Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy describes how riktom.com (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares information when you visit riktom.com or use any of our apps and subdomains — including RiverWatch, Fire Watcher, Hunt & Fish Forecast, Hunting Season Tracker, Truck Finder, Burn Permit Checker, Ramp Radar, Field Reports, Deer Collision Risk Radar, Outdoors Dashboard, Night Sky Guide, Family Fun Finder, Storm Desk, Election Tracker, LocalHelp, Scoreboard, and the m.riktom.com mobile hub. It applies to every page served under the riktom.com domain and its subdomains.
Information We Collect
Location data. RiverWatch and Fire Watcher may request your device’s location to show nearby river gauges or fire activity. This location data is used only within the app to center the map and identify nearby stations. It is not stored on our servers and not shared with third parties.
Email alerts. If you sign up for alerts — Traffic Watch (I-75 closures and wrecks) or riktom Alerts (storm, fire, flood, and power-outage warnings) — we collect your email address and the alert preferences you choose, such as which kinds of incidents you want and which county you care about. You must click a confirmation link before we send you anything, every alert carries a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can change or cancel your preferences at any time from the link at the bottom of any alert. Traffic Watch also lets you optionally set a location so alerts only fire near you; that is stored as approximate coordinates, is never displayed, and can be cleared at any time. If you turn on phone notifications, we store the anonymous push token your browser issues for that device and nothing else. We do not sell or share your address with any third party, and we do not use it for advertising.
Usage data. Like most websites, our server logs standard access data including your IP address, browser type, referring URL, and pages visited. This data is used for diagnosing technical issues and understanding aggregate traffic patterns. It is not linked to personal identifiers and is deleted periodically.
Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4, a web-analytics service provided by Google, on most pages of this site (including this one and our sponsor pages). Google Analytics sets first-party cookies (such as _ga) and collects information about your visit — pages viewed, approximate location derived from your IP address, device and browser type, and referring source — to help us understand aggregate traffic and improve the site. This information is processed by Google on our behalf and may be used by Google in accordance with its own policies; see How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps. You can opt out via your browser cookie controls or the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Cookies. We use cookies for site functionality and for analytics via Google Analytics (see “Analytics” above). Third-party advertising partners (see below) may also set cookies on your device. You can decline personalized advertising cookies using the consent banner shown on your first visit; analytics cookies are set when the page loads, so to opt out of those use your browser’s cookie controls, the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or the Google Ads Settings / Network Advertising Initiative opt-out pages linked below.
Field Reports posts. When you share a report or reply on Field Reports (tips.riktom.com), we collect the name you type (displayed publicly with your post) and your email address (never displayed publicly; used only if we need to contact you about your post). Posting is anonymous beyond what you choose to share.
Optional Google Sign-In. Nothing on riktom.com requires an account. On Field Reports and our Flappy Duck game, you may optionally use the “Sign in with Google” button: Google then shares your name, email address, and account identifier with us, and we use them only to show a verified badge (✓) next to your posts or leaderboard scores and — on Field Reports — to let you edit or delete your own posts. We never use this information for advertising, never sell or share it, and never display your email. Anonymous posting and anonymous score submissions always remain available.
Google AdSense and Advertising
We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on this site. Google and its partners may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the Internet.
You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out through the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page. Additionally, you may use our on-site consent banner to decline personalized ads.
For more information on how Google uses data from sites that use its services, see How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps.
Third-Party Data Sources
Our apps display publicly available data from NASA FIRMS, the USGS National Water Information System, the National Weather Service, and other public agencies. We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sources. The Truck Finder app generates search links to third-party vehicle listing platforms (AutoTrader, Cars.com, eBay Motors, etc.); their privacy policies govern any data collected when you visit those sites.
Children’s Privacy
Our services are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
Data Retention
Alert subscriber data (your email address and preferences) is retained until you unsubscribe, at which point it is deleted. Server log data is deleted periodically. Apart from the optional, approximate alert location described above, we do not retain location data — it is processed in your browser and never sent to our servers.
Your Rights
You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of any personal information we hold about you by emailing hello@riktom.com. We will respond within 30 days.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
Contact
Questions about this policy? Email us at hello@riktom.com.