BoatEye

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 29 March 2026

BoatEye ("we", "us", "our") operates the BoatEye and BoatEye Lite mobile applications and the boateye.co.uk website. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect it.

1. Data We Collect

Account information: When you register, we collect your name, email address, and a password (stored securely hashed). For lite users, your display name also serves as your public handle.

Location data: The core function of BoatEye is boat tracking. When tracking is enabled, the app records your GPS position (latitude, longitude, speed, course, heading) and transmits it to our servers. For BoatEye Lite, this comes from your phone's GPS. For BoatEye Full, this comes from your boat's NMEA instruments via a connected hardware device.

Boat and trip data: We store your boat details (name, handle), trip history (routes, speeds, distances, durations), race participation, and anchor watch positions.

Instrument data (Full only): If your boat has NMEA instruments connected, we may receive wind speed/direction, depth, water temperature, and barometric pressure data.

Subscription data: If you subscribe to BoatEye Plus, we store your subscription status and the purchase token from Google Play or the App Store for verification purposes. We do not store payment card details — all payments are processed by Google or Apple.

2. How We Use Your Data

• Tracking: To show your boat's position on the map in real-time and record trip history.
• Public profile: If you have a public handle, your boat's position and trip/race history may be visible to anyone with your profile link. You control this via your tracker settings (track history duration and position delay).
• Weather and fishing intel: Your location is used to fetch local weather forecasts, tide data, and sea conditions from third-party APIs (Open-Meteo, World Tides). We do not share your identity with these services — only coordinates.
• Friends: Your position may be shared with users you've accepted as friends within the app.
• Anchor alerts: If enabled, your position is monitored to detect anchor drag. SMS alerts (Plus feature) are sent via a third-party SMS service.
• Races: Race data (positions, times, results) is shared with other race participants and may be publicly viewable.

3. Public Tracker

Each boat has an optional public profile at boateye.co.uk/@handle. When enabled, visitors can see:

• Your boat's current or delayed position
• Recent track history (configurable: 7 days to all time)
• Race history and results
• Trip logs

You can control how much data is visible and add a position delay (up to 6 months) for privacy. The public tracker does not display your email address or personal details — only your handle and boat data.

4. Data Storage and Retention

Your data is stored on servers located in the United Kingdom. We retain your account and tracking data for as long as your account exists. If you delete your account, we will delete your personal data within 30 days. Anonymised aggregate data may be retained for analytics.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Open-Meteo: Weather and marine forecasts (receives coordinates only, no personal data)
• World Tides: Tide predictions (receives coordinates only)
• Google Maps: Map display in the app and on public tracker pages
• Google Play / Apple App Store: Subscription payment processing
• SMS provider: Anchor alert SMS delivery (Plus users only — receives phone numbers you configure)

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your data with advertisers. Your data is only shared as described above: with friends you approve, in races you join, and on your public profile if enabled.

7. Your Rights

Under GDPR and UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Export your data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent for location tracking at any time (by disabling tracking in the app)

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@boateye.co.uk.

8. Children

BoatEye is not intended for children under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of significant changes via email or in-app notification. The "last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

10. Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data:

Email: privacy@boateye.co.uk
Website: boateye.co.uk