Privacy Policy
Everything But The Name LLC (“EBTN”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) builds apps and games. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect information when you use any app we publish, including Baud and Map Zone Game.
We believe privacy should be the default, not an afterthought. Our apps are designed to work without accounts, email addresses, or personally identifying information. What we do collect is the minimum needed to deliver the service reliably.
1. Our Apps
This policy currently covers:
- Baud — a push notification app for tracking world events and receiving timely alerts on topics you choose to follow.
- Map Zone Game — a free geography game played in your web browser. What it collects is described in its own section, 10. Map Zone Game; sections 2–6 describe Baud.
Future apps published by EBTN will be added to this list. Each app may collect different data; relevant specifics are noted in the sections below.
2. Information We Collect
Anonymous device identifier. When you first launch one of our apps, we generate a random unique ID (UUID) and store it on your device. This ID is used to associate your preferences and submitted content across sessions. It is not linked to your name, Apple ID, email address, or any other personally identifying information. You can delete it at any time (see “Your Rights” below).
Subscription preferences. In Baud, we store which topics, world leaders, or alert types you follow, and your delivery preferences (e.g. alert level, advance notice days, postal code for location-based alerts). This data is stored locally on your device. A pseudonymous summary (device ID + topic ID + subscription status + alert level) is synced to our servers to power notification delivery and aggregated features like “Popular” and “Trending” labels.
Postal or ZIP code. If you enable a location-based topic (such as aurora borealis visibility or seasonal migration events) and choose to enter a postal or ZIP code, that code is stored on your device and, for location-based topics you follow, synced to our servers under your pseudonymous device identifier. It is used solely to determine whether a location-based alert applies to your area. It is never linked to your identity. For most location-based topics, matching happens entirely on our own servers. One topic, License Plate Reader Cameras, needs map data we don’t hold: our server looks up the center point of your postal code with Zippopotam.us, then asks public OpenStreetMap lookup servers (“Overpass”) for cameras within your chosen radius of that point. Those services receive only the postal code or its center point and the radius, from our server — never your identity, your exact location, or anything from your device. See “Third-Party Services” below. It is removed from our servers when you use the in-app “Delete My Account Data” option or unfollow the topic. Providing a postal code is always optional.
Anonymous usage events. We log anonymised in-app actions — for example, subscribing to a topic, tapping a notification, or viewing the upgrade screen. These events are associated only with your anonymous device ID, never with a name or email. We also capture your IP address on each of these events, for standard abuse-prevention purposes — detecting bots, automated traffic, and fraudulent activity. Your IP address is not linked to your name or other personal details and is not used to identify you personally. We process this data under the Legitimate Interest lawful basis (see “Your Rights” below).
Submitted content. When you use features like “Report an Error,” “Suggest a Topic,” or “I Think This Happened” (pings), the text you submit is stored on our servers alongside your anonymous device ID. Pings may optionally include your approximate GPS location if you grant permission and choose to share it. Some forms (such as “Suggest a Topic”) let you add an email address, optionally, so we can reply; it is stored with that submission and used only for that.
Contact information (optional, Pro users only). Baud has an in-progress SMS/email delivery feature; it is not currently available to any user and no email address or phone number can currently be entered in the app for this purpose. If and when it becomes available, this policy will be updated first, and providing this information will remain entirely optional.
Push notification identifiers. If you enable push notifications, Apple generates a device push token that is used to deliver alerts to your device. We use OneSignal (a third-party service) to manage notification delivery. See “Third-Party Services” below.
Live on Lock Screen. If you turn on Live on Lock Screen for a topic, Apple gives Baud a separate token that lets our server update that Lock Screen card (for example, live election results). We store it with your anonymous device ID, use it only to update those cards, and delete it when you use “Delete My Account Data.”
Crash reports. If Baud crashes or hits an error, a diagnostic report (device model, iOS and app version, and what went wrong) is sent to Sentry, our crash-reporting service. Baud is set up not to send your IP address or any user identifier with these reports.
3. How We Use Your Information
- To deliver push notifications for topics you subscribe to.
- To personalise your in-app experience (e.g. subscription state, alert preferences, location-based alerts).
- To compute anonymous statistics (e.g. how many devices follow a given topic) for internal product decisions.
- To improve the app based on aggregate, anonymised usage patterns.
- To review error reports and topic suggestions you submit.
- To deliver SMS or email notifications if you opt in and provide contact details, once this feature becomes available (see “Information We Collect” above).
We do not sell your data. We do not use your data for advertising. We do not build profiles used for targeting across apps or websites.
