Terms of Service

1. Description of the service

Delta Sentinel Online (available at deltasentinel.online) is a free, publicly available reporting platform that lets you submit location-based reports about public-space utility and other problems (water, gas, electricity, fire, graffiti, road damage, vandalism, other) through a guided chat interface. A report may include a category, a text description, GPS coordinates, up to five photos/videos per report, and optionally an email address. An approved report may become visible to others, with rounded location data, in the nearby reports view — see section 5.

The service is operated by Pálfi József, a private individual, as a community-funded project.

2. Important — this is not an emergency service

In case of immediate danger to life, serious injury, or a utility fault requiring immediate intervention (e.g. fire, risk of explosion, a strong gas smell), do not use Delta Sentinel — call emergency services (112) or the relevant utility company's emergency line immediately. Delta Sentinel is not an official or emergency response service, does not guarantee any response time, and does not replace official emergency channels.

3. Use, registration, and the Sentinel programme

A report can be submitted without registration, including fully anonymously — this option always remains available, and we never make signing in a condition for any type of report. Providing an email address is optional and is used to let you track the status of your report (by signing in with a passwordless magic link on the portal). If you submit or extend a report while signed in, you can earn points under the Sentinel programme; the exact point rules and levels are described in full on the Sentinel programme page. Use of the service is free of charge.

4. Photos, videos, and their metadata

Up to 5 photos/videos can be attached to a report, taken directly with the camera or chosen from your gallery. The server reads and stores the metadata (EXIF) embedded in each uploaded image — including the time it was taken, the camera/phone model, and, if present in the file, GPS coordinates. We intentionally do not strip this metadata on the client, so the location information is preserved and helps pinpoint the reported issue. Your browser also sends client-side metadata with the submission, which we likewise store: the exact GPS latitude and longitude from your browser's own location lookup, together with its accuracy and timestamp, your device's platform, your screen's pixel ratio (devicePixelRatio) and browser window size (viewport), the image file's own last-modified timestamp, and whether the photo came from the camera or the gallery.

We keep the file with its original, full EXIF data (including any GPS coordinates) for the parties handling your report; what appears in the public nearby reports view, by contrast, is a stripped (no EXIF) and downscaled copy of the photo, always tied to the report's rounded location. See the privacy policy for details.

5. Appearing in the nearby reports view

Once your report is approved and not set to private visibility, it may appear on the public nearby reports map and list. There, the location is always shown rounded (to roughly 10-metre precision) — you see the exact coordinates only for your own report when signed in. Your email address or any other identifier is never shown in the public view, at most a masked username.

In the nearby view, others can flag that the issue still exists at their location ("still present"), extend your report with a comment and/or additional photos, and rate it with a star rating and a written opinion. These extensions and ratings appear as part of your report, under the same rules described above.

6. Your warranty regarding uploaded content

By submitting a report (description, photo, video, extension, or rating), you represent and warrant that:

• the uploaded content is your own, or you are otherwise entitled to upload it for this purpose;
• the content does not infringe anyone else's rights (copyright, personality rights, the right to one's own image, etc.) and does not contain anything unlawful;
• the photo/video does not needlessly show an identifiable person, unless doing so is essential to documenting the reported issue;
• the description is accurate to the best of your knowledge, and you are not knowingly submitting false or misleading content.

7. Acceptable use and moderation

By using the service, you agree not to use it for automated, bulk, or otherwise abusive submissions (including attempts to disrupt the service).

The service uses rate limiting, a hidden spam filter (honeypot), and automatic server-side analysis of submitted images to filter out abuse. The operator reserves the right to hide or delete any report, photo, extension, or rating — without justification — if it is unlawful, abusive, false, or otherwise fails to comply with these terms, and, if necessary, to restrict further submissions from a given source.

8. Points system (Sentinel programme)

Reports, extensions, and ratings received while signed in earn points under the Sentinel programme; the exact point values and levels are set out on the Sentinel programme page. Points exist solely as in-platform recognition: they cannot be exchanged for money or any other monetary benefit, and they do not affect the outcome or priority of any official or utility-company proceeding. The operator may revoke, in part or in full, points awarded in cases of abuse (e.g. a false report or a manipulated rating).

9. Availability and limitation of liability

The service is provided "as is", on a best-effort basis. The operator does not guarantee continuous, error-free availability, nor any specific response time for processing or forwarding reports.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the operator excludes liability for any damage arising from service interruptions, inaccurate data provided in a report, or the failure of the responsible utility company, municipality, or other third party to act, or to act in a timely manner, based on a report. Delta Sentinel forwards and displays reports — actual on-site intervention is always the responsibility of the relevant authority or utility company.

10. Intellectual property

The site's interface, graphic elements, logo, and source code are protected by copyright. By submitting a report, its photos/videos, or any extension or rating, you grant the operator a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the submitted content, limited to what is necessary to provide the service, process the report, display it in the nearby view, and forward it to the relevant authorities.

11. Changes to these terms

The operator reserves the right to unilaterally amend these terms. The version currently in effect is always available on this page, with its version number and effective date shown. Submitting a report always logs the version in effect at the moment of submission.

12. Governing law

These terms, and any legal relationship arising from use of the service, are governed by Hungarian law.

13. Contact

For any questions or comments, contact us at hello@deltasentinel.online