Privacy policy

TownScore is operated by iSTUDIO Group Hungary Kft. with development and publication support from Inline Studio Ltd. We are responsible for deciding how personal data is processed in connection with the service. Please keep your account information accurate and tell us when it changes.

UK company

Inline Studio Ltd. (No. 14394585)

UK address

71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ

Hungarian company

iSTUDIO Group Hungary Kft. (Reg. No. 01-09-401355)

Hungarian VAT

27868654-2-41

Hungarian address

1031 Budapest, Mészkő utca 39. B. ép. fszt. 3., Hungary

Email

privacy@townscore.hu

The categories of personal data we process depend on how you use TownScore. Browsing settlement profiles involves less data than creating an account, submitting a review, voting, or requesting residence verification.

Account data

name, email address, password hash, email verification status, account preferences

Profile data

optional profile photo, public display details, selected or claimed residence information

Verification data

uploaded residence proof, extracted settlement details, verification outcome, reviewer and timestamp metadata

Community data

reviews, ratings, comments, reports, helpfulness votes, moderation status

Voting data

poll participation records, settlement eligibility, timestamps, anti-duplicate voting metadata

Technical data

IP address, device and browser information, session data, security logs, usage events

We collect data directly from you when you register, update your profile, submit reviews, vote in polls, upload verification documents, contact support, or report content. We also collect technical data automatically through server logs, cookies, security tools, and analytics that help us operate and improve the service.

Direct interactions

forms, uploads, reviews, ratings, votes, comments, reports, support messages

Automated collection

sessions, security logs, technical diagnostics, consented analytics

Public sources

settlement registry data, map data, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and similar open sources

We use personal data only when we have a lawful basis to do so. The main reasons are to provide the service, verify residence where needed, protect community integrity, respond to requests, comply with law, and improve the platform.

Run TownScore

creating accounts, maintaining sessions, showing profiles, saving reviews, recording ratings and poll participation

Verify residence

checking whether a user is eligible to participate as a verified resident for a settlement

Protect the community

preventing duplicate voting, detecting abuse, moderating content, protecting accounts and infrastructure

Meet obligations

handling data rights requests, accounting for audit needs, responding to lawful requests

Improve the product

understanding usage patterns, fixing errors, improving ranking, search, map, and review experiences

To verify residence for settlement-specific voting and resident signals, you may upload a utility bill, internet bill, bank or insurance letter, tenancy-related document, or similar proof that shows your name and settlement. We process these files only for residence verification. Do not upload passports, identity cards, driving licences, social security numbers, tax identification numbers, national insurance numbers, or any other government-issued identifier, identification number, or identification document. If a document contains one, do not submit it. Uploaded files are reviewed by automated checks or authorised staff, stored with restricted access, and deleted after the verification review is complete. We may retain a minimal record of the outcome for audit, fraud-prevention, and compliance purposes, but not a copy of the uploaded file.

Allowed

utility bills, internet bills, official correspondence, lease or residence-related documents showing the settlement

Never upload

government-issued identifiers, identification numbers, passports, identity cards, driving licences, tax IDs, national insurance or social security numbers

Purpose

residence verification only

Access

restricted to automated verification tools and authorised review staff

Retention

uploaded files are deleted after the verification review is complete

When you rate a settlement, write a review, comment, vote in a poll, or mark content as helpful, we process the content you submit and related metadata. Reviews and comments may be public, moderated, hidden, edited by you where the product allows, or removed if they breach our rules. Poll results are displayed in aggregate where possible, while technical and eligibility records may be kept to prevent duplicate or fraudulent participation.

Public content

reviews, comments, ratings, profile display details, and related contribution metadata

Moderation

reports, review status, moderation decisions, abuse-prevention signals

Voting integrity

verified residence status, poll timestamps, anti-duplicate voting records

We use technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include access restrictions, encrypted transport, secure password hashing, session controls, logging, and limited access to verification files.

We keep personal data only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including account operation, dispute handling, moderation history, fraud prevention, legal compliance, and security. Verification uploads are deleted after review, while the outcome of a verification request may be retained for audit and anti-abuse purposes.

Depending on your location and the legal basis for processing, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or receive a copy of your personal data, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@townscore.hu from the email address linked to your account when possible.

You may lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority if you believe our processing of personal data infringes applicable law.

Hungary - NAIH

1055 Budapest, Falk Miksa utca 9-11., Hungary | +36 (1) 391-1400 | ugyfelszolgalat@naih.hu

United Kingdom - ICO

Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF | 0303 123 1113

TownScore is hosted on Laravel Cloud, operated by Laravel LLC in the United States, using AWS infrastructure and related service providers. Technical data such as IP addresses, logs, and diagnostics may be transferred outside the European Economic Area. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses, provider security commitments, and other lawful transfer mechanisms.

We use service providers for hosting, infrastructure, analytics, email delivery, security, storage, and operational tooling. These providers process data only as needed to provide their services to us and are expected to apply appropriate security and confidentiality measures.

Hosting platform

Laravel Cloud, operated by Laravel LLC

Infrastructure

AWS and related infrastructure providers

Analytics

Cloudflare Web Analytics where consent is required and obtained

TownScore may link to third-party websites or display information derived from public and open data sources. We do not control third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy practices. Public-source information remains subject to the relevant source terms, licences, and correction processes.