Privacy
What we collect, and what we don't do with it.
Short version: we collect only what a feature needs, we keep it only as long as the feature needs it, and we never sell it or hand it to advertisers. Last updated .
Browsing the site
Reading this site requires no account and sets no tracking cookies. We use privacy-respecting, cookieless analytics that record page views and a few events (a camera search, a letter generated) without identifying you. The map tiles are served by OpenFreeMap and the address lookups by OpenStreetMap's Nominatim and the U.S. Census geocoder; those services see the address or ZIP you search for, nothing more. Cloudflare, which fronts the site, sees your IP address as any network provider does.
When something breaks in your browser (a script error, or our server failing a request), the page sends our own server the error message, the page path without anything after a question mark, and your browser's name and version, so we can fix it. No one else receives it, and nothing in it identifies you. The "Report a problem" link at the bottom of every page sends us only what you type, the page you were on, and your email if you choose to give it.
What you give us, and why
- Name, so emails and any contact from a volunteer can address you.
- Email address, to send what you asked for: event alerts, digests, updates. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe and a link to change your preferences.
- Phone number, only if you give one. Text messages are sent only to people who tick the SMS box, and every text includes how to stop them (reply STOP).
- Street address, town or ZIP code, to work out your county, your municipality and your legislative districts, so we can show you nearby cameras and events and the officials who represent you. The address you type into the letter tool is placed into the letter you send; we don't keep it beyond that session unless you also sign up.
- IP address, recorded when you submit a form, to stop abuse (spam, floods) and to investigate it if it happens. It is kept with the submission.
- What you submit: tips, events, videos, and the credit choices you make for a video. Submissions are checked by a volunteer; we never publish who sent a tip or an event, and we credit a video only the way you asked.
What we never do
- We do not sell, rent or trade personal information to anyone.
- We do not share it with advertisers or data brokers, and we do not run advertising.
- We do not send anything you did not ask for. Signing up for event alerts does not sign you up for anything else.
Who processes it for us
Your information lives in our own database at Cloudflare (United States). Email and text messages are delivered by a messaging provider under contract to send on our behalf; it sees the address or number and the message and may record whether the message was delivered, opened or bounced, which we use to stop sending to dead addresses. Uploaded videos are stored privately at Cloudflare until a volunteer reviews them. None of these providers may use your information for their own purposes.
How long we keep it
- Subscriptions: until you unsubscribe. After that your address stays on a do-not-contact list so nothing re-adds you; ask and we delete it entirely.
- Unconfirmed sign-ups: 30 days.
- Form submissions and the IP address that sent them: kept for security and record-keeping, deleted on request.
- Submitted tips, events and videos: for as long as they are published, plus the record of who verified them. Rejected submissions and their files: 30 days.
Your choices
- Change what you get: use the "Manage preferences" link in any email.
- Stop everything: the unsubscribe link in any email, or reply STOP to any text.
- See, correct or delete your information: email [email protected] from the address in question and we will do it within 30 days, no questions asked.
Children
The site is for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13; if you believe we have, tell us and we will delete it.
Changes
If this page changes in a way that affects what we do with information already collected, we will say so by email before the change takes effect. Smaller edits are noted by the date at the top.
Contact
DeFlock NY is run by volunteers. Questions about this policy: [email protected].