Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Protecting your personal data is important to us. This privacy policy informs you about which data is collected, how it is used, and what rights you have regarding your data.

This privacy policy applies to the website clearship.app, to the ClearShip mobile app (Android and iOS), and to all related services. We process personal data in accordance with the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (DSG) and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Responsible Party

WeLytics GmbH

Haselweg 1

8500 Frauenfeld

Switzerland

Email: [email protected]

3. Which Data Is Collected

3.1 Automatically Collected Data

When you access our website, the following technical data is automatically collected:

IP address (anonymized)
Date and time of access
Pages visited
Browser type and version
Operating system
Referrer URL

3.2 Registration and User Account

When registering for our service, the following data is collected:

Email address
Name (optional)
Password (stored encrypted)
Boat and maintenance data you enter

3.3 Payment Data

Payments are processed through our payment service provider Stripe. We do not store complete credit card data. Stripe processes your payment data according to their own Privacy Policy.

3.4 Location Data in the Mobile App

The ClearShip app processes your device's precise location (GPS) to provide the features described below. Collection is entirely voluntary and only begins after you have granted the location permission in your operating system's permission dialog.

What we use location data for

Anchor alarm (background location access): Once you set an anchor point and start the alarm, the app continuously determines your position (roughly every 10 seconds or every 5 meters) and compares it against the anchor radius you defined. If your boat leaves that radius, you are notified with a warning or an alarm. So that the alarm works reliably while your screen is locked or the app is closed — precisely when it is needed — this feature requires access to your location in the background.
Navigation and safety tools: Displaying position, course and speed, compass, nautical chart, and the Mayday assistant, which shows and reads out your current position for a distress call. Location is only accessed while you have the respective feature open, and tracking stops as soon as you leave it. Unlike the anchor alarm, these features do not determine your location in the background.
Logbook: When creating a logbook entry, your current position can be added at your request.

Background location access

The anchor alarm is the only reason the app requests background location access.
Background access is only active while an anchor alarm started by you is running. When you stop the alarm, background location tracking stops immediately.
While the alarm is running, the app displays a persistent notification on Android ("Anchor alarm active"); on iOS the system location indicator is shown. Location is therefore never collected unnoticed.
The anchor alarm is an optional feature. If you do not grant the permission, all other app features remain fully usable.

Where this data goes

Location data used by the anchor alarm and the tools is processed and stored exclusively on your device (anchor position, position history of the last few hours, alarm events). It is not transmitted to our servers.
Only positions that you deliberately save in a logbook entry are synced with your account and stored on our servers.
We do not sell your location data, do not share it with data brokers, and do not use it for advertising, profiling, or tracking.

Control and deletion

You can revoke the location permission at any time in your device settings; the anchor alarm will then no longer function. Locally stored location data is deleted when you stop the anchor alarm, clear the app data, or uninstall the app. Logbook positions stored on our servers are deleted by deleting the respective entry or your account.

3.5 Camera, Photos and Files (Mobile App)

When you add photos or documents to tasks, inventory, or logbook entries, the app accesses your camera or the files you select, with your consent. Only the content you capture or select is uploaded to your account. The app does not access your media library or file storage in the background.

3.6 Notifications

The app sends notifications for anchor alarm warnings. These are generated locally on your device; no location or usage data is transmitted to our servers or to third-party push services for this purpose. You can disable notifications in your app or system settings.

3.7 Onboard Electronics Telemetry (Optional)

If you connect ClearShip to your onboard electronics (e.g. via our Signal K plugin on board), the device you set up transmits measurements to your ClearShip account, in particular:

Boat position (latitude and longitude), course and speed
Environmental and onboard readings such as wind, water depth, temperature, air pressure, and battery level
Technical details of the connected device (device name, plugin version, time of last connection, IP address)

This data is associated with your boat and therefore your account, and is visible only to you and the boat members you have granted access. The connection is optional; you can revoke the device at any time in the boat settings and delete the stored telemetry data.

4. Cookies and Analytics Tools

4.1 Essential Cookies

We use essential cookies for website functionality, specifically for:

Authentication and session management
Storing your cookie preferences

These cookies are necessary for website operation and do not require consent.

4.2 Analytics Cookies

With your consent, we use analytics tools (RudderStack/WeLytics) to understand and improve website usage. These tools collect:

Page views and navigation behavior
Time spent on pages
Device and browser information

Data is processed on servers in Switzerland.

We additionally use Vercel Analytics to measure page views and loading times. Vercel Analytics is cookieless and does not build cross-device user profiles.

