Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 24, 2026

Shotcast is private by design. It has no user accounts and keeps your information on your own device. This policy explains the little data the app does handle and why.

The short version

No account. Shotcast never asks for your name or email to work.
Your saved locations, settings, and Photo Score tuning are stored only on your device.
To fetch a forecast, the app sends the coordinates of a spot you choose to third-party weather services. It does not send your identity or your full list of spots.
Analytics are cookieless and privacy-friendly. We do not sell your data and we do not run advertising trackers.

Who we are

Shotcast (the "app", at shotcast.photos) is operated by Johnston Software and Services, LLC ("we", "us", "our"). You can reach us about privacy at privacy@shotcast.photos.

Information stored on your device

The spots you save (their name, coordinates, and any note you add), your settings, your Photo Score tuning, and cached forecasts are stored in your browser's local storage on your device. This information is never sent to us and we cannot see it.

Because it lives only on your device, clearing the app's data, uninstalling it, or clearing your browser storage erases it permanently. The in-app backup export (Settings, "Backup") is the only way to keep a copy.

Information sent to third parties to run the service

When you view a forecast or search for a place, the app sends the latitude and longitude of the location you chose, or the text you type to find a place, to third-party services so they can return data:

Open-Meteo for weather, marine, and air-quality forecasts and place search.
NOAA CO-OPS for US tide predictions.

These requests carry only coordinates or search text, plus the standard technical information any web request includes (such as your IP address). They do not include your name or your list of saved spots. Each service handles that request under its own privacy policy.

Sun, moon, and twilight times are calculated on your device and are not sent anywhere.

Hosting, security, and analytics

The app is hosted on Cloudflare Pages. Cloudflare processes technical connection data (such as your IP address) to deliver and protect the site. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which is cookieless and does not track you across other sites or build an advertising profile. If you use the feedback form, Cloudflare Turnstile helps us block spam.

Feedback you send

If you use the in-app feedback form, we receive the message you write, any contact email you choose to add, and a small fixed set of non-identifying diagnostics (such as the app version and which mode you were using). This never includes your saved locations or their coordinates. Feedback is delivered to our private issue tracker so we can act on it. Adding a contact email is optional and used only to reply to you.

Subscribing to our newsletter opens Substack in a new tab, where your email is collected and processed by Substack under its own privacy policy. The app itself does not store your email or send it to us. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Cookies and tracking

The app does not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. It uses your device's local storage to remember your spots and settings, and our analytics are cookieless. Cloudflare's security features may set strictly-necessary cookies to protect the site.

Children

Shotcast is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.

Your choices and rights

Because your data lives on your device, you are in control: edit or delete any spot at any time, use "Clear all data" in Settings to erase everything, and export a backup first if you want to keep it. We do not hold an account or a server-side profile for you, so there is nothing on our side to request or delete.

For any privacy question, or to exercise rights that may apply to you under laws such as the GDPR or the CCPA/CPRA, contact us at privacy@shotcast.photos.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date above and reflect any material changes on this page.

Contact

Johnston Software and Services, LLC
privacy@shotcast.photos