The short version. You can use TideMark's tides, forecasts and catch log without an account, and that data stays on your phone. If you sign in to join competitions, the catches and photos you enter are stored on our server so other members of that competition can see them. We don't run analytics or advertising, and we don't sell or share your data for marketing.
You can delete your account, and everything stored with it, from inside the app at any time.
TideMark is made by Steve Lacey, a sole developer based in the UK, who is the data controller for the information described here. Contact: altonphotography@gmail.com.
Location. With your permission, TideMark uses your location to open the map on your part of the coast and to find the nearest fishing mark when you log a catch. It is used on your phone and is not stored by us.
Your catch log. Catches you log — species, size, photos, the mark, and the tide and weather at the time — are stored on your phone. You can export them as a spreadsheet or delete them at any time.
Photos. Every photo you add is re-encoded on your phone before it is saved. That removes the hidden location and camera data that phone photos normally carry, so a photo cannot give away where it was taken. The time the photo was taken is read first, on your phone only, to date the catch.
Signing in (with Apple on iPhone, or Google on Android) is only needed for competitions. When you sign in, we store:
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Your account ID, and the name and email address Apple or Google pass to us (Apple lets you hide your email) | To keep you signed in and recognise you across devices |
| Your display name and, if you add one, a profile photo | Shown to other members of competitions you join |
| The catches you log: species, quantity, weight, length, when it was caught and when it reached us, the name and position of the fishing mark it was logged against, and any bait, rig, notes and conditions you recorded | So your catches can count in competitions and appear on their leaderboards |
| Photos attached to those catches | Shown in the photo pool of competitions you have joined |
| Competitions you create or join, reactions you leave, and any reports or blocks you make | To run competitions and keep them safe |
The position stored with a catch is the fishing mark you chose, not the phone's own GPS reading. Other anglers see catches only through competitions you have joined, and never the position of your marks.
| Service | What it receives |
|---|---|
| Supabase (servers in Ireland, EU) | Stores account, competition and catch data and photos for signed-in users, and relays forecast requests |
| Apple and Google | Sign-in, and app delivery through their stores. On Android, Google Maps receives the map area you are viewing |
| Open-Meteo, WorldTides | The coordinates of the area you are viewing, to return forecasts and tide predictions. Not your identity |
| what3words | When you log a catch with location on, the phone's position, to turn it into a three-word address kept in your own catch log |
These providers process data only to provide their service. We use no analytics services.
Data stored with your account is kept until you delete it or delete your account. Deleting a catch in the app removes it from our server too.
In the app: Compete → Delete account. This permanently deletes your account, profile, profile photo, synced catches, catch photos, competition entries and reactions, and any competitions you organise. Catches still stored on your phone stay there until you remove them or the app. If you can't reach the app, see how to ask us to delete your account.
Under UK data protection law you can ask for a copy of your data, ask us to correct or delete it, or object to how we use it. Email altonphotography@gmail.com. If you're unhappy with our reply, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
We process account data to provide the service you've asked for, and moderation data (reports and blocks) in our legitimate interest in keeping competitions safe.
TideMark is not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect data from them.
Tide predictions contain Environment Agency data © Environment Agency and database right, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Map data on the conditions layer © OpenStreetMap contributors.
If this policy changes, the date at the top changes too. Significant changes will be shown in the app.