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Privacy Policy
Last updated: June 7, 2026
MaineAlert ("MaineAlert," "we," "us") is a free community safety and event map for the state
of Maine. We built it to be privacy-first: there are no user accounts, and we
collect as little information as possible. This policy explains what we collect, why, how long we
keep it, and your choices.
We never ask for your name, phone number, or email to view or post on the map.
Please do not include personal information about yourself or other people in a
report.
Information we collect
- Reports you submit — the incident type, the map location (pin), an optional
short description, and the time. Reports are public by design.
- Technical/abuse-prevention data — your IP address and browser user-agent
string, with timestamps. By default IP addresses are stored in a hashed or shortened
form, used only to rate-limit, de-duplicate, and block spam or abuse, and are deleted on a
schedule (see Retention).
- Approximate device location (push only) — if you install the mobile app and
turn on nearby alerts, your device sends a coarsened location (rounded so it
isn't precise), an alert radius, and an anonymous push token, so our server can notify you about
nearby reports. We keep only the most recent value, it is not linked to your identity, and turning
alerts off deletes it.
- On-device storage — we use your browser's local storage to remember things
like your own pending submissions and which reports you've confirmed or flagged. This stays on
your device.
We do not use advertising networks or third-party analytics/tracking, and we do
not sell or rent personal information.
How we use information
- To operate and display the community map and reports.
- To keep the service trustworthy — rate limiting, de-duplication, content review, and blocking
abusive sources.
- To send opt-in proximity alerts to your device.
- To respond to messages you send us (e.g., support email).
Where the EU/UK GDPR applies, our legal bases are legitimate interests (running
and securing the service) and consent (push-notification location, which you can
withdraw any time by disabling alerts).
Services that may receive data
To deliver the map we rely on a few providers, which may receive limited technical data such as
your IP address as a normal part of serving content:
- Our web host — serves the site and stores the database.
- OpenStreetMap — supplies map tiles; their tile servers receive the map area
you view and your IP address.
- Google Fonts — serves the page fonts and may receive your IP address.
- Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google) — delivers push notifications if you enable
alerts; it processes your push token and the alert content.
We may disclose information if required by law, but by design we hold very little that could
identify you.
Retention
Reports expire from the active map automatically and may be removed by moderators. IP records are
purged on a rolling schedule (30 days by default). Inactive push-device records are purged
automatically. We keep information only as long as needed for the purposes above.
Your choices & rights
- Use the map without enabling location or push at all.
- Turn off alerts in the app to delete your device record.
- Request access to, correction of, or deletion of information about you, or ask us to remove a
specific report, by emailing support@mainealert.com.
Depending on where you live (for example, the EU/UK under GDPR or California under the
CCPA/CPRA), you may have additional rights to access, delete, correct, or restrict processing, and
to not be discriminated against for exercising them. We do not sell or share personal information for
cross-context behavioral advertising.
Children
MaineAlert is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal
information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will
delete it.
Security
We minimize what we collect, hash or shorten IP addresses, coarsen location, and avoid accounts.
No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but data minimization is our primary safeguard.
Changes
We may update this policy; we'll change the "last updated" date above and, for significant
changes, note it on the site.
Contact
Questions or requests: support@mainealert.com.