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Terms of electronic services of the desolate.zone website

Last updated: 16.10.2026

This is an English translation provided for convenience. In case of discrepancies the Polish version prevails.

1. General provisions

  1. These terms set out the rules for using the desolate.zone website, the conditions of providing services electronically, including Paid Services, and the rules for concluding agreements for Paid Services.
  2. The Website is operated by Bartłomiej Szabłowski, running a sole proprietorship under the business name bartzz Bartłomiej Szabłowski, ul. Gołębia 19/2, 11-041 Olsztyn, Poland, entered in CEIDG (the Polish Central Register and Information on Economic Activity), NIP (tax ID): 5242878542, REGON (statistical number): 382098715, e-mail: [email protected], hereinafter the "Service Provider".
  3. The Terms are made available free of charge in a way that allows them to be obtained, reproduced and recorded.
  4. Using the Website means accepting the Terms. Placing an Order requires reading and accepting the Terms.

2. Definitions

  1. Website - the desolate.zone website available at https://desolate.zone.
  2. User - a person using the Website, including one who creates an Account or publishes Content.
  3. Account - a set of functions and resources assigned to the User after registering and logging in.
  4. Content - materials added to the Website by Users, in particular descriptions of places, geographic coordinates, photos and comments.
  5. Place - an entry on the Website presenting a location together with a description and materials.
  6. Moderation - actions of the Service Provider consisting in verifying, labelling, limiting the visibility of or removing Content.
  7. Consumer - a natural person concluding an agreement with the Service Provider that is not directly related to their business or professional activity.
  8. Entrepreneur with consumer rights - a natural person concluding an agreement directly related to their business activity, where the content of the agreement shows that it is not of a professional nature for that person (Article 38a of the Consumer Rights Act (ustawa o prawach konsumenta)). The provisions of the Terms concerning Consumers with respect to the right of withdrawal and unfair contract terms apply to such a person accordingly.
  9. Paid Services - the paid services described in section 11: Premium, Ad-free and Promotion.
  10. Order - the User's declaration of intent aimed at concluding an agreement for a Paid Service, submitted through a form on the Website.
  11. Discount code - a code entitling the holder to a reduction in the price of a Paid Service on the conditions stated with the code.

3. Scope of services

  1. The Service Provider provides a platform for publishing and browsing Content added by Users, as well as social features such as commenting and rating.
  2. The service is a hosting service. Content comes from Users. The Service Provider is not liable for Content unless it has reliable knowledge of its unlawful nature and, upon obtaining such knowledge, it promptly disables access to it.
  3. Using the Website, including creating an Account and publishing Content, is free of charge. Only the Paid Services described in section 11, which the User uses voluntarily, are subject to a fee.

4. Technical requirements

  1. Using the Website requires a device with Internet access and an up-to-date web browser.
  2. Full functionality may require enabling JavaScript and cookies.
  3. Purchasing Paid Services requires an Account with an assigned email address and access to one of the payment methods offered by the payment operator.

5. Registration and Account

  1. Registration is voluntary. Some features may be available only after logging in.
  2. The User must provide true data to the extent required by the registration form and update it if it changes.
  3. The User must protect the Account login credentials against unauthorised access.

6. Rules of use and publication of Content

  1. The User bears full responsibility for the Content they add.
  2. Publishing Content that violates the law, good practice, the rights of third parties or the provisions of the Terms is prohibited.
  3. In particular, it is prohibited to:
    • publish coordinates, photos or descriptions that make it easier to enter private property without the consent of the owner or manager,
    • mark as "abandoned" places that are actually inhabited or in use - if such a violation is detected, the user will be blocked immediately and the content removed
    • publish instructions for bypassing security measures, forcing locks or getting around fences,
    • publish personal data of third parties without a legal basis.
  4. By adding a Place the User declares that:
    • to the best of their knowledge the description is true and not misleading,
    • publishing the coordinates and photos does not infringe the rights of third parties,
    • they will describe the access status of the place as: publicly accessible, private or uncertain,
    • they do not encourage dangerous or unlawful activities.
  5. The Service Provider may limit the precision of the location of sensitive places and remove GPS metadata from photos.

