Privacy Policy

The short version

There are no accounts, ads, analytics or tracking on the website or in the app. We don't sell or share personal information, and we don't build profiles of visitors.

To show the map, your device sends us map positions and, if you use search, what you type. Our server keeps standard request logs for up to 14 days and nothing else about you.

The website

Cookies: the site sets two cookies that it needs to work (a session cookie and a security token against forged requests). They expire after two hours and aren't used for tracking.

Approximate location: to start the map near you, the server looks up your IP address in a local database (MaxMind GeoLite2) to find your approximate city. The lookup happens on our server, and the result isn't stored.

Map search: what you type in the map's search box is sent to our server, which asks Photon (see below) for suggestions.

Links to other sites, such as Zillow or Google Maps, open those sites under their own privacy policies.

The iOS app

Location (optional): if you allow it, the app uses your location to start the map on your area and for the “show my location” button. To check that your area is covered and to load its census data, the app sends the coordinates to our server. Your location is never linked to an account or identity, and you can turn it off at any time in Settings.

Address search: the text you type and the approximate map area (rounded to about 11 km) are sent to our server for suggestions. When you choose an address, the app sends that address directly to the U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder to find its census block.

Shared links: when you use Share, the link contains the map position and, if one is selected, the census area. It only goes where you send it.

On your device, the app stores only the search tab you used last, a cache of map data, and the areas you save as favorites. Favorites stay on your device and are never sent to us; deleting the app removes them.

Server logs

Like most websites, our server records each request: the IP address, the time, the browser or app version, and the requested address. The requested address can include map coordinates or search text. These logs are used for security and troubleshooting, are kept for up to 14 days, and aren't shared.

Search suggestions are cached for up to seven days by search text and approximate area, without any IP address or other information about who searched.

Services we rely on

Map tiles come from OpenFreeMap, shaded relief from Mapzen terrain tiles hosted on Amazon Web Services, and the website's map library from cdnjs (Cloudflare). Your browser or the app downloads these directly, so those services see your IP address, as with any website.

Address suggestions come from Photon by komoot, based on OpenStreetMap data. Photon receives requests from our server, not from your device.

Census blocks for addresses come from the U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder, which the app contacts directly. Census data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Children

The website and the app are general-audience reference tools. They aren't directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes and contact

If this policy changes, we'll update this page and its date.