Privacy Policy

Our Commitment to Privacy

Ice Tracker was built with privacy as a core principle. We believe you should be able to share ice cream truck sightings without compromising your personal information. This policy explains exactly what we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect your privacy.

What We Collect

Location Data (Anonymized)

When you submit a sighting, we collect your approximate location. However, we immediately anonymize this data:

• Your precise GPS coordinates are never stored. We convert them to a geohash, which represents an approximate area (roughly 1.2km × 600m).
• This anonymization happens in your browser before any data is sent to our servers.
• We cannot reverse this process to determine your exact location.

Timestamp

We record when each sighting was submitted so we can show recent ice cream truck activity. You can view sightings from the past 7 days using the time filter.

Proof of Work

To prevent spam without requiring login, we use a computational challenge. Your browser performs a small amount of work to submit a sighting. This happens automatically and doesn't collect any personal information.

What We Don't Collect

• No accounts or login required - We don't ask for your name, email, or password.
• No tracking cookies - We don't use cookies to track you across sessions or websites.
• No device fingerprinting - We don't create unique identifiers for your device.
• No precise location history - We can't track your movements or build a location profile.
• No personal identifiers - We don't collect IP addresses, user agents, or other identifying information beyond what's necessary for basic operation.

How We Use Your Data

The anonymized location data and timestamp are used for a single purpose: displaying recent ice cream truck sightings on the map. That's it.

We do not:

• Sell or share your data with third parties
• Use your data for advertising or marketing
• Analyze individual user behavior or patterns

Third-Party Services

Cloudflare Analytics

We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand how people use Ice Tracker. Cloudflare Analytics is privacy-first:

• No cookies or persistent identifiers
• No cross-site tracking
• No personal data collection
• IP addresses are not stored
• Data is aggregated and anonymized
• GDPR and CCPA compliant

OpenStreetMap

Our maps are provided by OpenStreetMap, an open-source mapping service. When you view the map, OpenStreetMap may receive your IP address as part of normal web requests for map tiles. See OpenStreetMap's Privacy Policy for details.

Microsoft Azure

Ice Tracker is hosted on Microsoft Azure. Azure handles our data according to their Privacy Statement and provides enterprise-grade security.

Data Security

We take security seriously:

• HTTPS encryption - All data is transmitted securely using SSL/TLS encryption.
• Limited data access - API restricts viewing to sightings from the past 7 days.
• No user accounts - There are no passwords to leak or accounts to compromise.
• Content Security Policy - We use strict CSP headers to prevent unauthorized scripts.
• Regular security updates - Our infrastructure and dependencies are kept up to date.

Your Rights

Because we don't collect personal information or create user accounts:

• There is no personal data to access, modify, or delete
• You can use Ice Tracker completely anonymously
• You're not tracked across sessions or devices
• You can stop using the service at any time with no data trail

Browser Permissions

Ice Tracker requests your browser's location permission to:

• Determine your approximate area for submitting and viewing sightings
• Center the map on your location

You can deny this permission and still use the app by manually navigating the map. If you grant permission, you can revoke it at any time through your browser settings.

Children's Privacy

Ice Tracker does not knowingly collect any information from anyone, including children under 13. Our service is designed to be used without providing any personal information.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of Ice Tracker after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.