7. Copyright and licence

  1. The User declares that they hold the rights to the Content or are authorised to publish it on the Website.
  2. By sharing Content the User grants the Service Provider a non-exclusive, free, worldwide licence for the lifetime of the Account and for 2 years after its deletion to:
    • record and reproduce it in server memory,
    • make it publicly available on the Website,
    • make technical edits necessary for correct display and create thumbnails.
  3. The User may delete their Content. Technical copies and logs may be processed for evidentiary and security purposes in accordance with the Privacy Policy.

8. Prohibited Content

  1. Prohibited is Content that is unlawful, incites breaking the law, infringes personal rights, copyright, trademarks or privacy, contains sensitive data or data of third parties without a legal basis, pornographic content involving minors, and terrorist or extremist content.
  2. The Service Provider may use keywords and automatic filters restricting the publication of certain Content.

9. Reporting violations - notice and action

  1. Anyone can report Content for review by email to the address given in the Contact section.
  2. A report should contain at least: the URL, a description of the violation, the category of the violation, the reporter's contact details and a statement of acting in good faith.
  3. Reports concerning a threat to health, safety or a violation of the privacy of the home take priority.
  4. The Service Provider confirms receipt of the report and makes a decision without undue delay. Urgent matters usually within 24 hours, others no later than within 7 days.
  5. The decision is communicated to the reporter and to the author of the Content together with a justification. If Content is removed, the grounds for the decision are given.
  6. In the case of obvious unlawfulness the Service Provider may temporarily block access to the Content before the analysis is completed.

10. Moderation, restrictions and appeals

  1. The Service Provider may limit the visibility of, label or remove Content and suspend an Account if:
    • the Content is unlawful or violates the Terms,
    • there is a justified risk of violating the privacy of the home, safety or personal rights,
    • the User persistently violates the publication rules.
  2. A repeat infringer policy applies. After at least one warning the Account may be suspended or deleted.
  3. The author of Content may appeal a Moderation decision within 6 months of its delivery. Appeals are usually handled within 14 days.

11. Paid Services

  1. The Service Provider offers the following Paid Services:
    • Premium - access to additional Account features, including ad removal, for a period of 30 or 365 days. The current list of features is available on the Premium page,
    • Ad-free - removal of ads on the Website for the logged-in Account for a period of 30 or 365 days, without the other Premium features,
    • Promotion - display of a card with a link to a channel or website indicated by the User in a featured spot on the Website's homepage for 7, 14 or 30 days, on the terms described on the Promote page.
  2. Paid Services are provided as a one-off purchase for the selected period. They are not a subscription and do not renew automatically. Purchasing another period while a service is active extends it by the purchased period, counted from the day the current period ends.
  3. The Premium and Ad-free services are assigned to the Account on which they were purchased and cannot be transferred to another Account.
  4. The Service Provider may change the scope of Premium features for justified reasons, in particular technical, legal or security reasons, at no additional cost to the User. If the change materially and adversely affects the Consumer's access to the paid service, the Service Provider informs the Consumer of it in advance on a durable medium, and the Consumer may withdraw from the agreement within 30 days of the change and receive a refund of the price proportional to the unused period.
  5. Promotion rules:
    • one Promotion is displayed at a time. Promotions run in the order in which they were paid for, and the start date is shown before the Order is placed. Bookings can be made up to 60 days in advance, and one User may have one active or pending Promotion,
    • the promoted content should relate to the subject matter of the Website (urbex, photography, history, travel and related topics). The link must lead to an https page, and the title and description must not exceed the character limits given in the form,
    • the link has the nofollow and sponsored attributes, and the card is labelled as promoted content,
    • view and click statistics are for information only. The Service Provider does not guarantee any particular number of views or clicks or any particular results of the promotion,
    • the Service Provider may refuse to display a Promotion whose content or target page violates the law, the Terms or the subject matter of the Website. If the Promotion has not started, the User receives a full refund of the price,
    • if, while a Promotion is running, its content or target page is changed so that it contains adult content, fraud, incitement to break-ins, vandalism or other unlawful content, the Service Provider disables the Promotion without refunding the price for the remaining period, subject to mandatory consumer protection laws. Disabling a Promotion for other reasons attributable to the Service Provider results in a refund of the price proportional to the unused period.
  6. Discount codes:
    • one Discount code can be used per Order,
    • a code may have a limited number of uses, an expiry date and conditions of use (e.g. Account age or position in the Website ranking). The conditions are checked when the Order is placed,
    • a Discount code cannot be exchanged for cash.

