Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 28, 2026
The short version. Your pins, tracks, and waypoints are the most personal thing Teriscope holds — they describe where you've been and what you've found. We treat them with the highest care. We don't sell them, we don't share them with advertisers, we don't run analytics on them, and you can download or delete them at any time.
1. Who we are
Teriscope is an outdoor navigation and weather app built by Grayson Schaffer, an outdoor guide based in New Mexico. We are the "data controller" for the information described here. You can reach us anytime at [email protected].
2. What data we collect
2.1 Account information
When you sign in, we store your email address, the name you choose to share (saved as your display name), and a unique account ID. We support three sign-in methods: Sign in with Apple, Sign in with Google, and email magic links. For Apple and Google sign-in we receive the email address and, if you choose to share it, your name — and nothing else.
2.2 Location
Teriscope is a navigation app, so it needs your location. We use it in two ways:
- Live blue dot: your device's location is used to draw the blue dot on the map. This happens entirely on your phone — your live location is not transmitted to our servers.
- Recorded tracks: when you tap "record" on a track, the GPS points along that track are saved to your phone and, if you choose to sync, also to your Teriscope account on our servers so the track appears on your other devices.
If you deny location permission, the map still works — the blue dot just won't appear.
2.3 Pins, tracks, journal entries, and other user content
Anything you create inside the app — pins you drop, tracks you record, catches you log, names and notes you add — is stored on your device and synced to your Teriscope account on our servers so you can access it across devices. This is the data we consider most sensitive. When you record a track, we also store the activity statistics derived from it — distance, duration, pace, and elevation gain — which are a form of fitness and exercise data.
2.4 Push notifications
If you enable weather or snow alerts, your device gives us a push notification token (a device-level identifier) that we store with your account so the notifications you asked for can be delivered. We use it only to send those alerts — never for advertising or tracking.
2.5 Diagnostic data we don't collect
Teriscope does not include any third-party analytics SDK (no Mixpanel, no Amplitude, no Segment, no Firebase Analytics, no PostHog). We do not use Sentry, Bugsnag, or any other crash reporting service. We do not use ad networks, tracking pixels, or device fingerprinting. The app does not request your Advertising Identifier (IDFA).
3. Where your data lives
Teriscope's backend runs on DigitalOcean App Platform in their New York region. User content (pins, tracks, journal entries, account info) is stored in a managed PostgreSQL database in the same region. Map tiles and supporting files are stored in DigitalOcean Spaces (their object storage). We do not use any cloud provider outside DigitalOcean for your account data.
4. You own your data — download or delete anytime
4.1 Export
You can export your pins and tracks at any time directly from the app:
- Tracks can be exported as GPX (standard GPS exchange format, works with Garmin, Gaia, Strava, etc.) or KML (Google Earth format).
- Pins and waypoints can be exported as GPX, KML, or CSV.
- All content at once — your full account can be exported as a single archive on request to [email protected].
4.2 Delete
You can delete individual pins, tracks, or journal entries from inside the app. You can delete your entire account — and every piece of content attached to it — from the in-app Account screen, or by emailing us at [email protected]. Account deletion is permanent and removes your data from our database within 30 days. Encrypted backups are retained for up to 90 days before being purged from cold storage.
5. Who we share your data with
We do not sell your data. We do not share it with advertisers. The only third parties involved in delivering the service are:
- DigitalOcean — hosts our servers, database, and object storage.
- Apple and Google — only if you sign in using their account services, and only what they pass us during sign-in.
- Resend — sends the magic-link sign-in emails, if you choose email sign-in. They process your email address solely for that delivery.
- Public-data providers we read FROM (we don't send them your data): National Weather Service (NOAA), National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), USGS, OpenStreetMap, and a handful of state agencies for parcel and wildlife-management data. These are read-only public APIs.
6. Security
All data in transit uses standard iOS encryption (HTTPS/TLS). Our database and object storage are encrypted at rest by DigitalOcean. Account passwords are not stored because we don't use them — we only use Apple/Google OAuth and email magic links.
7. Children
Teriscope is not directed at children under 13. We don't knowingly collect data from anyone under 13. If you believe a minor has created an account, email [email protected] and we'll delete it.
8. Your rights
If you live in California, the EU, the UK, or another jurisdiction with privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.), you have the right to access, correct, port, or delete the data we hold about you, and to object to processing. The mechanisms above — in-app export, in-app delete, and direct email — are how you exercise those rights. We respond within 30 days.
9. Changes to this policy
If we make material changes to this policy, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top and, if the change affects how we handle your data, notify you in the app before the change takes effect.
10. Contact
Privacy questions, data export requests, account deletion, or anything else: [email protected].