Global Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy outlines how the Weather platform ("we", "our", or "us"), operated under the AKS Tools digital umbrella, collects, handles, protects, and discloses information when you access our global website (weather.akstool.com) or use any localized mobile applications published within our weather software ecosystem.

We are committed to respecting your privacy, minimizing data collection, and providing clear transparency in compliance with applicable international data protection standards, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), the UK Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR, and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA).

2. Scope

This policy serves as the platform-level baseline for the Weather platform and approximately 100 localized web and mobile weather applications distributed globally. Where an individual mobile application introduces unique hardware permissions or region-specific features, supplementary disclosures may be provided in that application's store listing or in-app settings without diminishing the core privacy commitments set forth herein.

3. Data Controller / Platform Operator

The platform operator and data controller responsible for personal data processed through our website and applications is:

4. Information We Collect

We adhere strictly to data minimization principles. We do not require you to create a user account to view weather forecasts. The categories of information we may process include:

• Voluntary Contact Information: Name, email address, and message content submitted when contacting support or sending feedback.
• Technical & Telemetry Data: IP address, operating system, browser type, device category, preferred language, and timestamp of HTTP requests.
• Application Preferences: Stored locally on your device (e.g. chosen temperature units °C/°F, visual theme preference, favorite saved cities).
• Anonymized Aggregated Analytics: High-level visitor interactions, page view counts, and navigation flows.

5. Location Information

Weather forecasting is location-based. We handle location data according to the following strict guidelines:

• Website Navigation: On weather.akstool.com, forecasts are displayed based on the city, region, or country you search for or click. We do not mandate or silently acquire GPS coordinates.
• Mobile Applications: If a native mobile application offers a "Current Location" forecast feature, it will request explicit operating system permission (iOS CoreLocation or Android Location Services). If granted, coordinates are processed solely on-device or transmitted in real time to fetch relevant meteorological models. Coordinates are not linked to your personal identity, are not saved in user profiles, and are never sold to data brokers.
• Denial of Permission: You can always deny location access in your device settings and manually select any city in the world to view identical weather forecasts.

6. Device and Technical Information

When our services are accessed, web servers automatically log standard network metadata. This information includes HTTP request headers, user-agent strings, referring URLs, and client IP addresses. These logs are used solely for infrastructure monitoring, DDoS prevention, rate limiting, and technical fault analysis.

7. Usage and Analytics Data

To understand platform stability and improve navigation, we may collect aggregated usage statistics. Where analytics tools (such as Google Analytics 4) are implemented, IP addresses are anonymized or masked, and data is processed only with your explicit consent or under legitimate technical operational interests.

8. Contact Information

If you communicate with our support team via support@akstool.com or our web contact form, we collect the email address and information you provide to respond to your inquiry. We do not use support email addresses for marketing newsletters or unsolicited commercial mailings.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website utilizes HTTP cookies and HTML5 LocalStorage for essential site functionality:

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: Session tokens and CSRF security headers required to protect form submissions and platform security.
• Functional LocalStorage: Used to remember your interface preferences (such as dark/light theme akstool_theme and temperature unit akstool_unit) directly in your browser without tracking you across external websites.

For a complete list of cookies and instructions on updating your preferences, please consult our Cookie Policy.

10. Advertising

To support free access to global weather intelligence, digital advertisements may be served on web pages or within mobile applications (e.g. via Google AdSense or authorized ad networks). Advertising providers may use cookies or device advertising identifiers (IDFA/GAID) to deliver contextual or personalized ads, subject to applicable consent frameworks and your operating system privacy settings.

11. Weather Data Providers

Meteorological data is retrieved programmatically from Open-Meteo under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Request queries sent to weather API endpoints transmit only geographic coordinates and requested meteorological variables (e.g. latitude, longitude, hourly parameters). No personal identifiers or user tracking data are sent to meteorological data providers.

