Technical data: IP address, user agent, and basic request logs, retained for security and abuse-prevention.

We do not request browser geolocation. Your "current location" is derived from the flight schedule data you give us.

How we use it

• To run the service: log you in, render your globe, sync schedules, deliver chat and observer share features.
• To keep accounts secure: detect abuse, rate-limit, recover lost passwords.
• To communicate about the service: account notices, security alerts, and (rarely) major product changes. We do not send marketing email.

We do not sell your data. We do not run advertising on SkyBuddy.

Who can see what

• Your "Family" buddies see your full profile and detailed schedule.
• Your "Friends" buddies see a reduced view (presence and high-level activity, not full schedule detail).
• Observer share links are public-by-link: anyone with the URL can view what you chose to share until you revoke the link.
• Strangers and signed-out visitors see nothing about you unless you give them an observer link.

Third parties

SkyBuddy is hosted on a single server we operate. We do not currently use third-party analytics, ad networks, or session-replay tools. The service does call the following external APIs:

• ADSB.lol and OpenSky Network — for live aircraft positions used to render flights on the 3D globe. These calls do not include account information.
• Cesium Ion and similar map tile providers — for terrain and imagery used by the globe.

If we add analytics, error reporting, or email delivery providers in the future, we will update this page before turning them on.

Cookies

We use a small number of first-party cookies, all functional:

• A session cookie so you stay logged in.
• A preference cookie or two (e.g. UI mode).

We do not use tracking cookies.

Data retention

• Account data is kept while your account exists.
• Flight history is kept for as long as your account exists, unless you delete individual flights.
• Server backups are retained for up to 30 days.
• Request logs are kept up to 90 days for security purposes.
• When you delete your account, we delete or anonymise your data within 30 days, except where we are legally required to keep it longer.

Your rights

Regardless of where you live, you can:

• Access a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Correct anything that is wrong.
• Delete your account and the data tied to it.
• Export your data in a portable format.
• Object to specific processing, or withdraw consent where consent was the basis.

To exercise any of these, email cryptopilot16@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days. If you are in the EU/EEA, UK, or Canada, you also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

Security

Passwords are stored as salted hashes (never in plaintext). Traffic to skybuddy.live and app.skybuddy.live is served over HTTPS with HSTS. We take reasonable steps to limit who on our side can access account data. No system is perfect — if we ever discover a breach affecting your account, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required.

Children

SkyBuddy is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU/EEA). If you believe a child has created an account, email us and we will delete it.

International transfers

SkyBuddy is operated from Canada. If you use the service from elsewhere, your data is processed in Canada under Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA) and applicable contractual safeguards.

Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will update the "last updated" date and, for significant changes, notify account holders by email.

Contact

Questions, requests, complaints, abuse reports: cryptopilot16@gmail.com.