12. Orders, payments and sales documents

  1. The prices of Paid Services are given on the Premium and Promote pages in Polish zloty (PLN). They are gross prices including VAT.
  2. To place an Order, the User selects a Paid Service and period, optionally enters a Discount code, accepts the Terms and proceeds to payment. The agreement is concluded when the payment, confirmed by the payment operator, is booked.
  3. Payments are handled by PayU S.A., based in Poznań, Poland. The available payment methods (e.g. BLIK, instant bank transfer, payment card) are shown on the operator's page. The Service Provider does not accept cash payments.
  4. The Premium and Ad-free services are activated immediately after the payment is confirmed. A Promotion starts on the date resulting from the queue, shown before the Order is placed.
  5. Promptly after the agreement is concluded, the Service Provider sends a confirmation of the agreement to the email address assigned to the Account, stating the type of service, the period and the price.
  6. An Order that is unpaid or cancelled in the payment operator's system expires with no consequences for the User.
  7. The Service Provider is an active VAT payer. It issues a VAT invoice on request. The request should be sent to the email address given in the Contact section, stating the Order number or the Account email and the invoice details (for a business, also its NIP tax ID), no later than 3 months from the end of the month in which the payment was made. A business purchasing a Paid Service in connection with its activity should provide the invoice details promptly after the purchase.

13. Right of withdrawal

  1. A Consumer may withdraw from an agreement for a Paid Service without giving any reason within 14 days of the day it was concluded.
  2. To withdraw from the agreement, it is enough to send an unequivocal statement to the email address given in the Contact section before the deadline. The model form in Appendix 3 may be used, but this is not mandatory. The Service Provider promptly confirms receipt of the statement by email.
  3. The Service Provider refunds the payment promptly, no later than 14 days after receiving the statement, using the same payment method as the Consumer used, unless the Consumer agrees to a different method that involves no costs for them. Access to the service is disabled upon withdrawal.
  4. If the Consumer expressly requested that the service start before the end of the withdrawal period, then upon withdrawal they pay an amount proportional to the period during which the service was provided until the withdrawal. The remaining part of the price is refunded.
  5. The right of withdrawal does not apply if the Service Provider has fully performed the service with the express prior consent of the Consumer, who was informed before the performance began that they would lose the right of withdrawal once the service was fully performed, and acknowledged this.

14. Liability of the Service Provider

  1. The Service Provider provides a Content hosting service. In accordance with the law, it is not liable for Users' Content when it had no knowledge of its unlawful nature and, upon obtaining reliable knowledge, promptly disabled access to it.
  2. The Service Provider does not guarantee that all Places are safe, accessible or legal to visit. The information is for informational purposes only.
  3. The Service Provider is not liable for damage resulting from using the Website in a way that is contrary to the law or the Terms.
  4. The Service Provider makes every effort to ensure that Paid Services operate continuously. Short technical breaks do not constitute non-performance of the agreement. If a Paid Service was unavailable for a longer period for reasons attributable to the Service Provider, the Service Provider extends it by the period of unavailability or, at the User's request, refunds the corresponding part of the price.

15. User safety and liability

  1. The User must obey the law, in particular the prohibition of violating the privacy of the home, the prohibition of entering private property without the owner's consent, prohibitions resulting from signs on the site and health and safety regulations.
  2. The User uses the information about Places at their own risk.

16. Personal data and privacy

  1. The rules for processing personal data, including cookies, are set out in the Privacy Policy.
  2. Requests concerning the protection of personal data are handled in accordance with applicable law.

