Privacy Policy
Effective 2026-09-21
CouchColumbus (the "Service") runs without accounts. It does not collect or retain information that identifies a user. Itineraries you build are, however, recorded on the Service’s server with the origin removed, and shown publicly (section 3). What follows describes what the Service handles in your browser and on its server.
1. Location data
- The Service requests an approximate current location through the browser's location feature (the Geolocation API).
- It is provided only if you allow it in the browser, and the Service works normally if you refuse.
- The coordinates received are used solely to pick the nearest city from a prepared list.
- The coordinates are neither transmitted to a server nor stored, and disappear when you close the tab.
2. Information stored in your browser
All of the information below is recorded only in the browser storage on your own device, and the operator of the Service cannot access it.
| Item | Where | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Itineraries you created (cities, dates, distances) | IndexedDB | Until you delete them (up to 50) |
| Cached place search results | localStorage | 25 days |
| Whether you consented to analytics | localStorage | Until you delete it |
Clearing site data in your browser settings removes all of the above immediately.
3. The public record of journeys
Itineraries you build are recorded on the Service’s server in the form below and shown in the "Everyone’s journeys" list.
- What is recorded: the names of the destination and waypoint cities, the number of cities, the total distance, and the date of the record.
- What is not recorded: the origin, IP addresses, device identifiers and account information. The origin is removed in your browser before anything is sent, so it never reaches the Service’s server.
- The first waypoint tends to be a city relatively close to the origin, so the list can suggest a broad region. It does not narrow down to a city.
- Journeys containing a name that is not in the built-in city list — a destination you typed and searched for, for example — are recorded but kept out of the public list.
- Deleting a journey from the archive in your browser does not remove the public record. They are separate stores.
- To have a public journey removed, send the link to that journey to the contact address below.
4. Third-party services
- Google Maps Platform — your browser sends requests directly to Google servers in order to display maps and search for places. Connection information such as your IP address may be passed to Google in the process. Google Privacy Policy
- Google Analytics (Firebase)— collects anonymous statistics on which features are used. It uses cookies or similar technologies and runs only if you have consented. If you do not consent, the analytics tool is not initialised. The values collected amount to whether a feature was used and a city name, and do not identify the user.
- Vercel Web Analytics— counts how often each page is opened. It sets no cookies and does not identify users; the page address and connection information (IP address, browser type and so on) are passed to Vercel. As with Google Analytics it runs only if you have consented, and the script is not even downloaded before consent.Vercel Analytics privacy notice
- Google AdSense — the Service loads the Google AdSense script in order to display advertising. Google and its partners may use cookies or advertising identifiers to serve ads matched to your interests, and connection information such as your IP address may be passed to Google in the process.
You can opt out of personalised advertising at Google Ad Settings, and out of personalised advertising from other ad providers at aboutads.info. Opting out may still leave ads displayed, but interest-based personalisation stops.
5. Your choices
- You can refuse or withdraw location access at any time in your browser settings.
- You can refuse analytics consent in the banner at the bottom of the screen, and clearing site data makes it ask again.
- Stored journeys can be deleted individually from the archive.
- You can ask for a public journey to be removed by sending its link to the contact address.
6. Children's personal data
The Service is not directed at children under 14, and does not knowingly collect personal data from children.
7. Contact
Please send questions about this policy to tjdudals20@gmail.com.
8. Notice of changes
If this policy changes, the effective date will be updated and the policy posted on this page.