🚙 Our Commitment to Your Privacy
At ExplorerUK, we're passionate off-roaders first and website operators second. We built this platform
because we love green laning, not because we want to harvest your data. This policy explains exactly
what information we collect, why we collect it, and how you can control it.
🎯 Bottom Line:
We collect what we need to run a membership-based community map platform. Your contributions
(pins, photos, comments) are public to help other members. Payment data is handled by Stripe (not us).
We use AI to moderate content. No ads, no tracking pixels, no selling your data.
📊 What We Collect
1. Account Information (If You Register)
- Email Address: For login, subscription management, and important notifications
- Username/Display Name: Generated from your email (e.g., "John" from john@email.com)
- Password: Encrypted and stored securely (we never see your actual password)
- Subscription Status: Active, cancelled, past due, etc.
- Membership Start Date: When you joined
2. Payment & Billing Information (Stripe)
- Weekly Subscription: £0.99/week charged via Stripe
- Card Details: Stored by Stripe (NOT on our servers)
- Billing Address: Collected by Stripe for payment processing
- Transaction History: Payment dates, amounts, status
- Stripe Customer ID: Links your account to Stripe's system
Important: We never see or store your full card details. Stripe handles all payment data
according to PCI-DSS standards. Read Stripe's privacy policy at
stripe.com/privacy
3. Public User Contributions (Command Hub)
⚠️ This data is PUBLIC and visible to all members:
- Map Pins: Locations, titles, descriptions, categories (events, camping, TRO warnings, etc.)
- Photos: Images you upload to pins (stored on our servers, publicly visible)
- Comments: Your comments on pins and posts
- Lane Comments: Your comments on green lanes/BOATs (TRO warnings, surface conditions, gates, general info)
- Your Initials: Displayed on your contributions (e.g., "JS" for John Smith)
- Contribution Stats: Number of pins posted, likes received, badges earned
4. Optional Real-Time Location Sharing
- Voluntary Feature: You can choose to share your real-time GPS location with other members
- How It Works: Click "Find Friends" button to turn location sharing ON/OFF
- What's Shared: Your current GPS coordinates and username/initials
- Who Can See It: All logged-in members when you have location sharing enabled
⚠️ Location Sharing is 100% OPTIONAL:
We NEVER access your location without your explicit permission. You must manually enable
the "Find Friends" feature. You can turn it OFF at any time.
🔧 How We Use Your Data
Your data helps us:
- Run the Membership System: Process subscriptions, manage accounts, send renewal reminders
- Operate Command Hub: Display your pins, photos, and contributions on the community map
- Moderate Content: Use AI to detect spam, inappropriate content, and maintain quality
- Improve the Platform: Understand which features are popular and need improvement
- Prevent Abuse: Track reports, bans, and suspicious activity
- Communicate With You: Send subscription confirmations, payment receipts, important updates
💰 We NEVER:
Sell your data. Rent your data. Share your data with advertisers. Use your data for marketing
emails (beyond essential service updates). Your privacy is sacred – we're laners, not data brokers!
⚖️ Your Rights Under UK GDPR
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to Access: Request a copy of all data we hold about you
- Right to Rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate information
- Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your account and data
- Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in CSV or JSON format
- Right to Object: Opt out of data processing for specific purposes
- Right to Complain: File a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office
How to Exercise Your Rights
Email us at privacy@exploreruk.com with your request. We'll respond within 30 days as required by law.
🔗 Third-Party Services We Use
1. Stripe (Payment Processing) 💳
Processes all subscription payments. Privacy Policy: stripe.com/privacy
2. OpenAI (AI Content Moderation) 🤖
Analyzes user submissions for spam/quality. Privacy Policy: openai.com/privacy
3. OpenStreetMap (Map Tiles) 🗺️
Provides map background tiles. Privacy Policy: OpenStreetMap Privacy
✅ What We DON'T Use:
Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Google Ads, any ad networks, any tracking services. Just the essentials listed above.
🔒 How We Protect Your Data
- SSL/TLS Encryption: All data transmitted over HTTPS (secure connection)
- Password Hashing: Passwords encrypted with bcrypt
- Secure Servers: Hosted on reputable infrastructure with regular updates
- Payment Security: PCI-DSS compliant via Stripe
⚠️ No System is 100% Secure:
While we implement industry-standard security, no online platform can guarantee absolute security.
If you notice a security issue, please report it to security@exploreruk.com