Privacy Policy
The short version. You can browse Vanspot without an account. If you sign in, we store your name, email and profile picture from Google so we can attribute your contributions. We use your location to show nearby spots and calculate routes, and we never sell your data or use it for advertising. You can delete your account and everything attached to it from inside the app at any time.
1. Who we are
Vanspot is operated by Pragma (“we”, “us”). For any privacy question, or to exercise any right described below, contact privacy@pragma.ltd.
2. Using Vanspot without an account
Vanspot is guest-first. Browsing the map, reading points of interest and reviews, viewing hazards, reading community channels, reading guides and calculating routes all work without signing in. In guest mode we do not create a user record for you. We still process your approximate or precise location on your device to centre the map, and our server records ordinary technical request data (see section 5).
Signing in is only required to contribute or to use personalised features: posting messages, submitting points of interest, reporting hazards, writing reviews, saving spots, using the AI Guide, and receiving notifications.
3. What we collect and why
| Data | Why we need it | When |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email address, profile picture, and the identifier supplied by your sign-in provider | To create your account, attribute your contributions, and let other users see who posted what | When you sign in with Google or Apple |
| Precise or approximate device location | To centre the map, find spots near you, calculate routes, and sort results by distance | While you use the map or request a route, and only after you grant the permission |
| Location you explicitly share | To show you as a nearby traveller to other users | Only if you turn location sharing on. It is off by default |
| Content you create: points of interest, reviews, ratings, hazard reports, channel messages, photos, and reports of other users' content | To provide the community features. This content is public inside the app | When you submit it |
| Vehicle details: type, dimensions, weight, drivetrain, make, model, and an optional photo | To calculate routes your vehicle can physically use, and to show your rig on your profile | When you enter them. Vehicle details entered as a guest stay on your device only |
| AI Guide conversations | To generate replies and to let you return to earlier conversations | When you use the AI Guide |
| Activity counters and badges: spots submitted, messages sent, routes calculated, days active | To power your profile, levels and the leaderboard | As you use the app |
| IP address, request path, response status, timing, and user agent | Server operation, abuse prevention and rate limiting | Every request, in server logs |
4. What we do not do
- We do not sell or rent your personal data.
- We do not use your data for advertising, and the app contains no ad networks.
- We do not track you across other apps or websites.
- We do not read your contacts, messages, call logs, calendar, or files.
- We do not record location in the background. Location is only read while the app is open and in use.
5. Who your data is shared with
We use a small number of processors, strictly to make the app work:
| Service | What it receives | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Google Sign-In | Your sign-in request; Google returns your name, email and picture to us | Authentication |
| MapTiler | Requests for map tiles, which reveal the map area you are viewing and your IP address | Map rendering |
| OpenStreetMap Nominatim | The place name you type into map search, and your IP address | Place search |
| DeepSeek | The messages you send to the AI Guide and your vehicle context, with no account identifiers attached | Generating AI Guide replies |
Route calculation runs on our own server using self-hosted Valhalla and OpenStreetMap data, so your route requests are not sent to a third-party routing provider. We may also disclose data where we are legally required to.
6. Where data is stored
Vanspot's database and uploaded photos are hosted on a private server in the European Union. Traffic between the app and the server is encrypted with TLS. Access tokens are stored on your device in the Android Keystore-backed secure storage, not in plain preferences.
7. How long we keep it
- Account data — until you delete your account.
- Content you posted — deleted with your account, except where a message is needed to keep a conversation readable, in which case it is detached from your identity.
- Shared location — only the most recent position is kept, and it is removed when you turn sharing off or delete your account.
- Server logs — 30 days.
- Refresh tokens — 30 days, or immediately on sign-out.
8. Your rights and controls
You can access, correct, export or delete your data. In the app:
- Location permission — revoke at any time in Android Settings; the map still works, just not centred on you.
- Location sharing — Profile, then the location sharing toggle. Off by default.
- Sign out — Settings, then Sign out. Clears tokens and cached data from the device.
- Delete account — Settings, then Delete account. This is immediate and irreversible.
If you cannot access the app, use the account deletion request form or email privacy@pragma.ltd. If you are in the EU or UK you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
9. Children
Vanspot is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will remove it.
10. Beta software
Vanspot is currently in beta. Features change frequently, and while we take care with your data we cannot promise a beta build is free of defects. Community content is user-generated and is not verified by us; always use your own judgement about road conditions, wild camping legality, and water potability.
11. Changes to this policy
If we make a material change we will update the date at the top of this page and, where the change affects how we use data you already gave us, notify you in the app before it takes effect.