ArtDots is a free map and game for spotting art in public space. These terms explain what you can expect from us and what we ask of you. They are short on purpose: if something is unclear, write to us.
ArtDots is operated by ArtDots, an independent project run by Vinicius Vecchiatti. It is not a company and it has no investors. You can reach us at mosaico@racelogplus.com.
By creating an account or logging a find you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not create an account. The map and the photos are for members only; the public artist and collection pages need no account.
Who can use it
ArtDots is recommended for people aged 18 or older. When you create an account you confirm that you are 18 or older.
If you are under 18 you may only use ArtDots with the consent of a parent or guardian, who takes responsibility for your use. We do not ask for your date of birth and we do not verify age; we rely on your word. Anyone can read the public artist and collection pages without an account, whatever their age.
The service
ArtDots documents art that already exists in public space: murals, graffiti, mosaics, stickers, sculptures and anything else people leave on the street for others to see. You find a piece, photograph it and log where it is. The map grows from what people notice.
ArtDots does not encourage, reward or ask anyone to create unauthorised art. There are no points for painting, only for finding. If you make art, that is between you, the wall and the law of the place where you are. If you find art, you are welcome here.
Log only art that is on public display and visible from a place you are allowed to be. Do not trespass, and do not enter or photograph private property without the owner's permission. ArtDots does not support painting, pasting, spraying or marking any surface without the property owner's consent, and pieces made that way do not belong on the map.
ArtDots is a neutral catalogue. We do not create, commission, own or endorse any of the art shown, and we do not verify or take responsibility for a piece or for any words, symbols or messages it may contain. Photos are uploaded by users and represent their view, not ours. If a piece is offensive, hateful, discriminatory, illegal or posted in bad faith, report it: content with three reports is hidden automatically and reviewed, and we remove anything that breaks these terms.
Everything on the map is published instantly, without an editor. The community corrects mistakes through reports, suggestions and claims, described below.
Featured galleries. Galleries may pay for a "Featured" placement. A featured placement is always labelled "Featured". Payment only moves a gallery up in the Galleries list and in the gallery pins on the map; it never changes what is shown about pieces, finds or artists, nor the order of any other search results.
Your content
When you upload a photo you confirm that you took it. Do not upload photos taken by other people, photos found online, or screenshots.
Photograph the art, not people. Do not upload a photo centred on an identifiable person, or that shows inside a private home, without their consent. Someone passing in the background is fine, but on request we will blur or remove a photo that identifies someone.
You keep the rights to your photos. You grant ArtDots a non-exclusive licence to store them, display them on the platform (map, piece pages, profiles, collections, leaderboards) and include them in share cards that you or other users generate. We do not sell your photos and we do not license them to anyone else.
You can delete any of your finds at any time. You can also delete your whole account from your profile, which removes your photos, finds, suggestions and reports (see the Privacy Policy for what happens to discoveries).
Behaviour
Nicknames, names, comments, piece titles and any other text you write must be free of hate speech, harassment, sexual content and profanity, in any language. Keep it about the art.
An automated filter checks text when you submit it and may reject it. It is a simple word list; if it blocks something legitimate, rephrase or write to us.
Any user can report a photo, comment, piece or claim. An item with three reports from different accounts is hidden until it has been reviewed.
Accounts that repeatedly break these rules, upload content they did not create, or flood the map can be blocked. A blocked account can still see the map but cannot post.
Connection requests must not be used to harass anyone. You can report a member from their profile; an admin reviews every report about a person.
When you block a member, it works in both directions: the connection ends, and neither of you can find the other in search or suggestions, open the other's profile or send a request, until you unblock.
Artists' rights
Pieces belong to their artists. ArtDots shows photographs of public space taken by users; it does not claim any right over the art itself, and the presence of a piece on the map does not mean the artist endorses ArtDots.
If you are the author of a piece on the map, you can claim it from your profile. Once you have claimed your piece you can:
Remain anonymous. Your name is never shown, anywhere on the platform, in past finds or future ones. The piece is displayed as by an anonymous artist.
Hide the exact location of a piece. It is then shown as a fuzzy zone for everyone, in every mode, for example when it sits on private property or in a place that should not get foot traffic.
Ask for a piece to be removed. Removal requests by the author are honoured promptly and without questions: the piece leaves the map and its photos are purged after 30 days.
Requests from someone who is not the author, and any dispute over who made a piece or who owns a claim, go to a small review queue handled by the operator. While an item is in the queue it may be hidden.
Property owners. If you own a wall, building or land and a piece on it should not be shown, write to us: we will hide the exact location or remove the piece.
Copyright. If you are the author of a piece, or of a photo on the map, and believe your rights are infringed, write to mosaico@racelogplus.com with the details and we will act promptly.
Attribution
Only people who have physically found a piece can suggest who made it. A suggestion is shown as "probably" by that artist until the artist claims the piece. A claim by the artist overrides every suggestion.
If you think an attribution is wrong, you can contest it from the piece page. Contested attributions go to the review queue. Please do not use attributions to promote yourself or to name people who have not signed their pieces in public.
Location data
We store the location of finds, never your live position. Your device may ask for location permission when you open the map or log a find; the coordinates are used to place the piece and then forgotten.
In hunt mode, pieces you have not found yet are shown as a fuzzy zone, so the game stays a game. Pieces whose author has hidden the exact location are shown as a fuzzy zone for everyone.
No warranty, and the legal bits
ArtDots is free for members, with no advertising trackers; the only paid content is a gallery's Featured placement, always labelled as such. It is built by one person in their spare time. It is provided as it is, without any warranty. It may change, pause or stop at any time; if it stops, we will try to give notice and you will be able to export or delete your data first.
Street art is fragile and public space is unpredictable: a piece may be gone, painted over or unsafe to reach. You are responsible for your own safety when you go looking. Please respect private property, traffic and the people who live where the art is.
To the extent the law allows, ArtDots is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of the service, from content posted by other users, or from anything you do while hunting. Nothing in these terms limits rights that the law does not let us limit.
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. If you live in Brazil, Brazilian consumer law applies where it is mandatory, and you may bring a claim in the courts of your home district.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms as the project grows. The date at the top tells you when they last changed. For anything significant we will show a notice in the app and ask you to accept the new version before you log another find. Continuing to use ArtDots after a change means you accept it.
Contact
Questions, takedown requests, disputes or anything else: mosaico@racelogplus.com. We answer as a person, not as a bot, so give us a few days.
Ready to look?
Open the map, see what has already been found and go out with your eyes open.
