Privacy Policy

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

SpotMe ("SpotMe," "we," "our," or "us") provides a location-based Progressive Web Application (PWA) designed to help registered users discover each other when physically near the same location. We understand that sharing location data requires immense trust. This Privacy Policy details how we collect, process, and safeguard your data while using SpotMe.

2. GPS Location Privacy & Protection

SpotMe handles device GPS coordinates with strict privacy safeguards:

• No Public Coordinate Exposure: Your exact GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) are strictly stored in our secure MySQL database and are NEVER exposed publicly to other users, third parties, or client-side scripts.
• Approximate Distance Calculation: Other users only see an approximate distance (e.g., "Nearby ~0.5 km" or "Same Place") and city/area zone names (e.g., "Guntur", "Beach Road").
• Full User Control: You can toggle location detection on or off at any time directly within your dashboard or browser settings.

3. Information We Collect

To provide automatic nearby discovery, messaging, and user connections, SpotMe collects:

• Account Profile Data: Full name, email address, bio, profile avatar, and interests.
• Location Coordinates: Device GPS coordinates (latitude/longitude) captured only when location detection is enabled by the user.
• Communications Data: One-to-one chat messages and connection request history stored securely in MySQL.
• Click-to-Call Privacy: Telephone numbers are stored securely server-side and processed dynamically via standard `tel:` handlers without public directory display.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use collected data solely for the operational features of the SpotMe platform:

• Nearby User Matching: Comparing proximity radius using the Haversine formula to trigger nearby alerts when two users enter the same location.
• Notifications: Generating in-app notifications and browser push alerts for nearby events or incoming chat messages.
• Messaging & Requests: Delivering messages and managing connection request statuses between SpotMe accounts.

5. Data Security & Encryption

We employ robust technical safeguards to protect your personal information:

• All client-server data transmissions are protected using standard SSL/TLS encryption.
• Database storage utilizes parameterized PDO queries to protect against unauthorized SQL access.
• Session security mechanisms ensure that private messages and profiles are accessible only to authenticated session owners.

6. Third-Party Sharing

SpotMe DOES NOT sell, rent, or trade user personal information, GPS location history, or private messages to advertisers or third-party brokers under any circumstances.

7. Your Privacy Rights

You maintain complete authority over your data on SpotMe:

• Disable GPS Tracking: You can disable location permissions in your browser or turn off location sharing in your dashboard.
• Account Deletion: You can request full removal of your user account, location records, and message history at any time.

8. Contact Our Privacy Team

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please reach out through our Contact Support Page.