← Back to map Then & Now — Battle of the Bulge

Legal notices

Last updated: April 2026

1. Photo attribution & copyright

Historical photographs (THEN)

The historical photographs displayed on this site were taken during or shortly after the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 – January 1945) in the Ardennes region of Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. They are sourced from public-domain archives and collections, including but not limited to:

  • The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) — signal corps photographs in the public domain.
  • The Imperial War Museum (IWM) — images reproduced under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence.
  • The Musée en Piconrue / Bastogne War Museum and other Belgian and Luxembourg regional archives.
  • Private collections contributed by historians and families, reproduced with permission.

Where a photograph is not in the public domain, it is used with the explicit permission of the rights holder. If you believe a photograph has been used without proper authorisation, please contact us so we can resolve the matter promptly.

Contemporary photographs (NOW)

The contemporary "now" photographs are taken by contributors to this project and remain the property of their respective photographers. They are reproduced here with permission for the sole purpose of historical comparison.

Composite downloads

The merged THEN/NOW images generated by this site (including the embedded QR code) are provided for personal, non-commercial use only. Redistribution or commercial use without written permission is prohibited.

2. Privacy policy

This policy explains how then-and-now.ophet.net ("the site", "we") collects, uses and protects your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR — Regulation (EU) 2016/679).

Data we collect

  • Account data — if you create an account to purchase exact GPS locations, your e-mail address and authentication details are processed by Clerk on our behalf. We do not store your password.
  • Payment data — one-time purchases are handled exclusively by Stripe. We never see or store your card details. We only receive a payment confirmation and a customer identifier from Stripe.
  • Usage data — the site does not use analytics cookies or third-party tracking scripts. Standard server logs (IP address, browser, requested URL) may be retained by Cloudflare for up to 30 days for security and performance purposes under their privacy policy.
  • Location data — if you use the "locate me" feature, your device coordinates are used only to centre the map and are never transmitted to our servers.

Legal basis for processing

  • Account and payment data: performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).
  • Server logs: legitimate interest in security and fraud prevention (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Data retention

Account data is retained for as long as your account is active, or up to 3 years after your last login. Payment records are retained for 7 years to satisfy Belgian accounting obligations. You may request deletion of your account at any time.

Your rights

Under GDPR you have the right to access, correct, delete or export your personal data, and to object to or restrict processing. To exercise these rights, or to lodge a complaint, contact us at the address below. You also have the right to complain to the Belgian Data Protection Authority (dataprotectionauthority.be).

Cookies

The site uses strictly necessary session cookies set by Clerk for authentication. No advertising or analytics cookies are used. No cookie consent banner is required for strictly necessary cookies under the ePrivacy Directive.

Contact

For privacy-related requests please e-mail: legal@ophet.net

3. Terms of use

By accessing or using this site you agree to the following terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.

Paid access — exact GPS locations

  • Access to exact GPS coordinates is sold as a one-time, non-recurring payment of €4.99.
  • The licence is personal and non-transferable. You may not share your account credentials.
  • Right of withdrawal & refunds — because the paid content is delivered immediately upon purchase (digital content), you expressly waive your 14-day right of withdrawal under Art. 16(m) of Directive 2011/83/EU at the point of purchase. Refunds are offered at our discretion in cases of technical failure that prevents access.

Permitted use

  • Personal, non-commercial research, education and historical interest.
  • Sharing individual merged THEN/NOW images on social media, provided the embedded QR code and attribution are kept intact.

Prohibited uses

  • Scraping, bulk downloading or systematic extraction of photographs or GPS data.
  • Reproducing photographs in commercial publications without the explicit permission of the rights holder.
  • Removing, cropping or obscuring the attribution QR code from downloaded images.
  • Reselling or sublicensing access to the paid content.

Availability

We aim for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We reserve the right to modify or discontinue any feature at any time. Paid users will receive reasonable notice before any material change affecting their access.

Governing law

These terms are governed by Belgian law. Any dispute shall be submitted to the courts of Belgium, without prejudice to your rights as a consumer under the law of your country of residence.

4. General disclaimer

Historical accuracy

The descriptions, dates, unit identifications and other historical information provided for each photograph are based on archival research and secondary sources. They are presented in good faith but may contain errors or be subject to ongoing historical debate. We welcome corrections from historians and researchers.

GPS coordinates

Approximate locations (shown as circles on the map for free users) represent the estimated area where a photograph was taken, with a margin of several kilometres. Exact coordinates (available to paid users) reflect our best current research and may be refined as new evidence emerges. They are not suitable for use as navigational waypoints.

When visiting any of these locations, you are responsible for your own safety. Some sites are on private land, active farmland, or near busy roads. Always obtain permission before entering private property and obey local regulations.

Street View & third-party services

Street View links and navigation links are provided by Google Maps and are subject to Google's own terms of service and privacy policy. We are not responsible for the content or availability of third-party services.

No warranty

The site and its content are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose. We shall not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential damages arising from use of this site.