Privacy Policy

1. Information We Do Not Collect

Unlike many web services, Earthquake Today does not operate user accounts, membership logins, or subscription paywalls. Consequently, we never collect, store, or sell:

• Your full legal name, residential address, or postal code.
• Your personal email address, telephone number, or messaging handles.
• Financial records, credit card numbers, billing details, or payment histories.
• Biometric data, social media profiles, or third-party identity credentials.
• Precise, continuous GPS tracking histories of your device movements.

2. Information Collected Automatically

When your web browser or mobile client requests data from Earthquake Today, our edge servers automatically record standard HTTP connection metadata. This diagnostic data is standard across modern internet operations and includes:

• Internet Protocol (IP) Address: Used solely to route the requested GeoJSON data packets, prevent Denial-of-Service (DDoS) cyberattacks, and enforce automated query rate-limiting. IP addresses are truncated or anonymized in long-term log archives.
• User-Agent & Browser Characteristics: Information regarding your browser engine (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox), operating system, screen dimensions, and language preference, utilized to deliver responsive interface styling.
• Referral URL & Timestamp: The address of the webpage that linked you to our site, alongside the exact universal time (UTC) of each feed request.

These technical server logs are automatically cycled and purged on a rolling 30-day schedule and are never correlated with individual users or cross-site behavioral profiles.

3. Local Storage and Client-Side Features

To keep our infrastructure lightweight, private, and instantaneous, several interactive utilities rely strictly on your browser's local memory (HTML5 Web Storage) rather than remote tracking databases:

• "I Felt It" Community Reports: When you press the "I Felt It" button next to a specific seismic event, your browser saves a minimal key-value pair in your local device storage (e.g., felt_us7000xxxx=1). This prevents repeated accidental clicks on the same tremor and maintains your submission state locally. No personal identifier, name, or IP is affixed to this counter.
• Search Queries & Proximity Filtering: When you enter a city or region into the "Quakes Near..." search bar, location matching occurs entirely inside your local browser runtime by filtering our public earthquake cache. Your search terms are not transmitted to third-party data brokers.
• UI Preferences: Filter selections (such as switching between 24-hour and 7-day regional timelines) operate in active client state and are not monetized or logged.

You can clear this local data at any time through your web browser's settings by selecting "Clear Browsing Data" or clearing local site storage for earthquaketoday.live.

4. Third-Party Mapping & Public Data Sources

Our service integrates carefully selected external scientific and technical resources to render comprehensive seismic insights:

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Real-time earthquake data, epicentral coordinates, moment magnitudes, and focal depths are fetched directly from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program open GeoJSON feeds. USGS public feeds do not receive or collect personal information from our website visitors.
• Map Tile Providers (ESRI & Leaflet): Our interactive global maps utilize open National Geographic and World Topographic tiles provided by Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) rendered through the open-source Leaflet library. When map tiles load, your browser requests imagery directly from ESRI content delivery networks (CDNs), which may process your IP address under ESRI's standard network security protocols.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Earthquake Today operates under a strict minimal-footprint policy. We do not deploy invasive cross-site tracking cookies, canvas fingerprinting scripts, or behavioral surveillance pixels.

Any HTTP cookies utilized are strictly limited to essential technical operations (such as load balancing and edge caching). If web performance analytics are utilized, they are configured with anonymized IP masking and do not track users across unrelated websites.

6. Data Security and Infrastructure

We employ modern, multi-layered security protocols to safeguard all communications between your browser and our edge servers:

• End-to-End TLS/HTTPS Encryption: All traffic is encrypted in transit using Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3 / HTTPS), preventing eavesdropping, man-in-the-middle tampering, and unauthorized data interception.
• Strict Transport Security (HSTS): Enforces modern cryptographic standards across all subdomains and route endpoints.
• Edge Caching & Rate Limiting: Protects server availability and prevents unauthorized scraping or bulk extraction of public infrastructure resources.

7. Children's Privacy (COPPA)

Earthquake Today is an educational and public information resource suitable for all audiences, including students, researchers, and educators studying plate tectonics. We do not knowingly solicit, collect, or process any personal identifiable information from children under the age of 13 in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please notify us immediately so it can be erased.

8. Global Privacy Rights (GDPR & CCPA / CPRA)

Depending on your physical jurisdiction, international data protection laws grant you specific rights regarding digital privacy:

• European Union & UK (GDPR / UK GDPR): You have the right to access, rectify, or request erasure of any personal data, as well as the right to object to processing. Because Earthquake Today does not store user profiles or identifiable personal records, we hold no personal data dossiers to disclose or delete.
• California Residents (CCPA / CPRA): You have the right to know what personal categories are collected, request deletion, and opt out of the sale or sharing of personal data. We do not sell, rent, or share personal data with third parties for commercial gain or monetary consideration.

9. Policy Revisions and Contact Information

We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy to reflect technical enhancements, infrastructure upgrades, or evolving regulatory standards. When updates occur, the revision date at the top of this document will be amended accordingly. Continued use of our seismic monitoring services following any modifications constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, please contact us via our administrative team at contact@earthquaketoday.live.