Last updated 23 October 2026
Solar Observer (solarobserver.org) is run by Sahan S Liyanage, ACCIMT, Sri Lanka. The dashboard’s live data pages work without an account. This page explains how we use visitor analytics and what is kept when you create an account.
What we store
- Your account: email address, display name, and, when you use Google, your Google account id and profile picture address. Passwords are stored only as a one-way hash.
- Sign-in sessions: a random session id (kept in a cookie), with the IP address and browser it was created from, so you can be signed out and abuse can be stopped. Sessions end after 30 days without use.
- Activity: when you sign in, start an analysis job, download a science file or save a project, for usage statistics and fair-use limits. Kept for 180 days.
- Saved projects: the files you save, deleted automatically 7 days after you first save them. Working data you load into the tools is deleted after a few days of not being used.
Cookies
The site uses essential cookies: so_session (your sign-in), so_admin (administrator sign-in) and short-lived ones during a Google sign-in. Google Analytics also uses cookies, such as _ga, to measure visits and activity on the public website.
Website analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand visitor numbers, pages viewed and engagement with the dashboard. Google receives usage information such as page addresses, referring sites, browser and device information, and cookie identifiers. Analytics runs on the public website, not in the locally hosted desktop app. Learn more in how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
Services we use
Google (for website analytics and when you choose “Continue with Google”), Resend (to send account emails) and Cloudflare (network, and the bot check on sign-up forms). They receive only what they need for that purpose. Your data is never sold or shared for advertising.
Your choices
You can change your name and password, download your projects, and delete your account at any time from My account. Deleting it removes your account, sessions and projects at once; activity records stay only as anonymous counts.