4.3 Map Services

We embed third-party map services to display maps. When map tiles are loaded, these providers necessarily receive your IP address and the map section being displayed:

OpenStreetMap and OpenSeaMap — nautical and base maps on the web and in the app
Google Maps (Google Ireland Ltd./Google LLC) — map display in the Android app, including the anchor alarm screen
Apple Maps (Apple Inc.) — map display in the iOS app, including the anchor alarm screen

In the mobile app, map tiles can be cached on your device for offline use. This cache remains local to your device.

Manage Cookie Settings

You can change your cookie settings at any time:

5. AI-Powered Features

ClearShip offers optional features that analyze content using artificial intelligence — for example reading receipts and invoices, identifying equipment in photos, or suggesting shelf life for provisions.

When you use such a feature, the content you provide (e.g. the uploaded photo or the text you entered) is transmitted to a specialized AI service provider based in the USA for processing. Transmission only takes place when you actively trigger the feature. The provider processes the data as a processor, solely to answer your request and not to train AI models. Appropriate safeguards (standard contractual clauses) are in place for the transfer to the USA.

Please do not upload content containing sensitive personal data of third parties. If you prefer not to use these features, simply do not trigger them — all other features remain available.

6. Purpose of Data Processing

We process your data for the following purposes:

Service Provision: Enabling access to boat maintenance features and tracking
Onboard Safety Features: Monitoring the anchor position and alerting you on drift, displaying position, course and speed
Communication: Responding to inquiries, sending service notifications
Improvement: Analyzing website usage to optimize our service
Legal Obligations: Fulfilling legal retention requirements

7. Data Sharing with Third Parties

We only share your personal data with third parties in the following cases:

Payment Processing: Stripe (USA) - with appropriate data protection guarantees
Hosting: Vercel (USA) - with standard contractual clauses
File Storage: AWS S3 (EU region) - for images and documents
AI Analysis: AI service provider (USA) - only for AI features you actively trigger (see section 5)
Map Services: Google Maps (Ireland/USA), Apple Maps (USA), OpenStreetMap and OpenSeaMap - when loading map tiles (see section 4.3)
Analytics: WeLytics (Switzerland) - only with consent; Vercel Analytics (USA) - cookieless

For transfers to third countries (especially USA), we ensure appropriate protection through suitable guarantees (standard contractual clauses, adequate data protection levels).

We do not sell your personal data and in particular do not share location data with advertising networks or data brokers.

8. Data Retention

We retain your data only as long as necessary for the respective purposes:

Account Data: Until account deletion
Boat/Task Data: Until account deletion
Anchor Alarm Location Data: On your device only; the position history covers at most the last ~1000 measurements (roughly 3 hours) and is removed when the alarm is stopped or the app data is cleared
Logbook Positions: Until the entry or your account is deleted
Telemetry Data: Only the most recently received state per boat is stored and overwritten with each new value; it is deleted at the latest when the device is revoked or the boat or account is deleted
Billing Data: 10 years (legal requirement)
Server Logs: 30 days
Analytics Data: 26 months (anonymized)

9. Your Rights

Under the Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG) and GDPR, you have the following rights:

Right of Access: You can request information about your processed data
Right to Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate data
Right to Erasure: You can request deletion of your data
Right to Restriction: You can request restriction of data processing
Right to Data Portability: You can receive your data in a structured format
Right to Object: You can object to processing of your data
Right to Withdraw Consent: You can withdraw consent at any time

To exercise your rights, please contact us at [email protected].

10. Right to Complain

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law, you have the right to file a complaint with the competent supervisory authority:

Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC)

Feldeggweg 1

3003 Bern

Switzerland

www.edoeb.admin.ch

11. Data Security

We implement technical and organizational security measures to protect your data against accidental or intentional manipulation, loss, destruction, or unauthorized access:

SSL/TLS encryption for all data transfers
Encrypted password storage
Regular security updates
Access restrictions for employees

12. Deleting Your Account and Data

You can delete your ClearShip account yourself at any time: sign in at clearship.app/profile and choose "Delete account". This route is also available to mobile app users. Deleting your account removes your account data along with the associated boat, task, logbook, and telemetry data, including uploaded images and documents. Excluded is data we are required to retain by law (in particular billing data, see section 8).

Location data stored exclusively on your device (anchor alarm) is deleted by stopping the alarm, clearing the app data, or uninstalling the app.

Alternatively, you can request deletion at any time by email to [email protected].

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update this privacy policy to comply with current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services. The new privacy policy will apply to your subsequent visits.

Last updated: August 2026