Privacy Policy

Last updated: December 8, 2024

Introduction

WhichMap ("we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our application and website (collectively, the "Service").

Privacy at a Glance

WhichMap is designed with privacy as a core principle. Here's what you need to know:

  • No Cross-App Tracking: We only collect first-party analytics within our own app. We never link your data with other companies' apps or websites.
  • No Advertising IDs: We do not use IDFA or any advertising identifiers.
  • No Ad Networks: We do not integrate with Facebook Ads, Google Ads, or any third-party advertising services.
  • No Data Selling: We never sell your data to data brokers or third parties.
  • First-Party Only: All analytics are stored in our own database (Firebase Firestore) and used exclusively to improve our Service.
  • Location Privacy: Location data is only used for route finding and is never shared with third parties for advertising.

Our goal is simple: help you find the fastest route. We collect only what's necessary to provide and improve this service, and we never use your data for advertising purposes.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide

  • Account Information: If you create an account, we collect your email address and authentication credentials.
  • Search History: Addresses and locations you search for to provide personalized suggestions.

Information Collected Automatically

  • Location Data: With your permission, we access your device's location to provide "Current Location" functionality. This data is used only to fetch route information from navigation providers and is optionally saved in your search history for convenience. Location data is never used for advertising or shared with third parties for marketing purposes.
  • First-Party Analytics: We collect first-party analytics about how you interact with our Service, including which navigation providers you select, button clicks, and feature usage. This data is stored in our own database (Firebase Firestore) and is used solely to understand user preferences and improve our Service. We do not share this data with advertising networks or data brokers.
  • Device Information: We collect basic device information (screen size, platform, language) to optimize our user interface for different devices. This information is not used for device fingerprinting, cross-app tracking, or advertising purposes.
  • Marketing Attribution: We may collect referral source information (which website you came from) and campaign parameters (UTM codes) to understand which of our own marketing efforts are effective. This is first-party attribution only - we do not link this data with other companies' apps or websites, nor do we share it with third-party advertising networks.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide, maintain, and improve our Service
  • Display route comparisons from third-party navigation providers
  • Remember your search history for convenience
  • Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience
  • Understand which navigation providers users prefer (aggregate analytics)
  • Respond to your support requests
  • Detect and prevent technical issues or abuse

First-Party Analytics Only - No Cross-App Tracking

We collect first-party analytics data to understand how users interact with our Service. This includes tracking which navigation provider you choose to open (Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze) after comparing routes. All analytics data is stored in our own database (Firebase Firestore) and is used exclusively to improve our Service.

What We Track (First-Party Only)

  • Which navigation provider you select after viewing route comparisons
  • Search queries and route requests you make within our app
  • Feature usage to understand which parts of our app are most useful
  • Basic device information to optimize the user interface

What We DON'T Do

  • No Advertising Identifiers: We do not use IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) or any other advertising identifiers
  • No Third-Party Ad Networks: We do not integrate with Facebook Ads, Google Ads, or any other advertising networks
  • No Cross-App Tracking: We do not link your data with data from other companies' apps or websites
  • No Data Brokers: We do not sell or share your data with data brokers
  • No Device Fingerprinting: We do not use device information to uniquely identify or track you across apps
  • No Third-Party Sharing for Advertising: We do not share your data with third parties for their advertising or marketing purposes

Our analytics are solely for understanding how to make WhichMap better for you. All data stays within our own systems and is never used for targeted advertising or shared with advertising networks.

Third-Party Services

Infrastructure Services

  • Firebase (Google): We use Firebase Authentication for user accounts and Firebase Firestore for data storage. We have disabled all advertising and cross-site tracking features in Firebase. We do not use Firebase Analytics, Google Analytics, or any other Google advertising services. Your data is stored securely and is not shared with Google for advertising purposes. Subject to Firebase Privacy Policy

Navigation Provider APIs

To display route comparisons, we fetch data from third-party navigation APIs:

  • Google Maps API: We use Google Maps Directions API to fetch route information. This is server-side only and your data is not used for advertising. Subject to Google's Privacy Policy
  • Apple Maps API: We use Apple Maps Server API to fetch route information. Subject to Apple's Privacy Policy
  • Waze: We provide links to open routes in Waze. Subject to Waze's Privacy Policy

When you click to open a route in Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze, you leave our Service and become subject to that provider's privacy practices. We do not receive any data back from these providers about your navigation activity.

Data Storage and Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data. Search history for non-authenticated users is stored locally on your device. For authenticated users, data is stored securely using Firebase with encryption in transit and at rest.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to provide our Service and fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Search history is retained until you clear it or delete your account. Analytics data is retained in anonymized form for up to 24 months.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

  • Access and receive a copy of your personal data
  • Correct inaccurate personal data
  • Request deletion of your personal data
  • Opt out of certain data collection
  • Withdraw consent at any time

To exercise these rights, please contact us at alex.nh.kim@gmail.com.

Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe we have collected such data, please contact us immediately.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

alex.nh.kim@gmail.com