Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 2026

MemoryForge, LLC ("we," "us," or "our") operates the CoastWarn mobile application. This Privacy Policy explains what data the app handles and your rights regarding that data.

Web alerts (not live yet)

Everything below describes the CoastWarn iOS app. The text and email signup form on the home page is in local preview: it is not open to the public, and no phone number or email address has been collected through this website. Before that form accepts a real signup, this policy will be extended to say what the alert service stores for text and email recipients, how long it is kept, which providers carry the messages, and how to have it deleted. Until then, do not read the statements below as covering a web signup.

Data We Collect

CoastWarn collects no personal information. The app has no accounts and no analytics. Besides your device and NOAA, the only system involved is our alert delivery server, which exists solely to send flood alerts and knows nothing about who you are:

• Zip code / station preference — Your selected zip code, tide station, and alert threshold are stored locally on your device (in iOS UserDefaults). Your station and threshold are also sent to our alert server when you enable notifications, so it knows which station to watch for you. Your zip code never leaves your device.
• Precise location (optional) — If you grant location access, CoastWarn uses it only to center the station map so you can find a nearby tide gauge. That location never leaves your device: it is not sent to our alert server or to NOAA, is not used for alerts, and is used only while the map is open.
• Water level checks — The app requests publicly available water level data directly from NOAA for your selected station. These requests contain the station ID, not your identity or location.
• Alerts — Flood alerts reach you by more than one path on purpose, so a single failure cannot silence a warning: your device generates local notifications, and our alert server independently sends push notifications. To deliver push notifications, the app registers your device's Apple push token with our server, together with your chosen station and threshold. The push token is an identifier Apple generates for notification delivery; it is not your name, contact information, or location, and we use it for nothing except sending flood alerts.

Data We Do Not Collect

CoastWarn does not collect:

• Precise location on our servers (location, when granted, stays on your device)
• Personal information (name, email, phone number)
• Usage analytics or behavioral data
• Browsing history or activity outside the app
• Advertising identifiers

Third-Party Services

• NOAA CO-OPS — The app retrieves publicly available water level data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. No personal data is shared with NOAA; requests identify only the monitoring station.
• Apple App Store — Your purchase is handled entirely by Apple. We do not receive or store payment information.

Data Retention

Our alert server keeps only what alert delivery needs: your device's push token, your chosen station and threshold, and a short history of the alerts it sent. A registration is deleted when Apple reports its push token is no longer valid, which happens after the app is removed from the device; you can also ask us to delete it at the support address below. Everything else is stored on your device and is removed when you delete the app.

Data Security

All communication between the CoastWarn app, NOAA, and our alert server uses HTTPS encryption. Nothing we receive identifies you personally.

Children's Privacy

CoastWarn does not knowingly collect data from children under the age of 13. The app does not require account creation and collects no personal information.

Your Rights

Because all data is stored locally, you are in full control: change your station and threshold at any time in Settings, or remove all app data by deleting the app.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Your continued use of CoastWarn after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at support@memoryforge.app.