Privacy Policy for Tornado Tracker Visitors
Tornado Tracker is dedicated to user privacy, offering anonymous real-time storm tracking with zero data selling or invasive tracking.
1. Our Privacy-by-Design Architecture
At Tornado Tracker, we believe that access to emergency meteorological information is a fundamental public service that must never be conditioned upon surrendering personal privacy. Our platform is engineered with a strict “Privacy-by-Design” architecture.
You do not need to register an account, log in with social identity providers, or provide personal identifiers (such as your legal name, physical address, email, or telephone number) to access our interactive maps, radar loops, and severe weather warning lists.
- Zero Data Monetization: We do not sell, rent, license, or monetize your web browsing habits to third-party ad networks or data brokers.
- No Cross-Site Tracking Pixels: We do not embed invasive marketing pixels or surveillance fingerprinting scripts.
2. Local Storage & Client-Side Preferences
To provide a seamless, high-performance experience on the Tornado Map, our web application stores a few non-identifying preference keys strictly within your local browser's HTML5 `localStorage`:
• Theme Preference (`theme`): Stores whether you selected Dark Mode or Light Mode to prevent bright screen flashes upon page reload.
• Map Basemap Choice (`baseStyle`): Stores your preferred cartographic style (CARTO Street, CARTO Dark, or Esri Satellite).
• Radar Layer Overlays (`mapLayers`): Remembers whether you have toggled specific layers on or off (Warnings, Watches, or Doppler Radar).
These values reside exclusively on your physical device. They are never sent to our backend servers and can be wiped instantly by clearing your browser cache.
3. Browser Geolocation & GPS Transparency
Our interactive map includes an optional “Locate Me” feature designed to help users quickly center the Doppler radar over their immediate vicinity.
When you activate this button, your browser requests explicit device-level GPS permission via the W3C Geolocation API. If granted, your coordinates are processed strictly client-side inside the MapLibre GL engine to reposition the map viewport. Your precise latitude and longitude are never uploaded, logged, or stored on our servers.
4. Edge Infrastructure & Anonymous Server Logs
Like all modern web services, our global content delivery network (CDN) edge servers automatically process standard HTTP request headers (such as your IP address, browser user-agent string, and requested resource URL).
These technical logs are used solely for real-time edge caching, detecting malicious DDoS attacks, mitigating API rate abuse, and optimizing server performance during high-traffic tornadic outbreaks. Transient server logs are routinely purged.
5. Global Compliance (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA & COPPA)
We adhere to comprehensive data protection frameworks worldwide:
- European Union GDPR: Because we do not collect personal identifiable data or perform profiling, our service operates under lawful legitimate interest without requiring cookie consent popups.
- California CCPA / CPRA: We do not “sell” or “share” consumer personal information as defined by California consumer privacy laws.
- Children's Online Privacy (COPPA): Our services are suitable for students, researchers, and families of all ages, and we never knowingly collect information from children under 13.
6. Policy Updates & Contact Information
We may periodically review and update this Privacy Policy to reflect enhancements to our Doppler radar rendering technology or regulatory standards. The date of the most recent revision is always recorded in our document metadata and public repository.
If you have questions, feedback, or inquiries regarding our data handling principles, please review our About Us overview or return to the main Tornado Tracker portal.