CreekBite

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2025 · Last Updated: May 27, 2025 · Version 2.0

CreekBite ("CreekBite," "we," "our," "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how it is stored, and your rights. By using CreekBite, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

01 Information We Collect

Account Information

Email address
Password (stored securely via Supabase Auth — we never see your plain-text password)
Display name / Creek Tag (your chosen username)
Date of birth (used only to verify minimum age of 13)
Home state (used for regional conditions context)
Terms acceptance timestamp

Location & GPS Data

Your GPS coordinates when you use location-based features (nearby gauges, trip tracking, float navigation)
Location is used in real time to fetch conditions data; your precise coordinates are not permanently stored on our servers unless you explicitly save a trip or float
GPS trip tracks you record during a float are stored locally on your device in IndexedDB and optionally saved to your account if you choose to sync
Location access is always optional; you can use many CreekBite features by entering a ZIP code manually

Trip & Float Data

Saved float plans (put-in/take-out coordinates, route name, float type, distance, time estimates)
GPS tracks from completed floats (if saved)
Offline float packages downloaded to your device
Trip waypoints and notes you create

Community Submissions

Access confirmations (location, access rating, CFS at time, optional note, your Creek Tag)
Wading difficulty ratings (waterway, difficulty level, CFS, optional note)
Community access points you submit

Technical & Device Data

Browser type and device type (collected by our infrastructure provider Cloudflare as part of standard web hosting)
We do not use advertising trackers, third-party analytics scripts, or fingerprinting

02 How We Use Your Information

Data	How It's Used
Email & account info	Account login, password reset, account management
Creek Tag / display name	Shown on your access confirmations and community submissions
GPS / location	Find nearby USGS gauges, show local conditions, float navigation, trip tracking
Saved floats & trips	Restore your saved plans across sessions and devices
Access confirmations	Shown to other users to help them find fishable access points
Wading ratings	Shown in aggregate to help users assess wade conditions
Date of birth	Age verification only (13+ requirement); not shared or displayed
Home state	Regional context for conditions; not shared individually

03 Offline Storage on Your Device

When you use CreekBite offline features, data is stored locally on your device:

Local Storage: App preferences, gauge settings, session tokens, saved float list
IndexedDB: Downloaded float packages including route data, ramps, hazards, emergency exits, and GPS trip history
Service Worker Cache: App shell files and pre-cached map tiles for your downloaded float areas

This data remains on your device until you clear your browser data or delete the app from your home screen. Downloaded float packages can also be deleted from within the app. We do not have access to data stored only on your device.

04 Location Data & GPS Tracking

GPS location access is always optional. CreekBite will request location permission when you use location-based features. You can deny this permission and use manual ZIP code entry instead.

Your GPS location is used in these specific ways:

Conditions tab: Used to find nearby USGS gauges; your coordinates are sent to USGS and NWS APIs to fetch data. These are public government APIs.
Trip tab: Used to center the map and show your position relative to access points. Not transmitted to our servers.
Float planner: Used to set put-in/take-out points and track float progress. GPS track data stays on your device unless you save a completed trip.
Offline float mode: GPS tracking works entirely on-device via your phone's satellite GPS. No internet connection or data transmission is required for GPS to function.

We do not continuously track your location in the background. GPS is only active when the app is open and you are using a GPS-dependent feature.

05 Third-Party Services

CreekBite relies on the following third-party services. Each has their own privacy policy:

Service	Purpose	Data Sent
Supabase	Authentication & database	Email, account data, saved floats, community submissions
Cloudflare Pages	App hosting	Standard web request logs (IP, browser type)
MapTiler	Map tile rendering	Map tile requests (no personal data)
USGS NWIS	Water gauge data	Gauge ID, general location coordinates
NWS / NOAA	Weather data	GPS coordinates for weather station lookup
Open-Meteo	Weather fallback	GPS coordinates
OpenStreetMap / Overpass	Waterway & access data	Bounding box coordinates
Nominatim	Reverse geocoding	GPS coordinates for place name lookup
OpenTopoData	Elevation data for float planning	GPS coordinates
USGS National Map	Topo map tiles	Map tile requests (no personal data)

06 Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your personal information with third parties except:

As required to operate the service (the third-party APIs listed above receive only the minimum data needed)
As required by law or valid legal process
Community submissions (access confirmations, wading ratings) you make are visible to other CreekBite users — this is the intended purpose of those features

Your Creek Tag / display name is shown alongside your community submissions. Your email address is never shown to other users.

07 Beta Testing & Field Testers

During the beta testing period, field testers may submit additional data including access confirmations, wading ratings, and feature feedback. Field tester activity is tracked internally (number of submissions) to determine grandfathered account eligibility. This data is stored in your account and is not shared publicly beyond the community features described above.

08 Data Retention

Account data is retained as long as your account is active
You may request complete deletion of your account and all associated data by emailing creekbite@gmail.com
Community submissions (access confirmations, wading ratings) may be retained in anonymized or aggregated form after account deletion to maintain the community database
Offline data stored on your device is controlled by you — clear your browser data or use the in-app delete options to remove it

09 Security

We use industry-standard security practices including HTTPS encryption, secure authentication via Supabase, row-level security policies on our database ensuring users can only access their own data, and no storage of plain-text passwords. No system is perfectly secure; please use a strong unique password and do not share your account credentials.

10 Children's Privacy

CreekBite is not directed at children under 13. We require users to be at least 13 years of age and verify age at signup. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us at creekbite@gmail.com and we will delete the account.

11 Your Rights

Access: You may request a copy of your personal data
Correction: You may update your profile information within the app
Deletion: You may request complete account and data deletion
Portability: You may request an export of your trip and float data
Location opt-out: You may deny location permission at any time in your device settings

To exercise any of these rights, contact creekbite@gmail.com.

12 Analytics & Diagnostics

CreekBite does not currently use third-party analytics services or advertising trackers. If we add analytics or crash reporting in the future, this policy will be updated and users will be notified. Any such tools would be disclosed here with details on what data is collected and how it is used.

13 Changes to This Policy

When we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will prompt you to review the updated policy on your next login. Your continued use of CreekBite after accepting the updated policy constitutes your agreement to the new terms. The version number and last updated date at the top of this page will always reflect the current version.

14 Contact

Privacy questions or data requests: creekbite@gmail.com