Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 2025 · Effective immediately
Zero Telemetry
No sensor data, headings, or device telemetry are transmitted to any remote server.
Local Geolocation
GPS coordinates for declination calculation are processed strictly within your browser.
Offline-Ready PWA
All navigation math runs in pure local JavaScript via the WMM2025 coefficient model.
1. Introduction
At Free Compass Online (accessible from freecompassonline.com), your privacy is one of our fundamental operating principles. This Privacy Policy outlines what information is collected (or rather, what is not collected), how your device sensors are accessed, and how your privacy is protected when you utilize our online compass utility.
2. Device Motion & Orientation Sensor Data
To calculate your magnetic or true heading, spirit level tilt, and pitch angles, this web application requires access to your hardware sensors via standard HTML5 browser APIs:
- DeviceOrientationEvent & Magnetometer: Reads alpha, beta, and gamma rotational angles and magnetic field vectors.
- Accelerometer & Gyroscope: Measures device leveling and rotational velocity.
3. Geolocation & Magnetic Declination
When you switch from Magnetic North to True North, your browser prompts you for optional location access (Latitude and Longitude).
This coordinate data is passed directly into our bundled client-side mathematical implementation of NOAA's World Magnetic Model (WMM2025) to calculate local magnetic declination. Your location is never logged, stored in analytics, or uploaded to any backend.
4. Local Storage Usage
We use your browser's local storage (localStorage) strictly to save your on-page preferences between visits:
theme: Remembers whether you selected Light Mode or Dark Mode.compass_mode: Remembers whether you prefer Minimal or Advanced metrics view.target_bearing: Remembers any custom heading angle you dialed into the bearing guide.
These values remain strictly inside your browser and can be wiped at any time by clearing your browser cache and site data.
5. Cookies & Analytics
Free Compass Online does not deploy tracking cookies, fingerprinting scripts, or third-party behavioral profiling pixels. Standard web hosting server logs (such as HTTP request headers, IP address, and browser user-agent) may be recorded temporarily by our CDN provider solely for DDoS mitigation, security firewalls, and server uptime health checks.
6. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)
Our web application is a general educational and utility tool accessible to students, educators, and outdoor hobbyists of all ages. Because we collect no personally identifiable information (PII), we fully comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
7. Contact Us About Privacy
If you have questions, feedback, or concerns regarding our privacy architecture, please reach out through our Contact Page or email us at privacy@freecompassonline.com.