Privacy policy

This policy explains what personal data TailNav collects when you use tailnav.com, create an account or connect an ADS-B receiver, what we do with it and the choices you have. We have tried to keep it short and specific to what the site actually does.

1. Who we are

TailNav is operated by TailNav ("we", "us"). We are the controller of the personal data described here under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

For anything to do with your data, email privacy@tailnav.com.

2. What we collect and why

Visiting the site

Like every website, our server receives your IP address, browser type and the page requested. We use this to deliver the site, keep it secure and limit abuse such as automated scraping. Server logs are kept for up to 30 days. Lawful basis: legitimate interests in running a secure, reliable service.

When you open an aircraft on the live map, your browser sends us the aircraft's transponder code together with a random identifier that lasts until you close the tab. We use this only to count how many people are watching each flight for the "Most tracked" list. It isn't linked to your account or IP address and you can switch it off in cookie settings.

To see how many people use the site and which pages they visit, we count page views on our own server. We don't use cookies or outside analytics for this. To count unique visitors, we combine your IP address and browser type with a secret that changes every day and keep only the scrambled result, so you can't be recognised from one day to the next and we never store your IP address for this. We also note the website that sent you here (for example, a search engine) and whether you're on a phone or computer. Lawful basis: legitimate interests in understanding and improving the site.

If part of a page fails to work, your browser may send us a short error report: the error message, the page address and your browser type. We use these only to fix problems and delete them after 30 days.

Using "What's that plane?"

If you allow it, your browser shares your location so we can show the aircraft near you. The location is used to answer that request only and is not stored.

Creating an account

We collect your email address and a password, which we store only as a one-way scrambled hash that nobody, including us, can read. We also record the IP address you signed up from and the date, to stop people creating many accounts to collect TailTokens. If you save map settings, filters or bookmarks while signed in, we keep those with your account so they follow you between devices. Lawful basis: performance of our agreement with you, and legitimate interests in preventing fraud.

Connecting a receiver

When you add a station we collect its name and location, and give it a private feeder key. While it's connected we receive the aircraft messages your receiver decodes, the IP address it connects from and timing information, and we keep hourly statistics such as message rate, aircraft count and range.

We use the location to check that your data is genuine (for example, that the range and aircraft you report make sense for where you are) and to calculate MLAT positions. We never publish a receiver's exact location. Coverage maps and the leaderboard show approximate areas and station names only. Lawful basis: performance of our agreement with you, and legitimate interests in running the network and detecting faked data.

TailTokens

We keep a record of the TailTokens each station earns, the results of the checks we run on your data, and anything you spend TailTokens on. This record is kept for as long as you have an account so we can resolve questions about it.

Linking Discord

If you choose to link your Discord account, we receive your Discord user ID and display name from Discord and use them to give you the Feeder role in our server. You can unlink at any time from your account page.

Emails

We send emails needed to run your account: confirming your address, resetting your password, and important notices about your stations or these policies. We don't send marketing emails unless you've asked for them.

3. Aircraft data

The aircraft positions on TailNav come from signals that aircraft broadcast openly to air traffic control and other aircraft. Alongside them we show details from public aircraft registers and other sources, such as registration, type and operator. For privately owned aircraft this can relate to an identifiable person.

We show this data because it is broadcast publicly and is of legitimate interest to aviation enthusiasts and the travelling public. If you own or operate an aircraft and want its details limited or hidden on TailNav, email privacy@tailnav.com with the registration and evidence that you're the owner or operator. We'll respond within one month. Where an aircraft takes part in a government blocking scheme, such as the FAA's LADD programme, we'll honour that.

4. Who we share it with

We don't sell personal data and we don't use advertising networks. We share data only with:

• Hosting and email providers who run our servers and send our emails, under contracts that only let them process the data on our instructions.
• Discord, if you choose to link your account.
• Authorities, where the law requires it or to protect the safety of people or the service.

Aircraft data your receiver contributes is combined with other receivers' data and shown on the site. It is not linked back to you publicly.

5. Services your browser contacts directly

To show maps and photos, your browser loads some content straight from other services. They receive your IP address and browser details in the normal way, and handle them under their own privacy policies:

• OpenStreetMap and Esri: map and satellite tiles
• Planespotters.net and Wikimedia Commons: aircraft photos
• avs.io: airline logos

6. International transfers

Our servers may be located outside the UK. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we make sure it is protected by an adequacy decision or the UK's approved contract terms.

7. How long we keep it

8. Security

The site is served over HTTPS, passwords are hashed with scrypt, sign-in cookies can't be read by scripts, and feeder keys are random and private to you. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a password you don't use elsewhere. If we become aware of a breach that affects you, we'll tell you and the regulator where the law requires.

9. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• get a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• have inaccurate data corrected
• have your data deleted
• object to, or ask us to restrict, how we use it
• receive your data in a portable format
• withdraw consent, where we rely on it, at any time

You can download your data or close your account from your account page, or email privacy@tailnav.com. We'll reply within one month. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk, although we'd appreciate the chance to sort it out first.

10. Children

Accounts are for people aged 13 and over. Anyone can view the live map without an account.

11. Changes to this policy

If we make significant changes we'll update the date at the top and, if you have an account, email you. Earlier versions are available on request.