4. Third-Party Services
- Supabase — Our database and backend infrastructure provider. Anonymous device IDs, subscription data, analytics events, and submitted content are stored on Supabase servers located in the United States. Supabase is GDPR-compliant and provides a Data Processing Agreement. Learn more at supabase.com/privacy.
- Apple / APNs — Push notifications are delivered via Apple’s Push Notification service (APNs). Apple’s own privacy practices govern how APNs handles device tokens and notification payloads. Learn more at apple.com/privacy.
- OneSignal — We use OneSignal to manage push notification dispatch. Device subscription identifiers are stored with OneSignal. OneSignal is GDPR-compliant. Learn more at onesignal.com/privacy_policy.
- Sentry — Receives crash and performance reports from the Baud app (see “Crash reports” above) so we can find and fix bugs. Learn more at sentry.io/privacy.
- Zippopotam.us and OpenStreetMap Overpass servers — Used only by Baud’s License Plate Reader Cameras topic (see “Postal or ZIP code” above). Our server sends a postal code, its center point and a radius; nothing that identifies you. Overpass servers are run by volunteers and organizations around the world; when the main ones are unavailable, we also use one operated by VK (Mail.ru) in Russia.
- Apple In-App Purchases — Payments for Pro subscriptions and optional donations are processed entirely by Apple. We do not receive, store, or have access to your payment card information.
- GoatCounter — Our marketing websites (everythingbutthename.com and baudnotify.com) use GoatCounter, a privacy-focused analytics service, to see aggregate visitor and referral counts. GoatCounter does not use cookies and does not collect personal data. This is separate from the in-app analytics described above and only applies to website visits, not app usage. Learn more at goatcounter.com/privacy.
5. Data Retention
- Anonymous device ID and subscription data: Retained until you request deletion.
- Analytics events: Retained for 90 days, then deleted automatically.
- Submitted content (error reports, suggestions, pings): Retained as long as operationally useful, and deleted upon request.
- Contact information (if provided): Retained until you remove it in Settings or submit a deletion request.
6. Your Rights and Choices
Delete all your data. In Baud, open Settings → “Delete My Account Data.” This permanently removes all data associated with your device from our servers and clears your local app data. On your next launch, the app will treat your device as new.
Access or correct your data. Email privacy@everythingbutthename.com and we will respond within 30 days.
EU / EEA residents (GDPR). You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or port your personal data, and to object to processing carried out under Legitimate Interest. Contact us at the address below. We will respond within 30 days. The lawful basis for our analytics is Legitimate Interest — we collect the minimum data needed to understand how the app is used, and the privacy impact is low given the pseudonymous nature of the device identifier. The lawful basis for notification delivery is Contract (you have requested the service).
California residents (CCPA / CPRA). You have the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion, and to opt out of sale. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, use the in-app deletion flow or email us.
7. Children’s Privacy
Our apps are not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU/EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these ages. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact privacy@everythingbutthename.com and we will delete it promptly.
8. Security
We take reasonable technical measures to protect the data we hold, including row-level security on our database, encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), and anonymous-only identifiers. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will notify you within the app when possible. Continued use of our apps after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Map Zone Game
Map Zone Game is a free game played in your web browser (at mapgame.everythingbutthename.com). It has no accounts and no ads, and it sets no cookies.
Kept in your browser only. Your progress (Passport, best scores, the Daily challenge), your Settings, and a note of which polls you have voted in are saved in your browser’s local storage and are not sent to us. Clearing this site’s data in your browser removes them.
Poll votes. When you vote in a poll, we store the question, the zone you picked, a random browser ID created by the game (not linked to your name or any account), the time, and a one-way scrambled form of your network’s IP address (a salted SHA-256 hash). The hash is used only to limit how many votes one network can cast on a question each day, and it is erased once the vote is 24 hours old; the address itself is never stored. Votes are only ever shown as totals.
Play counts. When the page loads, and when you start a game or open a question from the home screen, the game adds one to a daily total for that item (for example, “Border hop: 12 today”). Nothing that identifies you, including your IP address, is stored with these counts.
Services your browser contacts. Parts of the game load directly from other services, which, as with any web request, receive your IP address and basic browser information: unpkg (the map software), OpenStreetMap (map images), the World Bank (population figures), Open-Meteo (the weather at the game’s randomly chosen place, never your own), radio-browser.info and the radio stations themselves (only if you play the radio), and Wikimedia Commons (photos). The game never asks for your location.
Hosting. The game and its vote database run on Dailey OS, our hosting provider.
Retention and deletion. Votes and daily play counts are kept for as long as the game runs, since they make up the public poll results. Because a vote is not linked to you, we cannot look up or delete one person’s vote. Questions: privacy@everythingbutthename.com.