LadderWatch LLC ("LadderWatch," "we," "us," or "our") operates a software-as-a-service platform for pilot transfer arrangement compliance reporting (the "Platform") and the marketing website at ladderwatch.com (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy describes what information we collect, how we use it, and with whom we share it. It applies to both the Platform and the Site. Your use of the Platform is also governed by your applicable membership or evaluation agreement with LadderWatch, which contains additional terms regarding your data.
1. Information We Collect
Account and profile information
When you register for or are granted access to the Platform, we collect your name, email address, and professional affiliation (your pilot association and port). This information is used to create and maintain your account.
Deficiency reports
The core function of the Platform is the submission and storage of pilot transfer arrangement deficiency reports. Each report may include vessel identification (name and IMO number), deficiency codes selected from the LadderWatch taxonomy, free-text observations, date and time of boarding, and photographs of the arrangement. This data forms the shared compliance database accessible to LadderWatch members.
Photographs
Members may submit photographs as part of a deficiency report. Photographs must not include images depicting the face of any identifiable individual. Members are responsible for ensuring facial features are obscured, cropped, or otherwise removed before submission. LadderWatch uses submitted photographs to operate the Platform and may use them to train computer vision and machine learning models and to develop educational and training materials.
Voice data
The Platform includes an optional voice-to-text feature that allows members to dictate report observations. When you use it, the audio recording is sent to a third-party speech-to-text service to convert it to text. LadderWatch does not store the audio recording; only the transcribed text is submitted to and retained by the Platform. See the Use of Artificial Intelligence section below for detail on the services involved.
Location data
LadderWatch does not collect location data from members' devices.
Marketing site
The Site does not use analytics software, tracking cookies, or any third-party tracking tools. We do not collect personal information from visitors to ladderwatch.com unless they contact us directly by email.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- •operate, maintain, and improve the Platform;
- •build and maintain the shared deficiency database accessible to LadderWatch members;
- •respond to your inquiries and provide member support;
- •train computer vision and machine learning models to improve deficiency detection and classification;
- •develop educational and training materials for the maritime community; and
- •comply with applicable legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your information for advertising purposes.
3. Use of Artificial Intelligence
LadderWatch is open about how it uses artificial intelligence. AI is used in two distinct ways, described below.
Optional in-app features that use third-party AI
Three optional features in the Platform rely on third-party AI services provided by OpenAI and Anthropic. Each runs only when you choose to use it:
- •Voice input. Your audio recording is sent to OpenAI's speech-to-text service to convert it to text. LadderWatch does not store the audio recording; only the transcribed text is retained.
- •Deficiency-code suggestions. The text of your description, whether typed or transcribed, is sent to Anthropic's Claude to suggest applicable deficiency codes, which you review and confirm before submitting.
- •Ask Regs. Your question is processed by OpenAI and Anthropic to locate and summarize the relevant regulatory passages, returned with citations.
These services receive only your audio, your description text, or your question, and only when you use the corresponding feature. They do not receive your photographs. They process this input under their commercial API terms, which provide that inputs are not used to train their models (see the OpenAI and Anthropic data-usage terms).
LadderWatch's own models
Separately, LadderWatch uses the photographs and reports you contribute to train and improve its own computer-vision and deficiency-detection models and to develop educational materials for the maritime community, as described in the How We Use Your Information section above. We do not sell your personal information or use it for advertising.
AI-generated suggestions and answers are aids only. The responsible pilot makes the final determination on every report, and Ask Regs answers are not legal advice and should be verified against the official regulatory text.
4. Sharing of Information
Deficiency reports submitted to the Platform are shared with other LadderWatch members as part of the Platform's core function. When a member queries a vessel, they may see reports filed by other members. Reports may be attributed to a named pilot or may be de-identified, depending on Platform settings and applicable membership agreements.
We do not share your personal information with third parties outside of the LadderWatch member network except: (a) as required by law, regulation, or valid legal process; (b) to protect the rights, safety, or property of LadderWatch, our members, or others; or (c) in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, in which case we will provide notice prior to your information being transferred and becoming subject to a different privacy policy.
We may engage service providers (such as cloud hosting providers) who process data on our behalf. These providers are contractually restricted from using your information for any purpose other than providing services to LadderWatch.
5. Data Retention
Deficiency reports and photographs submitted to the Platform are retained by LadderWatch indefinitely, including after a member's account is closed or membership ends. This retention is necessary to maintain the integrity and completeness of the shared compliance database. Your account information (name, email, affiliation) may be deleted upon written request following termination of membership, subject to any retention requirements in your applicable membership or evaluation agreement.
Members who signed an Evaluation and Confidentiality Agreement are subject to additional retention terms specific to that agreement, including an express waiver of the right to demand deletion of Evaluation Data.
6. Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the information we hold. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at info@ladderwatch.com.
7. Your Rights and Choices
You may request access to or correction of your account information at any time by contacting us. As described in Section 4, reports and photographs submitted to the Platform are generally retained even after account closure; requests for account information deletion following membership termination will be honored subject to the terms of your applicable agreement.
If you are located in a jurisdiction with applicable privacy rights (such as GDPR or CCPA), you may have additional rights regarding your personal information. Contact us at info@ladderwatch.com to exercise any such rights.
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify members by email or through the Platform. The effective date at the top of this page reflects when the current version was last updated. Continued use of the Platform after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
9. Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy or your data should be directed to:
LadderWatch LLC
info@ladderwatch.comThis policy is governed by the laws of the State of Washington.
LadderWatch LLC — Effective June 2026. This is a preliminary privacy policy pending review by LadderWatch's legal counsel.