Privacy Policy
Effective: July 16, 2026
Who we are
Spott: Local Discovery is operated by Spott LLC.
Privacy contact: support@spottguide.com
This policy explains what information the Spott app and its web services collect, how we use it, who we share it with, how we protect it, and how long we keep it.
Information we collect
Location — only if you allow it. If you grant location permission, we use your device's precise location to show how far places are from you and to answer requests like "what's near me." We use it only while you are actively using the app. We never collect location in the background, and we never request "Always" location access. Your location is used to calculate distances at the time of your request and is not stored — it is not written to our records, our analytics, or our logs. You can decline location and continue using the app — you simply won't see distances or "near me" results.
Your Ask Spott questions and chat messages. When you ask Spott a question or send a chat message, we send it to our servers and to our AI provider to generate an answer. See "Artificial intelligence" below. We do not store the text of your Ask Spott questions or chat messages. We use your message only to generate a response in the moment — it is not written to our logs, analytics, or partner reporting.
Your Trip Plans. When you create a Trip Plan, we store the request you entered and the plan we generate, so the plan can be saved and viewed later. Unlike Ask and chat messages, your Trip Plan request is retained as part of your saved plan.
Technical information about your connection. When your device contacts our servers, we receive your IP address and information about your device and app (a "user agent"). We use these to deliver the service, keep it secure, and limit excessive or abusive requests. We record your IP address and user agent alongside the app activity records described below.
App activity. We collect a random session identifier created on your device, your platform (iOS or Android), device type, timestamps of activity, and which places were shown to you or opened. Because Spott has no accounts, we do not connect this to a name, email address, or account.
Information we do not collect. We do not collect your name, email address, phone number, password, payment or financial information, contacts, photos, camera, microphone, or health data. We do not collect an advertising identifier, we do not track you across other companies' apps or websites, and we do not show advertising.
How we use information
We use the information above only to:
- Show you nearby places and calculate distances
- Answer your questions with recommendations
- Operate, maintain, secure, and fix the app
- Detect and prevent abuse, and limit excessive requests
- Understand and improve how Spott works
- Comply with legal obligations
We do not use your information to build an advertising profile.
Artificial intelligence
Ask Spott uses artificial intelligence to answer your question.
Your question is sent from the app to our servers. Our servers select candidate places from our own curated database and send your question, together with information about those places, to our AI provider, Anthropic, which returns a suggested answer. We check that answer against our own data before showing it to you.
We do not send Anthropic your name or contact details — we do not have them. We do not send Anthropic your location; if you have granted location permission, we send only a calculated distance to each place, never your coordinates.
AI answers can be wrong. Please confirm anything that matters — hours, prices, dietary needs, accessibility — directly with the business.
Who we share information with
We share information only with service providers who help us operate Spott. We require each of them, by contract, to protect your information to a standard at least equivalent to this policy and to use it only to provide services to us.
| Who | What they receive | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Your Ask Spott question and information about candidate places | To generate recommendations |
| Supabase | Our place database; app activity records | Database hosting |
| Vercel | Requests to our servers, including your IP address | Application hosting |
| Upstash | A value derived from your IP address | Limiting excessive requests |
We do not sell or rent your personal information, and we do not share it for advertising or cross-context behavioral advertising.
We do not share your information with the businesses listed in Spott.
We may disclose information if required by law, to comply with legal process, or to protect the rights or safety of Spott, our users, or the public.
How we protect information
We protect information using encryption in transit (TLS), access controls, database security controls, and multi-factor authentication on our internal systems. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
How long we keep information
- Your location: not stored. It is used to calculate distances at the time of your request and then discarded.
- Your Ask Spott questions and chat messages: not stored. They are used to generate and return your answer in the moment and are not written to our logs, analytics, or partner reporting.
- Your Trip Plans: the request you entered and the generated plan are retained as part of your saved plan so it can be viewed later. You can ask us to delete a plan (see below).
- App activity records: we retain app activity records with IP address and user agent for up to 12 months. After 12 months, we remove the IP address and user agent and retain de-identified app activity records to operate, improve, and understand Spott.
Your choices and how to request deletion
- Location: grant or withdraw permission at any time in your device settings. Withdrawing it does not lock you out of the app.
- Saved places: stored on your device only. Deleting the app removes them.
- Access or deletion: email support@spottguide.com to ask what information we hold about you or to request deletion. Because Spott has no accounts, we usually hold no information that identifies you personally — if that is the case, we will tell you.
Children
Spott is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with information, email support@spottguide.com and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the effective date above and post the updated policy at this address.
Contact us
Spott LLC
Privacy contact: support@spottguide.com