Acceptable use

1. Use that is welcome

• viewing the public map and recent history for personal awareness, education and responsible research;
• operating a registered receiver in line with the contributor terms;
• sharing a link or attributed screenshot that is accurate and does not expose restricted information;
• using an authorised API, display or alerting product within its documented limits; and
• reporting an error, suspected misuse or security issue through the correct route.

2. Safety and legal boundaries

Do not use Layer400 as air traffic control, a navigation aid, a collision-avoidance system, a flight authorisation, an emergency service or proof that an area is safe or clear. Do not interfere with, pursue, approach or attempt to take control of an aircraft because of a Layer400 report.

You may not use the service to facilitate an offence, evade aviation requirements, trespass, obstruct lawful operations, or exercise powers you do not hold. Professional and public-authority users remain responsible for their own lawful basis, policies, training, evidence standards and human review.

3. People, privacy and publication

Do not use Layer400 to stalk, intimidate, discriminate against, dox or harass a person. Do not combine observations with other sources to identify or publish an operator unlawfully. Do not expose private receiver locations, account details, security information or a Remote ID private key.

Before publishing an allegation, remember that a radio report does not establish who was flying, whether a flight was legal or whether the reported position was genuine. Use the corrections route for concerns about the map.

4. Access, automation and extraction

Do not scrape, crawl, mirror, bulk-download or systematically query Layer400 except through an interface and plan that expressly permits it. Do not evade rate limits, field restrictions, history limits, paywalls or access controls; rotate accounts or addresses to avoid limits; replay credentials; or reverse-engineer restricted interfaces except where law gives a right that cannot be excluded.

Automated use must identify itself where requested, protect credentials, respect documented limits and stop on revocation. Public web pages are not an implied bulk-data licence.

5. System and data integrity

You must not:

• submit invented, replayed, altered or synthetic observations unless Layer400 has authorised a clearly isolated test;
• spoof a receiver, aircraft identifier, location, timestamp, status or capability;
• upload malware or exploit code, probe beyond an authorised security test, or obtain another user’s data;
• overload, disrupt or degrade the service or any receiver; or
• misrepresent an unofficial product or dataset as approved by Layer400.

6. Enforcement

We may rate-limit, remove content, revoke a token, isolate a station or suspend an account where reasonably necessary to protect the service, users or public. Serious or repeated misuse can lead to termination and, where required or proportionate, preservation of evidence and referral to a competent authority.

Context matters. If you believe an automated control or enforcement decision is wrong, contact [email protected] with the account or station reference and enough information to review it. Do not send passwords, private keys or raw credentials.