Privacy, in plain language
Your history and photos
Mapback reads the JSON and images in your browser. It does not send them to the server or a map provider. The route, crops and final files are created on this device.
What is kept
Your language preference, manual country and territory list, and the homes, trips and dates you add to your manual story are saved in this browser’s local storage. You can delete each list or story in its editor; clearing site data also removes it. It is not synced across devices. Editing settings and imported history stay in memory during the session and are lost when you reload or close the tab. Saved downloads remain wherever you choose.
When you visit
The hosting provider, Vercel, receives requests needed to serve this website and its assets. Those requests may include your IP address, browser and technical logs. Local history processing does not mean anonymous browsing. This code version includes no third-party analytics or tracking cookies.
Measuring reliability
Our own measurement is enabled. We count actions and failures by day, Mapback release, browser family and a recognized campaign from the entry link. Only registered campaigns are accepted: arbitrary UTM text is discarded and the URL is not stored. The campaign stays in memory while this page is open, without tracking you across visits. We distinguish examples, your own files and manual creations and group time to the first preview into ranges. We do not store individual events, visitor identifiers, routes, photos, titles, file names or error text. Counters are stored in Neon (Postgres) for 90 days and deleted by the next daily cleanup. We respect your browser’s Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals. This measurement uses no cookies or local storage.
Protecting the form
To limit repeated submissions, the server creates a protected hash of the IP address, different each day and for each purpose. Neon stores only this hash and a counter: limits last ten minutes and expired records are removed by the next daily cleanup. The original IP is not sent to this database, and the hash is not linked to comments or statistics.
Before sharing
Videos may reveal locations, routes, dates and your chosen photo. Atlas stories can show countries, distances and dates if enabled. Review the result before downloading or sharing it.
Private areas
Automatic detection looks for up to two recurring places across the full file and needs visits on at least eight different days. You can also add manual areas, including for short trips. Points within 1.5 km are hidden and the line is broken; anonymity is not guaranteed. Video private areas and exclusions do not apply to the Atlas.
Beta feedback
The form does not ask for email or attach files automatically. When connected, your text and chosen device type are sent to our GitHub repository. A temporary hash of the IP address limits repeated submissions and is not included in the feedback. If the inbox is not connected, the form says so and lets you save the text to your device.
You choose the destination
Share file opens your device’s sharing menu when supported. You choose the app and recipient. Files leave Mapback only when you share them yourself. Do not send your JSON or screenshots with private places when asking for help.