Privacy Policy

Introduction

Welcome to Azores by Rui.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and how we protect it when you use the website at azoresbyrui.com.

Azores by Rui is an independent travel guide about places in the Azores. The goal is simple: share honest recommendations and allow the community to contribute places, ratings, and experiences.

We collect the minimum amount of data needed to run the website and its community features.

Most importantly:

• We do not sell your data.
• We do not share your data with advertisers.
• We do not trade or monetize your personal information.

Your data stays inside the platform and is used only to operate the website.

What Data We Collect

Depending on how you use the site, we may collect the following information.

Account Information

If you create an account, we may store:

• Email address
• Display name
• Basic profile information

This information is used only to create and manage your account.

Passwords are securely stored using encryption.

User-Generated Content

If you interact with the community features, we may store content you submit, including:

• Place submissions
• Photos uploaded with submissions
• Ratings
• Comments
• "Been here" interactions
• Saved places

Some of this content may appear publicly on the website.

Contact Messages

If you use the contact form, we collect:

• Name
• Email address
• Your message

This information is used only to respond to your inquiry.

Analytics Data

We collect limited analytics information to understand how the website is used. This may include:

• Pages visited
• Approximate geographic region (country or region level)
• Device type
• Browser type
• Referring pages

This information helps us improve the website and understand what content visitors find useful.

How We Use Your Data

The information collected is used only to operate and improve the website.

This includes:

• Creating and managing user accounts
• Displaying user contributions such as places, ratings, and comments
• Reviewing and moderating submitted places
• Responding to contact messages
• Sending transactional emails such as comment replies or submission updates
• Understanding how visitors use the website so we can improve it

Your data is never sold or shared for marketing purposes.

Public Content

If you submit a place, upload photos, leave a rating, or write a comment, that content may appear publicly on the website.

By submitting content, you confirm that you have the right to share it and that it does not violate copyright or other rights.

Submitted content may be reviewed, edited, or removed in order to maintain the quality and accuracy of the guide.

User Content and Photo Rights

If you submit a place, upload photos, write a comment, or leave a rating on Azores by Rui, you are responsible for the content you submit.

By submitting content, you confirm that:

• You have the right to share that content
• The content does not violate copyright or other rights
• The content does not contain illegal or misleading material

By submitting content, you grant Azores by Rui permission to display, publish, and store that content on the website as part of the travel guide.

We may review, edit, or remove submissions if they do not meet the quality or accuracy standards of the platform.

Moderation of Submissions

Places submitted by users may be reviewed before they appear publicly on the website.

Azores by Rui reserves the right to:

• Approve or reject submissions
• Edit content for clarity or accuracy
• Remove content that violates the website guidelines

This moderation process helps maintain the accuracy and quality of the guide.

Reviews and Ratings

Ratings and reviews published on Azores by Rui represent personal opinions from Rui or from members of the community.

These opinions are subjective and should not be interpreted as factual statements about a business or location.

The goal of the rating system is to share personal experiences and help travelers make informed decisions.

Third-Party Services

We use a small number of third-party services to operate the website.

These services may process limited data required for their functionality.

Examples include:

• Google Analytics — used to understand website traffic and usage patterns.
• Resend — used to send transactional emails such as comment notifications or submission updates.
• Supabase — used to securely store application data and manage user accounts.

Each service operates under its own privacy policy.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with the site.

Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymous usage information such as page views and session activity.

IP anonymization is enabled where applicable.

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

We use cookies mainly for:

• Basic website functionality
• Analytics through Google Analytics

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings.

Disabling cookies may affect some parts of the website.

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), we process data under the following legal bases:

Legitimate interest

Used for analytics and improving the website.

Consent

Used when you voluntarily submit information such as contact messages, comments, or place submissions.

Contractual necessity

Used when creating and maintaining user accounts.

Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary.

Examples include:

• Account information is kept while your account remains active.
• Contact messages are kept only as long as needed to respond.
• Submitted places and community contributions may remain stored as part of the website content.
• Analytics data follows the retention settings configured in Google Analytics.

Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data at any time.

If you delete your account or request deletion, personal data related to your account will be removed from our systems where technically possible.

However, public contributions such as place submissions, ratings, or comments may remain on the website if they are part of the public travel guide content.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data
• Request correction of your data
• Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Object to certain types of processing
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the website.

Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time as the website evolves.

When updates occur, the revised version will be published on this page with an updated date.

Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how data is handled, please contact us through the website.