How StopLighty handles information

1. Information you provide

When you post a comment, we collect the display name, comment text, reported wait time, intersection, submission time, and related moderation status. These fields are public except for internal moderation data. Do not include personal, confidential, or sensitive information in a comment. If you contact us, we receive your email address and the contents of your message.

2. Information collected automatically

When you use the Service, our hosting, security, and delivery providers may process technical information such as IP address, approximate location derived from IP address, date and time, requested URL, referring page, browser and device characteristics, user-agent string, security signals, cookie identifiers, and error or diagnostic data. We use this information to deliver pages, prevent abuse, diagnose problems, measure performance, and maintain security.

Voting uses a randomly generated identifier stored in your browser so the Service can remember and update your vote. It is not intended to identify you by name. During the private-preview period, an essential secure cookie remembers that a browser entered the preview password.

3. Device location

If you choose “Near me,” your browser asks for permission to access location. The current version compares that location with published intersections in your browser; StopLighty does not intentionally store the precise device location used for that comparison. Your browser and operating system control location permission, which you can revoke at any time.

4. Cookies and similar technologies

StopLighty and its service providers may use cookies, local storage, scripts, pixels, and similar technologies for essential access, preferences, voting, fraud prevention, CAPTCHA, security, analytics, and advertising. You can manage cookies through browser settings, but disabling essential storage may prevent some features from working.

Cloudflare Turnstile is used to distinguish legitimate comment submissions from automated abuse. Cloudflare may process technical and security information needed to provide that service. Turnstile tokens are validated on the server and are not accepted as proof unless Cloudflare confirms them.

5. Maps, Street View, and external links

Map tiles may be provided using OpenStreetMap data. Intersection pages may include a Google Street View embed. When an embedded map or street-level view loads, the provider may receive your IP address, browser information, page URL, cookies, or other identifiers under its own privacy policy. Links to government and other third-party websites take you to services that StopLighty does not control.

6. Advertising and Google AdSense

StopLighty may display advertising in the future, including ads provided by Google AdSense or other advertising partners. Advertising providers may use cookies, web beacons, IP addresses, mobile or browser identifiers, and similar technologies to deliver, personalize, limit, and measure ads; prevent fraud; and produce reporting. Google and its partners may use advertising cookies based on visits to StopLighty and other websites.

You can learn how Google uses information from partner sites at Google’s partner-sites policy, manage Google advertising preferences at Google Ads Settings, and review industry opt-out tools at YourAdChoices. Opting out of personalized advertising does not necessarily remove advertising.

Before serving personalized advertising where consent is required—including in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland—StopLighty will use an appropriate consent mechanism that meets applicable Google consent-management requirements. Advertising will not be activated merely by publishing this policy.

7. How information is used

We use information to operate and improve the Service; publish comments and aggregate votes; organize intersection pages; personalize basic on-device preferences; detect fraud, spam, scraping, manipulation, and security incidents; enforce our Terms; respond to support, privacy, and legal requests; understand performance and usage; maintain records; and comply with law.

8. When information is shared

Public submissions are shared with anyone who accesses the Service and may be indexed, copied, or cached by search engines and other third parties. Technical information may be processed by vendors that provide hosting, databases, content delivery, security, CAPTCHA, maps, street-level imagery, analytics, email, and—if activated—advertising. We may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, respond to valid legal process, enforce our policies, investigate abuse, protect safety or rights, or complete a merger, financing, acquisition, reorganization, or transfer of the Service.

We do not sell the contents of your comments or your contact emails for money. Some privacy laws define “sale,” “sharing,” or “targeted advertising” broadly enough to include certain advertising technology; if such technology is activated, required choices and notices will be provided.

9. Retention

Public comments and votes may be retained for as long as the relevant intersection page is maintained, unless removed for moderation, legal, privacy, or operational reasons. Security logs and technical records are retained only as reasonably needed for security, diagnostics, legal compliance, and business continuity. Backup copies may persist for a limited period after deletion. Third-party providers determine retention for information they process under their own policies.

10. Security

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards designed to protect the Service, including encrypted transport, access controls, CAPTCHA, request limits, security monitoring, and restricted administration. No Internet service or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

11. Your choices and rights

You may avoid posting public information, deny browser location access, clear local storage and cookies, change browser privacy settings, and use available advertising controls. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or information about disclosures, or to object to certain processing. We may need to verify a request and may retain information where permitted or required by law. Authorized agents should provide proof of authority.

Send privacy requests to [email protected] and include the relevant page URL and enough information to locate the record. Do not send sensitive identification documents unless requested through a secure method.

12. Children

The Service is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child submitted personal information, contact us so we can review and remove it where appropriate.

13. United States operation

StopLighty is operated in the United States. If you access the Service from another country, information may be transferred to and processed in the United States and other locations where our providers operate, subject to applicable safeguards and law.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the Service, providers, advertising practices, or legal requirements change. The effective date above identifies the latest revision. Material changes may also be highlighted on the Service.

15. Contact

Privacy questions, requests, and concerns may be sent to [email protected].