17. Complaints

  1. Complaints about the operation of the Website, including Paid Services, can be submitted to the email address given in the Contact section.
  2. A complaint should contain a description of the problem, the complainant's contact details and, for Paid Services, also the Order number or the email of the Account on which the purchase was made.
  3. Complaints are handled within 14 days of receipt. The response is sent by email.
  4. The Service Provider is liable to the Consumer for the conformity of a Paid Service with the agreement under the rules set out in Chapter 5b of the Consumer Rights Act (ustawa o prawach konsumenta). In the event of non-conformity, the Consumer may demand that the service be brought into conformity with the agreement and, if this is impossible or has not happened within a reasonable time, may submit a statement on reducing the price or, if the non-conformity is material, on withdrawing from the agreement.

18. Termination of the agreement and Account deletion

  1. The User may terminate the agreement for the provision of electronic services by deleting the Account or by ceasing to use the Website.
  2. The Service Provider may terminate the agreement for important reasons, in particular in the event of repeated violations of the Terms, after first informing the User at the email address assigned to the Account, if available.
  3. Deleting the Account results in anonymising the Account data and deleting or anonymising the Content to the extent described in the Privacy Policy.
  4. If the User deletes the Account while a Paid Service is active, that service ends without a refund of the price for the remaining period, unless the User is entitled to withdraw from the agreement under section 13.
  5. If the Service Provider terminates the agreement or blocks the Account for reasons not attributable to the User, it refunds the price of Paid Services proportionally to the unused period. If the agreement is terminated because of a gross violation of the Terms by the User, no refund is due, subject to mandatory consumer protection laws.

19. Changes to the Terms

  1. The Service Provider may change the Terms for important reasons, such as a change in the law, in the functionality of the Website or in technical conditions.
  2. Users with an Account are informed about a change of the Terms by a notice on the Website and by email, if available, at least 7 days before the changes come into force. Continuing to use the Website after that date means accepting the changes.
  3. Paid Services purchased before the changes come into force are governed by the Terms in the version applicable on the day the Order was placed, unless the change is more favourable to the User.

20. Contact and DSA point of contact

  1. Contact for Users: [email protected] or the contact form.
  2. Point of contact for communication with public authorities and for reports of unlawful content: [email protected].
  3. Reports from authorities are handled promptly and in accordance with applicable law.

21. Final provisions

  1. Matters not covered by the Terms are governed by Polish law and European Union law, in particular the Civil Code (Kodeks cywilny), the Act on Providing Services by Electronic Means (ustawa o świadczeniu usług drogą elektroniczną) and the Consumer Rights Act (ustawa o prawach konsumenta).
  2. The provisions of the Terms do not exclude or limit the Consumer's rights under mandatory provisions of law. In the event of a conflict, those provisions prevail.
  3. The court competent to hear disputes is the common court having jurisdiction under general rules. A Consumer may use out-of-court dispute resolution methods, in particular the assistance of the district (municipal) consumer ombudsman (rzecznik konsumentów, a free local public advisor for consumers) or a permanent consumer arbitration court at the voivodeship inspectorate of the Trade Inspection (Inspekcja Handlowa). Information is available on the website of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK, uokik.gov.pl).
  4. These Terms are drawn up in Polish. This English version is a translation provided for convenience. In case of discrepancies the Polish version prevails.

Appendix 1. Violation report template (notice and action)

Content URL: ........................................

Description of the violation and its basis: ..........................

Category of the violation: violation of the privacy of the home, privacy, copyright, other: ..........................

Reporter's contact details: full name or company name, email, phone ..........................

Statement: I am acting in good faith. The information in this report is true to the best of my knowledge.

Supporting attachments: ..........................

Date and signature: ..........................

Appendix 2. Rules for publishing Places - summary for Users

  • Do not publish exact coordinates or photos of inhabited or used places.
  • Do not publish instructions for getting inside or methods of bypassing security measures.
  • Mark the access status of the place - public, private, uncertain.
  • Respect privacy and property rights.
  • Mind your own safety - do not take risks.

Appendix 3. Model withdrawal form

(complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the agreement)

To: bartzz Bartłomiej Szabłowski, ul. Gołębia 19/2, 11-041 Olsztyn, Poland, [email protected]

I hereby give notice that I withdraw from my agreement for the provision of the following service: ..........................

Date of conclusion of the agreement / Order number: ..........................

Consumer's full name: ..........................

Account email address: ..........................

Date: ..........................