Terms of Service

Legal terms for using LakeAlert.

1. Scope

These General Terms and Conditions apply to all services provided by LakeAlert, including:

  • Website lakealert.ch
  • Telegram Bot @LakeAlert_bot and Channel @LakeAlertCH
  • iOS App (once available)
  • Bluesky account @lakealert.bsky.social
  • API api.lakealert.ch

By using our services, you accept these terms. Use requires a minimum age of 16 years.

2. Description of Service

LakeAlert provides real-time storm warnings for Swiss lakes, based on publicly available data from the cantonal police (stwarn.ch) and the MeteoSwiss API. We send notifications via Telegram and (in future) iOS push when the official warning light at the lake is activated.

3. Disclaimer (CRITICAL)

LakeAlert is NOT an official warning system and NOT a substitute for the official warning light of the cantonal police.

The legally binding signal for water sports enthusiasts is and remains the warning light at the lake. LakeAlert is supplementary information that we provide to the best of our knowledge and belief, but without any warranty regarding:

  • Availability: The service may go down at any time (server issues, data source API outages, network failures, force majeure).
  • Timeliness: There may be delays between the activation of the warning light and delivery of the notification.
  • Completeness: We cannot guarantee that every warning will be delivered (Telegram outage, push error, mobile coverage gap, etc.).
  • Accuracy: If the source data (stwarn.ch, MeteoSwiss) is erroneous, the warning will be forwarded accordingly.

Use is at your own risk. LakeAlert accepts no liability for direct or indirect damages arising from the use or unavailability of the service, including personal injury, property damage, and financial loss. Liability is limited to wilful intent and gross negligence.

Before any activity on the water: Observe the lake, the warning light, and the weather conditions yourself. The official warning signal always takes precedence over LakeAlert notifications.

4. User Obligations

  • You use the service only for its intended purpose (storm warnings).
  • You do not misuse the service (spam, fake signups, reverse engineering, excessive API usage beyond documented limits).
  • You only provide your own Telegram ID to the bot. Registering third parties without their knowledge is prohibited.
  • Additional terms apply for commercial use of the widget or API. Contact: [email protected].

5. Intellectual Property

Code, design, branding, and content of LakeAlert are protected by copyright. The Open Data API (api.lakealert.ch/api/history) is freely accessible for non-commercial use with attribution. Commercial use requires a separate agreement.

6. Pricing and Payment

Telegram Bot: Free of charge.

iOS App: Currently free of charge. Future price changes will be announced at least 30 days in advance.

7. Termination

You may end your use of the service at any time:

  • Bot: /stop in the bot chat. Immediate data deletion.
  • iOS App: Uninstall the app or revoke push permission.
  • Email list: A reply to [email protected] is sufficient.

8. Changes to Terms

We may amend these terms at any time. Significant changes will be announced on the website at least 30 days before taking effect. Continued use after this period constitutes acceptance of the amended version.

9. Privacy

See our separate Privacy Policy.

10. Severability Clause

If any provision of these terms is found to be invalid, the remaining provisions shall remain unaffected. The invalid provision shall be replaced by a provision that most closely reflects its economic purpose.

11. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

Swiss law applies. The place of jurisdiction is the domicile of the data controller (see Imprint), to the extent permitted by law.

As of: April 2026