Privacy Policy

What We Collect

Tourist Traps is designed to minimize data collection. We do not require account creation or login. Here is what we process:

• Search queries:Sent to our server to fetch place data from Google Maps. Not stored on our servers.
• Location data:If you grant permission, your approximate location is used to show nearby places. This data is not stored on our servers.
• Search history:Stored locally in your browser (localStorage) so you can see recent searches. This never leaves your device.

Third-Party Services

To provide analysis, we send place information (name, location, type) to the following services:

• Google Maps Platform — place search, details, and maps display
• TripAdvisor API — review ratings and counts
• Perplexity AI (Sonar) — AI-powered review analysis and web search

Each service has its own privacy policy. We do not share any personal information with these services — only the place data needed to generate your analysis.

Cookies & Tracking

When you first visit our site, we show a cookie consent banner. You can choose to accept or decline non-essential cookies.

• Essential storage:We use browser localStorage to store your cookie consent preference and search history. These never leave your device and are not cookies.
• Analytics (optional):If you accept cookies, we load Google Tag Manager (GTM) and Meta Pixel (Facebook), which may set cookies for analytics and advertising purposes (e.g. Google Analytics, Meta ad measurement). These help us understand how the site is used and measure advertising effectiveness. Neither GTM nor Meta Pixel is loaded if you decline.
• Google Maps:The embedded Google Map may set its own cookies as governed by Google's privacy policy, regardless of your consent choice, as it is essential to the service.

You can change your cookie preference at any time by clearing your browser's localStorage and reloading the page.

Caching

Analysis results may be cached on our server (via Redis) for up to 24 hours to improve performance. Cached data includes only place analysis results (scores, summaries) and does not contain any personally identifiable information.

Data Retention

We do not maintain a user database. Server-side caches expire automatically after 24 hours. Browser localStorage can be cleared by you at any time through your browser settings.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, please open an issue on our GitHub repository.