SkyVerdict logo SkyVerdict
Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-05-16.

This page describes what data SkyVerdict (@SkyVerdict_Bot on Telegram) collects, why, and which third parties process it. It is written in plain English on purpose — if anything is unclear, DM the bot and ask.

What we collect

  • Your Telegram user ID, language preference, and the username / display name your Telegram client provides. This is required for the bot to know who is messaging it.
  • Your pilot profile: certification level (P2 / P3 / P4+), self-reported flight hours, and flying styles. You enter this during /start and can edit it any time with /profile.
  • Your site subscriptions: which launches you want verdicts for, and your notification preferences for each.
  • Your location queries: the place names or coordinates you ask for forecasts about. These are resolved via Open-Meteo geocoding (with Nominatim as a fallback) and stored only to remember your subscribed sites.
  • Telegram Stars payment metadata: subscription tier, expiry, transaction IDs returned by Telegram's payment webhook. We do not see your card, bank, or any non-Telegram payment instrument.
  • Verdict history (aggregated): the verdicts the bot generated for your sites are logged so the calibration mode can audit decisions and so we can tune thresholds over time. Logs do not include your name in clear text — just the Telegram user ID.
  • Error events: when the bot crashes or hits an unhandled exception, the traceback is sent to Sentry (see "Subprocessors" below). Sentry events include the request that triggered the error but are scrubbed of message text.

What we do not collect

  • Your real-world location — the bot never asks for GPS or device coordinates. Site queries are typed by you.
  • Email, phone number, address, or any payment instrument beyond Telegram Stars metadata.
  • Browsing or device fingerprints — this website sets zero cookies and serves zero analytics scripts.
  • Message content from other Telegram chats — the bot only sees messages explicitly sent to it.

Why we collect what we collect

  • Personalisation: the verdict is gated on your pilot level. Without the profile, the bot has nothing to compare the forecast against.
  • Service delivery: alerts, briefings, and day-ahead notifications are sent to your specific user ID at the times you configured.
  • Calibration: aggregated verdict logs let us tune per-site thresholds. This is what the long-term moat is built on.
  • Reliability: error tracking via Sentry is how a one-person ops team catches regressions before users do.

Subprocessors (where your data goes)

  • Telegram — the bot platform. All bot messages and Stars payments flow through Telegram. Subject to Telegram's privacy policy.
  • Open-Meteo — numerical weather forecasts (surface + pressure-level data). We send a latitude/longitude query; no user identifier is shared.
  • Nominatim (OpenStreetMap) — fallback geocoder for sites Open-Meteo can't resolve. We send a place-name query; no user identifier is shared.
  • Holfuy — live anemometer readings from public stations. We send a station ID; no user identifier is shared.
  • Sentry — error tracking. Receives stack traces and the Telegram user ID associated with the error event. Sentry retains events per its own policy.
  • Hetzner Cloud (Falkenstein, DE) — production hosting. The single VPS that runs the bot also stores the SQLite database. Located in the EU.
  • Contabo Object Storage — encrypted off-site backups of the SQLite database. Used solely for disaster recovery.
  • Cloudflare Pages — serves this website. Does not have access to your bot data.

Where data is stored

All operational data lives in a SQLite file (data.db) on a single VPS in Falkenstein, Germany (Hetzner Cloud). Daily encrypted backups go to Contabo Object Storage (also EU). No data is transferred outside the EEA except where the subprocessor itself operates globally (Telegram, Sentry, Cloudflare).

Retention

Profile and subscription data is retained indefinitely while the bot is in use. You can request deletion at any time by sending /feedback in the bot with a message like "please delete my data" — or by messaging the operator directly. Once deletion is processed, all your records are removed within 14 days. Sentry events expire on Sentry's own retention schedule (typically 90 days for the free tier).

Your rights

Under GDPR (we're EU-hosted, so it applies regardless of your location): you can request access to, correction of, export of, or deletion of your data at any time. The mechanism is DMing the bot. We will respond within 30 days.

Children

SkyVerdict is intended for certified paraglider pilots, who in nearly all jurisdictions must be at least 16. We do not knowingly collect data from minors who have not undergone paragliding instruction.

Changes to this policy

Material changes will be announced in the SkyVerdict Telegram channel and reflected here with an updated date at the top of this page. Continued use of the bot after a change indicates acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact

Privacy questions: DM the bot or email hello@skyverdict.app.

This policy describes our current practice in good faith. It is not legal advice. For pre-paid-launch deployments, this policy is a working draft; the production version will be reviewed and reissued at the Phase 2 paid-launch boundary.