Privacy Policy

The short version

We collect what we need to run a forecasting community: an account, the forecasts you post, and a location so we can show you nearby weather.

1. Information You Give Us

When you create an account we collect:

• Your first and last name
• Your email address
• Your screen name (shown publicly)
• Your street address, city, state, and ZIP code
• Your password, stored only as a salted one-way hash - never in readable form

When you use the Service we also store:

• The forecasts you post, including their date, location, and description
• The votes you cast on other users' forecasts
• Any message you send us through the contact form

2. Information Collected Automatically

• Approximate location from your IP address. When you first visit, we match your IP address against a local geolocation database to guess your city so the page can show relevant forecasts. This lookup happens on our own server. We do not store your IP address as part of your profile.
• Precise location, only if you allow it. If you click "Use My Location" and grant browser permission, your device shares its coordinates with the Service. You can decline, and you can clear a saved location at any time.
• Standard server logs kept by our web server for security and troubleshooting.

3. Cookies and Local Storage

We use a small number of first-party cookies. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

• FFSID - keeps you signed in. Expires when your session ends.
• ff_loc - remembers the location you chose, so pages can render local weather on first load. Contains only a place name and coordinates.

We also use your browser's local storage to remember your chosen location and display preferences. This stays on your device.

4. Public Information

Some information is public by design. Your screen name, your city and state, your forecasts, your accuracy percentage, and your leaderboard rank are visible to anyone, including search engines.

Your email address, your legal name, your street address, and your ZIP code are never shown publicly.

5. How We Use Information

• To create and secure your account, and to sign you in
• To display forecasts, votes, profiles, and rankings
• To show weather relevant to your location
• To send transactional email: address verification and password resets
• To detect and prevent abuse, vote manipulation, and fraud
• To respond to messages you send us

6. Sharing

We share your pertinent information only:

• With Google reCAPTCHA, which we use to block automated abuse on sign-up, sign-in, and the contact form. reCAPTCHA receives information about your interaction with those pages, governed by Google's privacy policy.
• With the National Weather Service (weather.gov), which receives the coordinates of the forecast location you are viewing so it can return the official forecast. It does not receive your identity.
• When required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our users or of us.
• Approved 3rd Parties, 3rd parties approved by FlockForecast.com.

Profile avatars are generated on our own server. No third party receives your screen name for that purpose.

7. Retention

We keep your account information for as long as your account exists. Forecasts and votes may remain after account deletion in an anonymized form so that historical rankings stay consistent. Contact-form messages are kept in our email as long as needed to resolve your inquiry.

8. Your Choices

• Update your name, screen name, or location from your account settings.
• Change your password at any time from your account settings.
• Clear a saved location using the "Clear" button on the Explore page, or by clearing cookies and site data in your browser.
• Request a copy of your data, or ask us to delete your account, through our contact form.

9. Security

Passwords are hashed. The site is served over HTTPS, and the session cookie is marked Secure and HttpOnly. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.

10. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Changes

We may update this policy. If we make a material change we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you.

12. Contact

Questions about privacy, or want your data removed? Use our contact form.