Terms of Service

These Terms of Service comply with GDPR requirements and govern the use of the YowJourney service.

1. Definitions

• Service — YowJourney website and related mobile applications
• User — any person using the Service
• Content — all materials posted in the Service
• Personal Data — information that allows identifying the User
• Data Controller — YowJourney as the company determining the purposes and means of personal data processing

2. Agreement Acceptance

By using the Service, you confirm that you:

• Have reached the age of 16 (GDPR requirement)
• Have read and agreed to the terms
• Have the right to enter into this agreement
• Have agreed to personal data processing according to our Privacy Policy

3. Service Description

YowJourney provides:

• Informational materials about travel destinations
• Interactive maps and navigation
• User reviews and recommendations
• Travel articles and guides
• Personalized recommendations based on preferences

4. User Rights Under GDPR

4.1 Basic rights:

• Right to information — receive clear information about how your data is used
• Right of access — obtain a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification — correct inaccurate data
• Right to erasure — delete your data under certain conditions
• Right to restrict processing — temporarily limit data use
• Right to data portability — receive data in structured format
• Right to object — prohibit data processing in certain cases

4.2 Rights regarding automated decisions:

• Right not to be subject to automated decision-making
• Right to explanation of personalization algorithm logic
• Right to review automated decisions

4.3 Exercising rights:

To exercise your rights, contact: yowjourney.com@gmail.com
Response time: 30 days from inquiry

5. User Responsibilities

5.1 General responsibilities:

• Provide accurate information during registration
• Not violate rights of other users
• Comply with legislation when using the Service
• Protect account credentials from unauthorized access

5.2 Prohibited actions:

• Publishing false or misleading information
• Spam, advertising without coordination
• Copyright violation and intellectual property infringement
• Hacking attempts or security breaches
• Creating fake accounts
• Distributing malicious software

6. User Content

6.1 Content rights:

• You retain copyright to your content
• You grant us a license to use content within the Service
• You can delete content at any time

6.2 Moderation:

• We reserve the right to moderate content
• Remove inappropriate content without prior notice
• Block accounts for rule violations

7. Personal Data Processing

7.1 Legal bases (GDPR Article 6):

• Consent — for marketing and analytics
• Contract performance — for Service provision
• Legitimate interests — for security and Service improvement
• Legal obligations — for law compliance

7.2 Data categories:

• Identification data: name, email
• Technical data: IP, device, browser
• Usage data: search history, preferences
• Content: reviews, comments, photos

7.3 Retention periods:

• Active accounts: until user deletion
• Inactive accounts: 3 years from last activity
• Logs: 12 months
• Marketing data: until consent withdrawal

8. Data Sharing with Third Parties

8.1 Recipient categories:

• IT providers: hosting (Vercel), analytics (Google Analytics), authentication (Supabase)
• Content management: Sanity CMS
• Mapping services: Leaflet, OpenStreetMap, CARTO
• Law enforcement: upon official requests

8.2 International transfers:

• Transfers to third countries with adequate safeguards
• Use of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC)
• Compliance with Adequacy Decisions of the European Commission

9. Data Security

9.1 Technical measures:

• Data encryption during transmission and storage
• Regular backups
• 24/7 security monitoring
• Regular security audits

9.2 Organizational measures:

• Staff training on data protection
• Access control with principle of least privilege
• Breach notification procedures

10. Security Breaches

In case of personal data security breaches:

• Notify regulator within 72 hours
• Notify users when high risk to their rights and freedoms
• Take measures to remedy the breach

11. Limitation of Liability

11.1 Information provision:

• Information provided "as is"
• We do not guarantee accuracy of all data
• Not liable for decisions based on information

11.2 Technical availability:

• Do not guarantee constant Service availability
• Technical interruptions possible for maintenance
• Not liable for unavailability damage

12. Termination of Use

12.1 User termination:

• You can terminate use at any time
• Account deletion through settings or contact us
• Data will be deleted according to our retention policy

12.2 Our termination:

• For terms violation
• For prolonged inactivity (over 3 years)
• Regulatory requirement

13. Agreement Changes

13.1 Change notification:

• Email notifications to registered users
• Website notifications 30 days before effective date
• Opportunity to object to changes

13.2 Agreement to changes:

• Continued use means acceptance
• Opportunity to terminate use if disagreeing

14. Dispute Resolution

14.1 Pre-litigation settlement:

• Attempt resolution through support service
• Complaint review period: 30 days

14.2 Judicial resolution:

• Applicable law: legislation of our registration country
• Jurisdiction: courts at our location

14.3 Consumer rights:

• Consumers retain rights under local legislation
• Right to appeal to courts at place of residence

15. Contact Information

Main contacts:

• Email: yowjourney.com@gmail.com

Supervisory authorities:

• EU: data protection authorities of member countries
• Ukraine: Commissioner for Personal Data Protection

16. Final Provisions

• This agreement constitutes the complete agreement between parties
• If individual provisions are invalid, others remain in force
• Agreement language: in case of version discrepancies, priority goes to the version in the language of company registration country