Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 06, 2025

TinyGS promotes the safety of space flights, the protection of the space environment, and the peaceful use of space globally by sharing space situational awareness information and telemetry with satellite owners/operators, academic institutions, and other entities. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

Personal Data and Privacy

Registration and Account Creation

TinyGS offers two registration methods to join our community:

  • Telegram registration: Users can join by contacting the TinyGS bot on Telegram and following the automated registration process. This has been the traditional method since the beginning of the project.
  • Email invitation system: Active community members can send email invitations to trusted individuals. This invitation-only system helps maintain a high-quality, trusted community while allowing growth through personal recommendations.

Both registration methods provide full access to all TinyGS features and services.

Collected Information

  • Name and description of the station: It does not need to match any real data. Users can use pseudonyms or amateur radio call signs. The choice of a name is the sole responsibility of the user.

  • Location of the station: It is necessary to coordinate the reception of satellites when they are over the user’s horizon. The accuracy of this data is limited by the software of the stations.

  • E-mail address (for email-based registration): If you register through email invitation, we collect your e-mail address for account authentication, login, service updates, technical support, and important announcements. Your e-mail will only be used for the purposes stated in these Terms of Service. We will not share it with third parties without your explicit consent, except as required by law.

  • Telegram username (for Telegram registration): If you register through Telegram, we store your Telegram username for account identification and communication purposes within the TinyGS community.

  • Invitation system data (email registration only): When you register via email invitation, we store:

    • The invitation lineage (a record of who invited you and their invitation history)
    • The date you joined the community
    • Your invitation quota and active invitations

    This information is used for:

    • Community management: Maintaining the quality and security of our user base
    • Gamification: Recognizing active community members who help grow TinyGS
    • Security purposes: If a malicious user is detected, we may suspend entire invitation branches to protect the community
    • Statistics: Understanding community growth patterns

Email Invitation System

Active users who registered via email receive a limited number of email invitations to share with trusted individuals. By sending an email invitation:

  • You confirm that you have permission to share the recipient’s e-mail address with TinyGS
  • You understand that you become part of the invitee’s “lineage” (invitation history)
  • You acknowledge that your invitation activity may be tracked for community management purposes
  • Invitations expire after 7 days if not accepted, and the invitee’s e-mail is automatically deleted
  • You are responsible for inviting trustworthy individuals who will respect these Terms of Service

E-mail Communication (for email-registered users)

By providing your e-mail address during registration, you may receive:

  • Account verification and confirmation e-mails
  • Invitation e-mails if you are invited by another user
  • Optional newsletters (daily, weekly, or none - your choice)
  • Important service announcements and security alerts
  • Technical support communications

You can update your e-mail preferences at any time from your user console.

Telegram Communication (for Telegram-registered users)

Users who register through Telegram will receive notifications and communications through the Telegram platform, including station alerts, community announcements, and technical updates.

Images

Users can provide images of their installations or related to them, which will be publicly displayed on the website. The images are moderated to avoid publishing content that infringes on essential rights of individuals or properties, as well as violent or adult content. However, the content of the images is the sole responsibility of each user. The community disclaims any liability in this regard.

Data Deletion

No more data associated with the users is stored. Users can request the deletion of references to their station on the platform. In such cases, the data will be anonymized but not deleted, as they are not owned by the receiving stations.

Data Collection and Transmission

Any user can request to participate in the community. If they have a compatible station, they can follow the steps described on the website. The installation of the station and the transmission of data to the server are voluntary and without compensation. Users can stop sending data at any time.

Data transmission must be done in real-time. Sending delayed, modified, manipulated, or fabricated data is prohibited unless expressly agreed in writing, as this would provide a misleading and deceptive image of the received data.

Users providing data grant a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, and non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, display, translate, and distribute the data, in whole or in part, and to incorporate it into other works in any form, medium, or technology now known or hereafter developed.

Contact

For any queries related to this Privacy Policy, users can contact TinyGS via the following email: [email protected]

TinyGS reserves the right to change or modify this Privacy Policy at any time and without prior notice.