SKYTRACE / LEGAL
Clear terms.
Clear skies.
Privacy and terms for using Skytrace, written to be as clear as the product itself.
Privacy Policy
What is processed, why it matters, and the choices available to you.
A clear starting point.
Skytrace is designed to make live aviation easier to explore. This Privacy Policy explains what information is processed when you use Skytrace, why it is used, and the choices available to you.
Skytrace V1 can be explored without creating an account. The public live map does not ask for a user profile.
What the service sees.
When you request a page or live data, the service necessarily receives the request and its technical context. Skytrace's application code uses a trusted edge-provided IP value for short-lived, per-instance API rate limiting when available; otherwise requests share an anonymous limit. It does not create a persistent user profile from that value.
Provider failures are logged with an operation category, error category, and duration—not the request URL or precise location. Hosting, network, and map providers may also process ordinary connection data under their own practices; Skytrace does not control their logs.
No analytics or advertising tracker is integrated in the current V1 application code. If that changes, this policy must be updated before deployment.
Location stays purposeful.
When available, coarse location supplied by the hosting platform from your IP address may center the Live Map on an approximate region. This does not place a “you are here” marker, and Skytrace does not store your raw IP for map positioning. A recent viewport you manually chose may be saved in this browser and takes priority; you can clear it with browser storage.
Around Me and the live map's locate control request browser location only after you select the relevant action and grant permission. You can deny or revoke permission in your browser or device settings, and Around Me offers manual coordinates or an airport as an alternative.
Exact coordinates used by Around Me stay in that page's memory for proximity calculations and are not saved in preferences. Its aircraft request sends coordinates rounded to 0.01° to Skytrace's server; the provider adapter queries ADSB.lol using a broader regional center. Map tiles may reveal the area you view to the map provider.
Requested for a location-dependent action—not continuously collected by Skytrace in the background.
Why processing happens.
Request and diagnostic information supports the features you ask for, service reliability, error diagnosis, and abuse protection. Skytrace does not use location to infer sensitive personal characteristics.
Current V1 code does not run product analytics. Future analytics or other new processing would require this policy and any applicable controls to be updated.
Open data, distinct roles.
Aircraft and airport information is aviation data—not a Skytrace user profile. Skytrace uses ADSB.lol for aircraft observations, OurAirports for airport reference information, and OpenFreeMap/OpenMapTiles/OpenStreetMap data for maps. Data & Methodology ↗ explains how observations and estimates are interpreted.
These services, and the site's hosting or network infrastructure, may process limited technical information according to their own practices. Skytrace does not name an analytics, authentication, or monitoring vendor here because none is integrated in the current application code; deployment-specific providers require review before public launch.
Storage has boundaries.
Skytrace uses localStorage for preferences, favorite aircraft, and saved airports; these remain in your browser until you clear them or change them. Session storage remembers the landing intro state and short observed-aircraft trails for that browser session. Short-lived live-data caches and rate-limit entries are held in server memory, not a permanent user history database.
Skytrace's current application code does not set advertising or analytics cookies. Infrastructure logs, if any, may have different retention periods controlled by the deployment provider. Those periods must be confirmed before treating this page as a final production privacy notice.
Control what you share.
You can deny or revoke location access, use manual or airport-based location instead, clear Skytrace browser storage, or stop using the service. Additional rights may apply under your local law; a verified contact channel for requests must be published before commercial launch.
Protection without promises.
The current service validates API inputs, limits request rates, and uses fixed provider endpoints rather than arbitrary proxy URLs. No internet service can guarantee absolute security.
A general-audience service.
Skytrace is not designed to knowingly collect personal information from children in a manner prohibited by applicable law. If information requiring parental consent is found to have been collected improperly, Skytrace should take reasonable steps to address it.
When this policy changes.
This policy may be updated as Skytrace evolves. Material changes should appear here with an updated date.
Get in touch.
A dedicated privacy contact channel has not yet been published. Verified business and privacy contact details must be added before commercial launch; no email address is implied by this page.
Terms of Use
How to use Skytrace responsibly, and where its information has limits.
Explore responsibly.
These Terms of Use govern access to and use of Skytrace. By using Skytrace, you agree to use the service responsibly and in accordance with these terms and applicable law. If you do not agree, do not use the service.
Skytrace offers tools to explore aircraft observations, airports, nearby aviation activity, and related context. It is intended for informational, educational, and recreational use. You are responsible for how you use the information it presents.
Not for operational decisions.
Skytrace is not an air traffic control system, navigation service, flight-planning authority, emergency service, or official aviation source. Do not rely on it for navigation, flight operations, emergency response, safety decisions, regulatory compliance, or official airport/runway status.
Use appropriate official and authoritative sources whenever operational accuracy matters.
Know what you're seeing.
Observed means a value was received from an aircraft broadcast or another supported observation source. Estimated means context calculated or inferred by Skytrace from available observations. Official means information explicitly obtained from an authoritative source. Skytrace does not present estimated operations as official information.
Live data may be incomplete, delayed, unavailable, or incorrect because of receiver coverage, aircraft equipment, unavailable broadcasts, network or provider interruptions, processing delay, or other technical limits. Predictions can change as new observations arrive. See Data & Methodology ↗.
Observed ≠ Estimated ≠ Official. Skytrace keeps those distinctions visible.
Keep the service useful.
Do not interfere with Skytrace, bypass restrictions, overload infrastructure, attempt unauthorized access, extract data in violation of applicable restrictions, misuse third-party data, use the service unlawfully, impersonate Skytrace, or represent Skytrace estimates as official information. Normal, reasonable product use is permitted.
Independent foundations.
Skytrace incorporates third-party datasets, maps, infrastructure, and services. Their availability and accuracy are outside Skytrace's complete control. Third-party materials may have separate licenses, attribution requirements, and terms. Relevant attribution is available in the product footer and Data & Methodology ↗.
Respect each source.
The Skytrace name, interface, original design, software, branding, and original content are subject to applicable intellectual-property law. Third-party data, maps, trademarks, and other materials remain subject to their owners' rights and licenses. These Terms do not transfer ownership of Skytrace intellectual property to users.
The product may evolve.
Skytrace may change, add, remove, suspend, or discontinue features. Free, Lite, and Pro functionality may evolve. Features described as planned or coming soon are not guaranteed to launch on a particular date or specification.
Skytrace V1 is presented as free where indicated. Future Lite or Pro pricing and plan structure are not final until formally announced.
Provided as available.
Skytrace is provided on an “as available” basis. To the extent permitted by applicable law, it does not guarantee that the service will be uninterrupted, complete, current, error-free, or suitable for an operational purpose. Nothing here excludes rights or warranties that cannot legally be excluded.
Limits require legal review.
Reliance on incomplete, delayed, estimated, or unavailable aviation information can cause harm. Skytrace is informational only, and no statement on this page attempts to exclude liability that cannot legally be excluded. Any enforceable limitation-of-liability clause requires qualified legal review before commercial launch.
The latest version lives here.
These Terms may be updated as the product evolves. The latest version and effective date should be published on this page. Continued use after an update may constitute acceptance where permitted by applicable law.
Jurisdiction not yet set.
No governing jurisdiction or dispute-resolution procedure is specified here. The operating legal entity and applicable jurisdiction must be confirmed, and this section reviewed, before commercial launch.
Questions about these Terms.
Verified business and legal contact details have not yet been published and must be added before commercial launch.