Privacy Policy
ToiletNearest.com is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and the rights you have over it. We will never sell your personal data, share your precise location with advertisers, or use your information to build a profile for marketing.
If you are in the UK, EEA, or another jurisdiction with applicable privacy law, you have specific legal rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are set out in full in Section 8 below. For questions not covered by this policy, contact us at privacy@toiletnearest.com.
1. Who we are
ToiletNearest.com is a public-interest mapping service that lists public sanitation facilities worldwide. The service is operated from the United Kingdom. We are not a data broker, advertising platform, or analytics company. Our only purpose is helping people locate toilets quickly and reliably.
For the purposes of UK and EU data protection law, ToiletNearest.com is the data controller for personal data collected through this website.
2. Data we collect and why
We only collect the minimum data needed to provide the service. Here is a breakdown of each data type, the reason we collect it, and the legal basis under UK GDPR.
| Data type | Purpose | Legal basis | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPS coordinates (Near Me) | Return nearby toilet results | Legitimate interests | Not stored - discarded after response |
| Submitted toilet data | Add/update facilities on the map | Legitimate interests | Stored indefinitely (public geographic data) |
| Email (if provided) | Follow up on your submission or report | Consent | Deleted after resolution |
| Anonymised analytics | Understand site usage and improve the service | Legitimate interests | Aggregate stats kept 24 months |
| Filter preferences (cookie) | Remember your map settings between visits | Consent | Expires after 30 days |
If third-party advertisements are enabled (for example Google AdSense), those networks may use cookies or identifiers under their own privacy policies. We will only run personalised ads where consent requirements are met for your region, and we will revise this section when ads go live.
3. Cookies and local storage
We use a single functional cookie to remember your map filter preferences (for example, 'show only free toilets' or 'wheelchair accessible only'). This cookie does not track you across other websites, is not shared with any third party, and contains only your selected filter state - not your identity or location.
We do not use advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, social media tracking buttons, heat-mapping scripts, or session recording tools. If you reject or disable cookies in your browser, the full website remains usable - your filter preferences will simply reset each visit.
We use anonymous, cookieless page-view analytics to understand which countries and pages are most visited. This data does not identify individual users and is only used to prioritise improvements to the service.
4. Third-party services
The map tiles that render the base map are served by Stadia Maps and OpenStreetMap contributors. When your browser loads a map tile, your IP address is briefly visible to the tile server as a standard HTTP request - the same applies to any website that loads external resources. No personal profile is built from this.
Real-time toilet data for areas outside our core datasets is fetched from the OpenStreetMap Overpass API. Again, only an IP address is exposed during this request, and nothing is stored by us or by Overpass beyond standard server logs.
Flag icons are served from a public CDN (flagcdn.com). No personal data is transmitted. We do not use Google Fonts loading from external servers - all fonts are self-hosted to prevent Google receiving your IP on each page load.
5. Data security
All connections to ToiletNearest.com are encrypted with TLS 1.2 or higher. Submitted data (toilet reports, new additions) is stored in a database with access restricted to authorised team members. We apply the principle of minimum necessary access - team members can only access data relevant to their specific role.
We follow responsible disclosure principles. If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it to security@toiletnearest.com rather than publishing it publicly. We commit to responding within 72 hours and resolving critical issues within 7 days.
6. Children's privacy
ToiletNearest.com is a general-purpose public utility not specifically directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal data through our contact form or toilet reporting tool, please contact privacy@toiletnearest.com and we will delete that data promptly.
7. Data retention
Location coordinates from Near Me requests are discarded immediately after the API response is returned - they do not exist in any database or log file.
Submitted toilet entries and corrections are retained indefinitely as part of the geographic database (similar to how OpenStreetMap retains edit history). If you submitted a toilet entry and want it removed or corrected, contact us with the reference and we will action it within 48 hours.
Email addresses provided for follow-up are deleted after the issue is resolved. Anonymised analytics data is retained in aggregate form for up to 24 months, after which it is permanently deleted.
8. Your rights
Under UK GDPR and equivalent legislation in the EEA, you have the following rights regarding personal data we hold about you:
To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@toiletnearest.com with your name and a description of your request. We will respond within 30 days. Where we cannot fulfil a request, we will explain why.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our practices change or when we are required to do so by law. The 'Last updated' date at the top reflects when this version was published. For significant changes - for example, if we introduced a paid account system or integrated a third-party analytics tool - we will post a prominent notice on the homepage for 30 days before the change takes effect.
10. Contact
For privacy questions, data requests, or to exercise your rights, email privacy@toiletnearest.com. For general enquiries use hello@toiletnearest.com. We aim to respond to all privacy requests within 72 hours and to resolve them within 30 days.