12. Third-Party Services

Our platform integrates with trusted infrastructure providers who act as data processors:

• Hosting & Content Delivery: Cloud infrastructure providing secure server hosting and DDoS mitigation.
• Application Marketplaces: Apple App Store and Google Play Store for mobile distribution, subject to their respective privacy terms.
• Google LLC: Web typography (Google Fonts) and optional advertising/analytics.

13. How We Use Information

Information collected is utilized exclusively for:

• Providing real-time weather forecasts, hourly trends, and multi-day projections.
• Responding to customer support, technical bug reports, and legal inquiries.
• Protecting platform integrity, combating spam, and preventing malicious cyberattacks.
• Optimizing application responsiveness and Core Web Vitals across diverse devices.

14. Legal Bases for Processing

Under UK and EU data protection legislation (GDPR Article 6), we process personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): For non-essential analytics cookies, advertising personalization, and voluntary mobile location permissions.
• Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): For server security, fraud prevention, network diagnostics, and maintaining reliable platform uptime.
• Contractual Necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)): For processing and resolving direct support requests submitted by users.
• Legal Obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): For complying with statutory regulatory duties and legal process.

15. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy:

• Server Access Logs: Typically retained for 30 to 90 days for cybersecurity analysis, then permanently purged.
• Support Inquiries: Retained for up to 180 days to ensure complete resolution of technical issues, after which correspondence is archived or securely deleted.
• Device Preferences: Retained locally on your client device until you clear your browser cache or uninstall the mobile application.

16. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, trade, or monetize your personal information. Data is disclosed only to technical service providers under strict confidentiality agreements, or when legally compelled by court orders, lawful subpoenas, or regulatory enforcement actions.

17. International Data Transfers

As a global weather platform, server infrastructure and cloud delivery networks may be situated outside your country of residence. Where transfers occur across borders (including between the UK, EEA, and the United States), appropriate transfer mechanisms such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are implemented to ensure your statutory rights remain protected.

18. Security

We enforce comprehensive organizational and technical security controls, including:

• Enforced Transport Layer Security (TLS/HTTPS) across all web and API routes.
• HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) and Content Security Policy (CSP) headers.
• Protection against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF).
• Restricted administrative access with multi-factor authentication.

19. Children's Privacy

Our services are directed at general audiences and are not intentionally designed for or targeted at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in certain European jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you become aware that a minor has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please notify privacy@akstool.com so we can promptly delete the data.

20. User Privacy Rights

Depending on your geographic location, you hold statutory rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of Access: You may request confirmation of whether we process personal data relating to you and obtain a copy.
• Right to Rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal records.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to Be Forgotten"): You may request deletion of your personal data where retention is no longer justified.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You may request limits on how your data is utilized during verification or dispute resolution.
• Right to Data Portability: You may request receipt of your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: You may object to data processing predicated on legitimate interests.
• Non-Discrimination: We will never discriminate against you (in service availability, pricing, or quality) for exercising your privacy rights.

21. Access, Correction and Deletion Requests

To exercise any of the rights listed above, please submit a written request to privacy@akstool.com. To protect your privacy, we may verify your identity before fulfilling the request. We aim to respond within 30 days without charging a fee, unless requests are demonstrably unfounded or excessive.

22. Withdrawal of Consent

Where data processing is founded upon consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time:

• Cookies: Update your choices on our Cookie Policy page or clear browser cookies.
• Mobile Location Permissions: Toggle location access to "Never" within your iOS or Android system settings.

23. Changes to the Privacy Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect technological advancements, service enhancements, or legislative changes. When updates occur, the "Last Updated" date at the top will be revised. Continued use of our website or apps following the publication of modifications constitutes acknowledgment of the revised terms.

24. Contact Information

For questions, concerns, or regulatory communications regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out to:

Privacy & Data Rights: privacy@akstool.com
General Support: support@akstool.com
Legal Inquiries: legal@akstool.com