Privacy Policy

At Cosmos Observatory("we," "our," or "us"), we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at https://cosmosobservatory.com.

By using our website, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

We may collect information that you voluntarily provide when you:

• Fill out our contact form (name, email address, message content)
• Subscribe to newsletters or updates
• Report a bug or submit feedback
• Interact with our social media accounts

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:

• Device Information: Browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, click patterns, referring URLs, exit pages
• Network Information: IP address (anonymized), approximate geographic location (country/region level)
• Performance Data: Page load times, errors encountered

1.3 Information from Third Parties

We do not purchase or receive personal information from third-party data brokers. All data displayed on our site is sourced from publicly available NASA APIs and other open data sources.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain our website
• Respond to your inquiries and contact form submissions
• Improve and optimize our website's performance and user experience
• Analyze usage trends and patterns to enhance our content
• Monitor and prevent technical issues and security threats
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of service
• Send administrative information such as updates to our terms or policies

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and store information about your interactions with our website.

3.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Required for basic site functionality such as navigation and security. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website. We use Google Analytics with IP anonymization enabled.
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences (e.g., theme, preferred units of measurement).
• Advertising Cookies: Used by Google AdSense to serve relevant advertisements. These cookies may track your browsing activity across websites.

3.2 Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may impact your experience on our website. Most browsers allow you to:

• View and delete existing cookies
• Block all or specific cookies
• Set preferences for certain websites
• Enable "Do Not Track" signals

4. Third-Party Services

4.1 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics collects data through cookies and generates statistical reports about website activity. We have enabled IP anonymization and do not allow Google to use or share our analytics data. For more information, please see Google's Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

4.2 Google AdSense

We may use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our website. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to our site or other websites. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.

4.3 NASA APIs

Our website retrieves data from NASA's public APIs. These requests are made server-side and do not transmit your personal information to NASA. NASA's privacy policy applies to their services directly.

4.4 Vercel

Our website is hosted on Vercel. Vercel may collect technical information necessary for hosting and delivering the website. Please refer to Vercel's Privacy Policy for more information.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

• Contact form data: Retained for up to 12 months after your last communication, then securely deleted.
• Analytics data: Retained for 26 months in Google Analytics, after which it is automatically deleted.
• Cookie data: Varies by cookie type; session cookies expire when you close your browser, while persistent cookies may last up to 24 months.
• Server logs: Retained for 30 days for security monitoring purposes.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmission
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Access controls and authentication requirements
• Secure data storage with encrypted backups

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

7.1 Under GDPR (European Economic Area)

• Right of Access: Request a copy of your personal data we hold.
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure:Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your data.
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: Object to processing of your data for certain purposes.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

7.2 Under CCPA (California)

• Right to know what personal information is collected, used, or shared
• Right to delete personal information
• Right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell data)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the Contact section below.

8. Children's Privacy

Our website is designed for a general audience and is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where data protection laws may differ. We ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in compliance with applicable law, including Standard Contractual Clauses where required.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes are effective when they are posted on this page.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us:

• Contact Form: cosmos-observatory.vercel.app/contact
• GitHub: https://github.com/cosmos-observatory

We will respond to your request within 30 days. For GDPR-related inquiries, we aim to respond within 72 hours for data breach notifications.