This policy explains what the Earthquake Monitor Android app ("the app") does and does not do with your information. It applies to the app only. A separate policy covers the niroshpg.com website.
There are no user accounts, no advertising, and no analytics or tracking SDKs, and we operate no server that receives data from the app. The only data leaving your device is what is technically required to load earthquake feeds from USGS and to display maps via Google Maps (see below). If you choose to use your location, it is used on your device to centre the map and is not sent to any server we operate — but because the map is then centred on your area, Google Maps receives the map data for that area. Everything else happens on your device.
We do not collect or receive your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos, identity, advertising ID, or app-usage analytics. We operate no server that receives data from the app.
The app displays maps using the Google Maps SDK for Android. When a map is shown, Google receives information needed to serve the map — including your device's IP address (from which an approximate location can be inferred) and technical identifiers such as the API key and request details. This is processed by Google as described in the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Maps Platform Terms. When you use “Near me”, the map is centred on your area and may show a “my location” marker; in that case Google additionally receives your device's approximate location through the Maps SDK, and the map area you view reflects roughly where you are.
Earthquake information is downloaded directly from the public real-time feeds published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS, earthquake.usgs.gov). These requests carry no personal information about you beyond the network information inherent to any web request (such as your device's IP address, visible only to USGS and its content delivery network and handled under their own privacy policies). Earthquake Monitor is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representing USGS or any government agency.
If you tap “Near me”, the app asks for permission to use your approximate location. It requests approximate location only (never precise/GPS), only while the app is open, and never in the background. Your location is used for two things: to centre the map on your area, and to work out which earthquakes are nearest you (calculated on your device). Your coordinates are not saved and are never sent to a server we operate. However, because the map is then centred on your area — and, while the “my location” marker is shown, directly — Google Maps receives location information as described under “Maps” above. You can decline the permission or revoke it later in Android settings; the rest of the app works without it. Any “watch area” you define is a place you pick on the map yourself and is stored only on your device.
If you enable notifications, the app periodically checks the public USGS feed in the background and shows a local notification for earthquakes that match the filters you have set. Notifications are generated on your device. Your filter settings and any "watch area" you define are stored only on your device and are never transmitted. The app is not an earthquake early-warning or emergency-alert service and must not be relied on for safety decisions.
Your settings and a local cache of recently retrieved earthquake data are stored on your device only. They are removed when you uninstall the app. You can also clear them from the app's settings or through Android's app storage controls.
The app is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children under 13.
The app stores no personal data on any server, so there is nothing for us to delete. On-device data is removed when you uninstall the app or clear its storage. If you have any question or request about data, email niroshpg@gmail.com.
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a new effective date.
Questions about this policy: Nirosh Gunaratne — niroshpg@gmail.com