Burn Atlas Privacy Policy

burnatlas.org
Effective Date: February 20, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how Burn Atlas ("we," "us," or "our"), operated by an individual sole proprietor doing business as Burn Atlas, collects, uses, and protects information from users ("you") of our website and application located at burnatlas.org (the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

Burn Atlas is intended for use by residents of the United States. We do not knowingly market to or solicit data from individuals outside the United States.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you register for an account or subscribe to Burn Atlas, we collect:

• Email address — used to create and manage your account, send transactional messages (such as receipts and password resets), and, in the future, optional service-related communications
• Payment information — collected and processed directly by Stripe, our third-party payment processor. We do not receive or store your full credit card number, expiration date, or CVV on our servers. We receive only a tokenized reference and basic billing confirmation from Stripe.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Service, we may automatically collect certain usage and technical data, including:

• Pages visited, features used, and interactions within the Service
• Device type, browser type, and operating system
• IP address and general geographic region (not precise location)
• Referring URLs and session duration

Note: Burn Atlas does not currently use Google Analytics or similar third-party analytics platforms. Usage data described above is collected through our own hosting infrastructure logs and is used solely for operating and improving the Service.

1.3 Location Information

To provide burn planning features, the Service asks you to enter a ZIP code. We use this ZIP code to retrieve relevant weather, fire danger, and regulatory data for your area. We do not use GPS or precise device location data, and we do not share your ZIP code with third parties for advertising purposes.

1.4 Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect your name, phone number, mailing address, Social Security number, or any government-issued identification. We do not collect sensitive personal information such as race, religion, health data, or financial account details beyond what is handled by Stripe for payment processing.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To create and manage your account and authenticate your access to the Service
• To process your subscription payments through Stripe
• To send transactional emails, including purchase confirmations, subscription renewal notices, and password reset messages
• To send optional service-related communications and updates, when you have opted in (we plan to offer this in the future; you will always be able to opt out)
• To respond to your support inquiries and refund requests
• To monitor, maintain, and improve the performance and reliability of the Service
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or unauthorized access
• To comply with applicable legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your personal information to build advertising profiles or share it with data brokers.

3. Third-Party Services

Burn Atlas integrates with the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy practices, which we encourage you to review.

3.1 Stripe (Payment Processing)

Stripe processes all subscription payments on our behalf. When you enter payment information, it is transmitted directly to Stripe and governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy (stripe.com/privacy). Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant. We receive only a transaction confirmation and token; we never handle your raw card data.

3.2 Google AdSense (Advertising)

Burn Atlas displays advertisements served by Google AdSense. Google may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect information about your visits to this and other websites in order to serve relevant advertisements. This data collection is governed by Google's Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy). You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings at adssettings.google.com or by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

3.3 NOAA (Weather and Fire Data)

Burn Atlas retrieves weather forecasts and fire-related data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and affiliated services. We submit your ZIP code or derived coordinates to these services to return location-relevant data. NOAA is a U.S. federal agency and its data services are subject to federal privacy regulations. No personally identifying information beyond a location query is transmitted to NOAA.

3.4 Hosting and Infrastructure

The Service is hosted on a third-party hosting provider. Our hosting provider may collect standard server log data including IP addresses and access timestamps as part of normal infrastructure operations. This data is subject to our hosting provider's privacy policy.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Burn Atlas uses minimal first-party cookies to maintain your login session and remember your access credentials between visits. We do not use first-party cookies for advertising or cross-site tracking.

Google AdSense, as described in Section 3.2, uses third-party cookies to serve and measure advertisements. You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features of the Service.

We do not currently use pixel tracking, fingerprinting, or other advanced tracking technologies beyond what is described above.

5. Email Communications

5.1 Transactional Emails

We will send you emails necessary to operate your account, including subscription confirmations, renewal reminders, password resets, and responses to support requests. These emails are essential to the Service and cannot be opted out of while you maintain an active account.

5.2 Marketing and Service Update Emails

In the future, we plan to offer optional email updates about new features, burn planning tips, and service announcements. When this is introduced, we will obtain your explicit consent before sending such communications, and every marketing email will include a clear and easy way to unsubscribe. We will honor all opt-out requests promptly.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. If you cancel your subscription and request deletion of your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within a reasonable timeframe, except where we are required to retain it for legal, tax, or fraud prevention purposes (typically no longer than 7 years for financial records).

Usage and server log data is retained for a limited period (typically 90 days) and then deleted or anonymized.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted to and from the Service, access controls on our systems, and reliance on PCI-DSS compliant payment processing through Stripe.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data, and you use the Service at your own risk. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

8. Children's Privacy

Burn Atlas is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at will@burnatlas.org and we will promptly delete that information.

9. Your Privacy Rights

As a user of Burn Atlas, you have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

• Access — You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction — You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion — You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Opt-out of marketing — You may opt out of any marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in those emails or by contacting us directly
• Data portability — You may request your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at will@burnatlas.org. We will respond to all requests within a reasonable timeframe and no later than 30 days.

10. California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. Burn Atlas does not sell personal information. To exercise your California privacy rights, please contact us at will@burnatlas.org.

11. Links to Third-Party Websites

The Service may contain links to third-party websites, including state forestry agency websites, regulatory resources, and other external references. These websites are not operated by us and are not subject to this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the Service, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this document and, where practicable, notify you via the email address associated with your account. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Burn Atlas
burnatlas.org
will@burnatlas.org

We are committed to resolving any privacy concerns promptly and transparently.