DetectDock Terms of Use

Last updated: 30 October 2026

These terms cover using DetectDock: the website at detectdock.co.uk and the DetectDock app. They are written in plain English. By using DetectDock, or creating an account, you agree to them. How your data is handled is in the Privacy Policy.

The service

• DetectDock is a free beta. There are no payments, subscriptions or adverts.
• Features can change, be added or be withdrawn while the app develops. We try to give notice of any big change that affects your records.
• Your records are saved on your phone first. When you are signed in they are also backed up to your account. We look after that backup carefully, but we can't promise it will never fail, so use the export options to keep your own copy of anything important.

Detecting responsibly

• Only detect where you have the landowner's permission, and keep to any conditions they set.
• You are responsible for following the law where you detect. That includes the Treasure Act 1996 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Treasure Trove in Scotland. It also includes the rules protecting scheduled monuments and other protected sites. Report finds as the law and good practice require, for example to your Finds Liaison Officer under the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
• DetectDock's maps, heritage checks, LiDAR, research, tide times and AI suggestions are there to help you. They are not legal advice and they can be incomplete, out of date or wrong. A clear check in the app does not mean a place is free of protection. Always check with the official source and the landowner before you detect.
• AI find identification only ever gives suggestions. It is never a verified identification, a valuation or a decision about Treasure.

Your account

• You need to be 13 or over to create an account, and under-18s should have a parent's or guardian's agreement. Keep your sign-in details to yourself; you are responsible for what happens on your account.
• You can delete your account at any time in Settings. What is deleted, and what is kept and for how long, is set out in the Privacy Policy.

What you share

• You own the finds, photos, notes and posts you add. You give DetectDock permission to store them, back them up, and show them to the people you choose to share them with. Anything you publish to Community can be seen by other members.
• Only share what you have the right to share. Never post another person's private details or a landowner's details without their agreement.
• Community posts must not give away find spots or protected places. Coordinates, grid references and postcodes are blocked for this reason.
• Do not use DetectDock to plan or encourage nighthawking (detecting without permission), damage to protected sites, harassment, hate, spam, or selling items that should have been reported.
• We can remove content, or suspend or close an account, that breaks these terms or the law.

Sharing links

• Live links, field shares and family sharing show only what you switch on. You can stop sharing at any time. Anyone who has a link while it is active can see what it shows, so send links only to people you trust.
• The 3D Live View shows an illustrative scene, never the real place. Activity hints in it are possibilities, not confirmed events.

Other services

Maps, heritage records, LiDAR, weather, tides and sign-in come from other organisations, under their own terms. Their data is credited in the app. We can't guarantee they will always be available or accurate.

Our responsibility

• DetectDock is provided as it is, while it is in beta. We are not responsible for losses that come from relying on information in the app, from detecting without permission, or from breaking the law.
• Nothing in these terms limits anything the law doesn't allow us to limit, including your rights as a consumer, or our responsibility for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.
• These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also bring a claim in your own courts.

Changes

If we change these terms we will update the date at the top. If a change matters, we will say so in the app.

Contact

Questions about these terms: [email protected]