Last updated October 25, 2026.
The short version
- The only places you give me information are the community map and the giveaway, and only if you choose to.
- Google Analytics and automatically loading YouTube videos stay off unless you accept them.
- You can have your map pin, picture or giveaway entry removed at any time.
- I don't sell your information.
Who runs this site
This site is run by Ari, the creator behind AriLikesWatches. For any question or request about your information, email ari@arilikeswatches.com.
The community map
What you give me if you join:
- A name or nickname.
- The place you search for (a city or postal code), where you drop the pin, and the name of your area.
- The social handles you enter, at least one of TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook.
- A profile picture, only if you choose to add one.
- Whether you're open to meetups, that you're 16 or older, and that you agreed to show your pin.
I don't collect an email address, phone number, or street address for the map.
What I do with it: after I approve your entry, the map shows your name, your picture (or a default watch icon), the name of your general area, your socials, and whether you're open to meetups. Anything on the map is public, so other people can see it and copy it.
Your location is blurred. The pin is moved at least 2 kilometers from the spot you pick, and up to 10 kilometers for small towns and villages. I never store the exact spot you picked.
Your picture is cropped and shrunk in your browser, checked and stripped of hidden data (like camera or location tags) on the way in, and stored on this site. It's deleted when your pin is removed. Please only use a picture you have the right to share, and only your own handles.
Where it's kept and for how long: your entry is stored with my hosting provider, Netlify, which may process data in the United States. I keep it until you or I remove it.
Removing it: after you sign up, you get a private link that removes your pin and picture. Your browser also remembers that link on the device you used. You can also email me and I'll remove it, and I can remove any entry from my admin page.
Why I'm allowed to use it: you agree when you tick the box. You can take that back any time by removing your pin.
Spam protection: to limit fake sign-ups, the site keeps a scrambled (hashed) version of your network address with a daily count, for sign-ups and for wrong admin passwords. These are kept for only a few days and then cleared out automatically.
The giveaway
If you enter a giveaway, I collect your name, your email address, and the social usernames you choose to enter. I also keep how many entries you earned, whether you added a community map pin (and the name on it), and which friend's link you came through, if any. I use this only to run the giveaway: to check entries, prevent duplicate or fake ones, draw a winner, and contact the winner. I don't add you to a newsletter unless you separately ask.
Where it's kept and for how long: entries are stored with my database provider, Supabase, which may process data in the United States. I delete the entries within 90 days after a winner is confirmed. If a winner receives a prize, I keep what's needed to send it and for my records. I don't sell this information. To see, correct or delete your entry, email ari@arilikeswatches.com.
While a giveaway is running, the home page and the map page ask my giveaway database whether one is open, so they can show a giveaway banner. That check sends no personal information, but your browser contacts Supabase, which can see your network address. Anyone can also type an email address into the giveaway page's "Check your entries" box to see how many entries that address has. It shows only a number and breakdown, never a name, username or email, and I limit how often it can be used.
The giveaway page may show a sponsor message. Its button goes straight to the sponsor's own site, where their policy applies, and I don't count or track those clicks.
Analytics (Google Analytics)
Only if you accept. Google Analytics sets cookies named _ga and _ga_RW2XT8T1QB, and records which pages you view, roughly where you are (country and city, worked out from your network address), your device and browser type, how you found the site, and clicks on links that leave the site. The data goes to Google, which may process it in the United States. I've turned off Google signals and ad personalization. I keep the data for a limited time, set by the retention setting in my Google Analytics account.
If you decline, none of this loads. If you change your mind, use Cookie settings below or in the footer of any page. Choosing Decline also removes the Google Analytics cookies from your browser.
Videos and social sites
- YouTube: if you accept, the newest video loads on the page by itself. If you decline or haven't chosen, it loads only when you tap it. Either way, once a YouTube video loads, YouTube (a Google company) may set cookies and collect data under its own policy. I use YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode. The thumbnails on this site come through my own server, so your browser doesn't contact YouTube just to look at them.
- TikTok: a TikTok video loads only when you tap it, and then TikTok's own policy applies.
- Links to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Amazon take you to those companies' sites, where their policies apply.
Maps and place search
The map pictures come from OpenStreetMap, so your browser asks OpenStreetMap's servers for them, and they can see your network address. When you search for a place, on the map or in the sign-up form, what you type is sent to OpenStreetMap's search service. The map software itself is hosted on this site.
Amazon links
The Shop page has Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When you click one, Amazon knows the visit came from this site so I can be credited, and Amazon's own cookies and privacy notice apply. I don't get to see who you are. If you message me for a link, I'll label it as an affiliate link.
The sponsor spot
The top of the map page has a spot for a sponsor. I count how many times it's shown and clicked, as anonymous daily totals for each spot. No cookies are used, and I don't store your network address, your browser details, or anything else that could identify you. A sponsor's banner is labeled "Sponsored." Clicking it goes through this site so the click can be counted, then takes you to the sponsor's own site, where their policy applies.
Hosting, email, and the browser
- Hosting and delivery: Netlify hosts this site, and Cloudflare manages its address and forwards email. They process network addresses and technical logs to deliver the site. Supabase stores giveaway entries.
- Fonts and images are served from this site, not from Google Fonts or another outside service.
- Email: if you write to me, I get your email address and message, and use them only to reply.
- In your browser: the site saves your cookie choice, and, if you join the map, your private removal link, in your browser's local storage on that device.
Your rights
You can ask to see what I have about you, correct it, delete it, or object to how it's used, and you can withdraw your consent at any time. If you're in the EU, the UK, or California, those rights are set out in law, and I'll honor them wherever you live. Email me or use your removal link. I aim to respond within a month. You can also complain to your local data protection authority. I don't sell personal information.
Age
The community map is for people 16 and older, and giveaways are for people 18 and older (or the age of majority where they live). Nothing on this site is meant to collect information from children, and if I learn that someone under 16 is on the map, I'll remove them.
Changes
If I change this page in a way that matters, I'll update the date at the top. If a change affects the map, people who joined may be asked again.