Privacy Policy
Effective October 9, 2026. This policy explains how MeshFinder for AREDN®, the MeshFinder website, and its network editor handle information.
Location, motion, and camera
The iPhone app uses location, altitude, compass, and motion readings to calculate distance, bearing, and antenna aiming guidance. These readings are processed on your device and are not uploaded to MeshFinder. Fictional demo sites are positioned locally near your location.
The optional QR scanner uses the camera to read network invitations. Camera images are not uploaded or stored by MeshFinder. You can change location and camera permissions in iOS Settings; declining a permission limits the features that need it.
Network data on your device
The app saves your selected network’s published dataset and optional logo on your device for offline use, along with your enrollment and display preferences. Joining or refreshing a network sends requests to your selected service, including its join code or network identifier. Those requests expose your IP address to the hosting infrastructure, but do not include your phone’s location or sensor readings.
Returning to the demo removes the active enrollment snapshot. Deleting the app removes its local storage from that device; device backups may retain copies according to your backup settings.
Public network information
Network managers provide network names, optional logos, site coordinates and elevations, radio settings, and antenna details. Published network data is public and unlisted. There is no searchable network directory, but anyone with a published URL can access and copy the data. A join code is a way to find a network, not a privacy barrier. Do not publish confidential information.
Private editor information
The editor stores manager email addresses, verification and session records, saved drafts, management activity, and publication history to provide access, send invitations and recovery emails, coordinate edits, and protect the service against abuse. Manager email addresses and credentials are not included in public datasets. Management credentials and email-verification tokens are stored as hashes.
Anonymous drafts are stored in your browser. After email verification, saved drafts are stored on the service. The editor uses a session cookie and browser storage for access, drafts, and preferences; these are not advertising cookies.
Hosting, email, maps, and elevation
MeshFinder uses Amazon Web Services to host the service, store network and administrative data, and send manager emails. Hosting providers process requests and technical information such as IP addresses. Short-lived rate counters protect against abuse. Application/API operational logs retain request status and timing information for 14 days and exclude request URLs, cookies, and request bodies.
When you use a map in the web editor, your browser requests map tiles from OpenStreetMap or USGS. Ground-elevation lookups send the selected site coordinates directly to USGS. These providers receive the coordinates or map area needed for the request and your browser’s IP address. Their own privacy practices apply. These requests concern the site you are editing, not the iPhone app’s live location.
Support messages
If you contact support@meshfinder.org, your email address, message, and any attachments are used to respond and troubleshoot your request. Email providers process those messages. Please do not send management keys, verification links, passwords, or sensitive location information.
Tracking and advertising
MeshFinder does not use advertising trackers or third-party analytics SDKs, does not sell personal information, and does not use your data for targeted advertising. The marketing website stores only your appearance preference in your browser.
Retention, deletion, and your choices
Published networks currently have no automatic inactivity expiration. Private drafts and manager records also have no automatic deletion schedule in the current service. The editor retains the ten most recent publications and up to 100 recent management events; recovery backups or storage versions can retain older information.
Managers can edit published information and revoke manager access through the editor. For questions, access or correction requests, or deletion of network or manager data, email support@meshfinder.org. We may need to verify that you control the manager email address or network before acting. Deleting data from MeshFinder cannot remove copies that others downloaded or republished, and recovery backups may retain copies until removed.
Security and policy updates
The hosted service uses HTTPS, private administrative storage, and verified-email manager access. Published site data remains intentionally public. Keep management links and credentials confidential. This policy will be updated when data practices change; the effective date above identifies the current version.