FireWatch TR — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026

FireWatch TR ("the app") shows wildfire and thermal-anomaly information across Turkey using NASA satellite data. This page explains what data we collect, why, and your rights over it.

Data we collect

Data type	Why we collect it
Location (GPS coordinates)	To show fire detections near you and, optionally, run background alerts. Only collected with your permission.
Device token (FCM)	To deliver push notifications (fire alerts) to your device.
Fire reports	Fires you voluntarily report: location (lat/lng), optional photo, description.
Feedback / bug reports	Rating, category, message, and an optional email — used to improve the app.
App usage / analytics	Not collected. The app contains no analytics or tracking SDK.

Location data

With your permission, the app uses your location only to compute distance to known thermal detections. Location data is never stored server-side — it's used in memory for a single calculation and discarded immediately. Background location access is entirely optional and requires a separate, explicit opt-in inside the app.

NASA fire/thermal data

Fire and thermal-anomaly data comes from NASA's FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System). This is public satellite data and is never linked to your identity.

Data retention

Location data is never stored. Fire reports and feedback are retained indefinitely to operate and improve the service; you can request deletion at any time via the contact email below. Your FCM device token becomes inactive once you disable notifications or uninstall the app.

Third-party services

The app relies on the following third-party services:

NASA FIRMS — fire/thermal detection data
Open-Meteo — weather data (for risk scoring)
Firebase (Google) — push notifications
Render — backend server hosting
Neon — database hosting
Upstash — cache (Redis) hosting

Only the data each service needs to do its job is shared with it (e.g. a device token to deliver a notification). Your data is never sold or shared for advertising.

What we don't do

We do not sell personal data to third parties.
We do not use your data for advertising.
We do not require an account or collect names, contacts, or identity documents.
We do not use in-app analytics or behavioral tracking.

Your rights

You can request deletion of any fire report, feedback submission, or email address you've provided by contacting us below. We'll act on your request within a reasonable time.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to firewatch.tr@gmail.com.