Privacy Policy

Overview

mapfwd.com is a free map link forwarding service. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This service does not require user accounts, does not store personal data, and does not use cookies for tracking or authentication. Location information is encoded directly in URLs and is never saved to our servers. This policy explains what limited data we do handle and why.

Information We Collect

mapfwd.com is designed to minimize data collection. Here is what we do and do not collect:

• -No location data stored. Coordinates are encoded in the URL (as geohashes) and processed in-memory only. Nothing is saved to a database.
• -No user accounts or session cookies. There is no login, no session tracking, and no cookies set by mapfwd.com itself.
• -Anonymous analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand aggregate usage patterns such as page views and auto-forward events. GA4 collects anonymized data including approximate geographic region, device type, and browser. No personally identifiable information is collected by us.
• -User-Agent detection. The auto-forward feature (/a/ URLs) reads your browser's User-Agent header to determine your operating system and redirect you to the appropriate native map app. This is used only to generate the redirect and is not stored.
• -IP addresses. Your IP address may be included in server-side analytics events sent to GA4 to help distinguish sessions. It is transmitted to Google's servers but is not stored by mapfwd.com. Standard web server access logs may also briefly record IP addresses for operational purposes.

Cookies

mapfwd.com itself does not set any cookies. However, Google Analytics 4 may set cookies in your browser to distinguish users and sessions for analytics purposes. These cookies are set by Google and are subject to Google's cookie policy. The primary GA4 cookies are:

• -_ga — Distinguishes unique users. Expires after 2 years.
• -_ga_<ID> — Maintains session state. Expires after 2 years.

You can block or delete these cookies via your browser settings or by using a browser extension that blocks analytics trackers. Doing so will not affect the core functionality of mapfwd.com.

Third-Party Services

mapfwd.com uses the following third-party services:

• -Google Analytics 4. Used for anonymous usage statistics. Data is processed by Google and subject to the Google Privacy Policy.
• -Mapbox. Used for address geocoding and map tile display. When you search for an address, the query is sent to Mapbox servers. Subject to the Mapbox Privacy Policy.
• -Vercel. mapfwd.com is hosted on Vercel. Vercel may collect server access logs and performance data. Subject to the Vercel Privacy Policy.
• -Map services. When you click a map service link or are auto-forwarded, you leave mapfwd.com and are subject to that service's privacy policy (e.g., Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze).

Bot Services

The mapfwd.com bots for Telegram, Discord, Slack, and IRC process map-related messages and respond with universal links. No message history, user identifiers, or conversation data is stored by mapfwd.com. Messages are processed in-memory and discarded immediately after the response is sent. Note that the respective messaging platforms (Telegram, Discord, Slack) have their own data retention and privacy policies that govern your messages independently of mapfwd.com.

Security

mapfwd.com is served exclusively over HTTPS. All connections between your browser and our servers are encrypted in transit. Because we do not store personal data or location history, there is no database of user information that could be breached. We apply standard security headers (Content Security Policy, X-Frame-Options, etc.) to protect against common web vulnerabilities.

Data Retention

mapfwd.com does not maintain any database of user data or location history. Google Analytics retains anonymized usage data according to its standard data retention settings (default 14 months). Vercel may retain server access logs for a limited period for operational and security purposes.

Your Rights (GDPR / Privacy Laws)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions with privacy rights legislation, you have certain rights regarding your personal data. Since mapfwd.com does not store personal data, most of these rights have limited applicability. However:

• -Right to opt out of analytics. You can block Google Analytics by using a browser extension such as the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on, or by enabling "Do Not Track" in your browser.
• -Right to erasure. As we do not store personal data, there is nothing to erase on our end. For GA4 data deletion, please refer to Google's privacy controls.
• -Questions or complaints. Contact us at info@mapfwd.com and we will respond promptly.

The legal basis for processing analytics data is our legitimate interest in understanding how the service is used to improve it. No consent is required for anonymous, aggregated analytics that do not identify individuals.

Children's Privacy

mapfwd.com is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. For significant changes, we may provide notice on the website.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at info@mapfwd.com.