Privacy Policy

At WildfireMap.live, we believe that critical environmental safety information must be freely accessible to everyone without sacrificing digital privacy. Our platform is engineered from the ground up to operate without requiring any user registration, account creation, or submission of personally identifiable information (PII).

We do not sell, rent, monetize, or trade user data to data brokers, advertising networks, or any commercial entities.

WildfireMap.live includes optional geolocation features (such as the "Locate Me" crosshair button) that enable you to center the interactive map on your current geographic position and view proximity to nearby active hotspots and smoke plumes.

• Browser-Only Processing: Your geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) are accessed exclusively via your browser's standard HTML5 Geolocation API with your explicit browser permission.
• Zero Server Storage: Your precise GPS coordinates are never uploaded to our servers, logged in databases, or associated with your digital footprint. All distance calculations between your position and satellite fire points occur entirely in client-side JavaScript memory on your local device.
• User Revocation: You can revoke geolocation permissions at any moment via your device or browser settings.

Like virtually all internet platforms, our edge delivery infrastructure (such as Cloudflare and Vercel edge networks) temporarily processes standard HTTP protocol request data when your browser requests tiles, map layers, or page assets. This includes:

• Internet Protocol (IP) address (truncated and anonymized where feasible).
• Browser type, version, operating system, and hardware architecture (User-Agent).
• Referring URL, timestamp of access, and requested network resource paths.

This technical telemetry is utilized exclusively for detecting DDoS attacks, enforcing API rate limits, mitigating malicious bot scraping, and maintaining service reliability during widespread regional fire events. Technical server logs are automatically cycled and purged on a short rolling retention cycle.

WildfireMap.live does not use intrusive third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking pixels. We use standard browser localStorage strictly to store your interface preferences between visits:

• Color mode preference (Light mode, Dark mode, or System default).
• Selected map base layer (e.g., Satellite imagery, Dark canvas, or Topographic relief).
• Telemetry toggle state (e.g., NASA VIIRS 375m, MODIS 1km, EPA AirNow AQI overlays).
• Last viewed map coordinates and zoom level to preserve your view across browser refreshes.

These values are stored entirely on your local device and can be cleared at any time through your browser's clear cache or browsing data settings.

We adhere to the privacy standards set forth by the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, and the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA):

• Right to Know & Access: Because we do not require accounts or store personal dossiers, we do not maintain profiles containing your identity.
• Right to Delete: You can clear your client-side preferences at any time by clearing your browser cache.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell, share, or monetize any personal information under any statutory definition.
• Non-Discrimination: Equal access and full functionality are provided to every user regardless of their privacy choices or geographic location.

To provide real-time satellite imagery and cartographic basemaps, our client application makes direct encrypted requests to authoritative geospatial providers:

• NASA FIRMS: Active fire detection thermal point data.
• US EPA AirNow & NOAA HMS: Ambient air quality index and smoke plume vector layers.
• CARTO & OpenStreetMap: Geospatial map tile rendering.

When your browser downloads map tiles directly from these endpoints, your IP address is processed according to each provider's respective public data policy.

WildfireMap.live is an open educational and public-safety platform. We do not knowingly solicit, collect, or store personal information from children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in applicable jurisdictions), compliant with COPPA and global child safety standards.