Terms of Service

GovPin is a civic transparency platform for tracking US government vehicles. It enables citizens to photograph publicly observable government vehicles and submit sightings to a shared, searchable database. The platform cross-references plate numbers, tail numbers, and hull IDs against public data sources to verify and enrich submissions.

By accessing or using GovPin (“the Service”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. By using GovPin you represent that you meet this requirement and that you are legally permitted to use the Service under the laws of your jurisdiction.

When you submit a sighting — including photographs, plate numbers, location data, and any accompanying notes — you grant GovPin a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to store, display, distribute, and make available that content as part of the public sighting database.

You represent and warrant that you own or have the right to submit any content you provide, and that your submission does not violate any third-party rights.

You retain ownership of your submitted content. The license you grant GovPin survives account deletion for approved sightings, as these form part of the permanent civic record. See the Privacy Policy for details on how to request removal.

GovPin is designed exclusively for documenting publicly observable US government vehicles. You may only submit sightings that:

• Depict a vehicle bearing official US government identification (plate, tail number, hull ID, or markings).
• Were photographed from a publicly accessible location where you had a legal right to be.
• Accurately reflect what you observed — including the location, time, and vehicle information.

You may not use GovPin to:

• Submit private vehicles. Only vehicles bearing official US government plates, tail numbers, hull IDs, or insignia may be submitted. Submitting a private citizen’s vehicle is strictly prohibited.
• Submit non-government vehicles. Municipal, state, and federal government vehicles are in scope. Private vehicles — even if associated with government contractors — are not.
• Harass or target individuals. Submissions must document vehicles, not people. Including photos or information that identifies, targets, or harasses specific individuals is prohibited.
• Submit false or fabricated information. Knowingly submitting inaccurate plate numbers, locations, or vehicle details undermines the integrity of the civic record and is a violation of these Terms.
• Circumvent moderation. Attempting to re-submit rejected sightings, bypass submission limits, or manipulate the moderation system is prohibited.
• Use the platform for surveillance. GovPin is a civic transparency tool. Using it to track individuals, stalk vehicles, or conduct unauthorized surveillance is prohibited and may be illegal.
• Violate any law. You must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws when photographing vehicles and submitting sightings.

Violations may result in immediate account suspension, permanent ban, and referral to law enforcement where appropriate.

All sightings are submitted with a “pending” status and are subject to review before appearing in the public feed. GovPin reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to approve, reject, or remove any sighting at any time, for any reason, including but not limited to:

• Violation of these Terms.
• Submission of private or non-government vehicles.
• Images of insufficient quality to verify the vehicle.
• Suspected duplicate or spam submissions.
• Legal requests or court orders.

We do not guarantee that any submission will be approved or remain publicly visible.

The GovPin database is composed entirely of user-submitted sightings. We make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any sighting or associated data.

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

OCR-generated plate reads and agency lookups are automated and may contain errors. ADS-B and AIS correlation data comes from third-party public sources and may be delayed or incomplete. Do not rely on GovPin data for safety-critical, law-enforcement, or legal purposes.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, GovPin and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Service, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of profits, or reputational harm.

Our total liability to you for any claim arising from or relating to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed fifty US dollars ($50) or the amount you paid to GovPin in the twelve months preceding the claim, whichever is greater.

The GovPin name, logo, platform design, and all non-user-generated content are the property of GovPin and may not be reproduced or used without express written permission.

The underlying sighting data submitted by users is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license for non-commercial civic and journalistic use, with attribution to GovPin and the submitting user where practicable.

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms, or for any other reason at our discretion. You may delete your account at any time from Account Settings.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including User Content License, Limitation of Liability, and Governing Law) shall survive.

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States. Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved exclusively in the federal or state courts of the United States, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify registered users via the email address associated with their account.

Questions about these Terms may be directed to: legal@govpin.app