Last updated: November 1, 2026
This policy explains what Mapparition collects, why, and what you can do about it. It covers the Mapparition app for iPhone and Android and this website, mapparition.com. Mapparition is made by Macabre Media. Questions go to pwmaine@gmail.com.
The short version
- We collect what the app needs to work: your account, the places you check in at, and anything you choose to post.
- Your location stays on your phone to show what’s near you. It’s sent to us only at the moment you check in, so we can confirm you’re close enough. We save how far away you were, not where you were standing.
- We don’t sell your personal information, and we don’t share it with advertisers.
- You can delete your account at any time from inside the app.
What we collect in the app
Your account
Your email address, username and password when you sign up, plus anything you add to your profile (like a display name or bio). Passwords are handled by our login provider and stored scrambled; we never see them.
Check-ins, points and ranks
Which places you check in at and when, how far you were from each place when you checked in, and the points, rank and collection progress that come from it.
Your location
The app asks for your location only while you’re using it. On your phone it’s used to show places near you, sort lists by distance, put your road trip in driving order and tell you when you’re close enough to check in. When you tap Check in, the app sends your current position to our server, which works out the distance to the place. We keep that distance and throw the position away. The app doesn’t track you in the background.
Posts, replies and videos
After checking in at a place you can post about it, add YouTube links and reply to other people. These are public to other Mapparition users, along with your username.
Verified accounts
If you apply for a verified badge, we collect what you send: your role (for example, paranormal investigator or historian), links and a short note about yourself. If you’re approved, the credentials you add to your profile are shown publicly.
Reports and blocks
If you report a post or block someone, we keep a record so we can review it and keep the block in place.
Stuff that stays on your phone
Your saved places, the last state you opened, your map settings and whether you’ve seen the intro are stored on your device, not on our servers.
What we collect on this website
- Email list: if you sign up to hear about the launch, we keep your email address and the date you signed up.
- Contact form: your name, email address and message, so we can answer you.
- Server logs: like most websites, our host records basic technical details (IP address, browser type, pages visited) to keep the site running and secure.
- This site doesn’t use advertising or tracking cookies. WordPress sets cookies only for people who log in to manage the site.
How we use it
- To run your account and sign you in.
- To check that you’re really at a place before awarding points, and to keep the leaderboard fair.
- To show your posts, replies, rank and badges to other users.
- To review reports and keep the community safe.
- To answer your messages, and to email the launch announcement to people on the email list.
Who else handles it
We use a few services to run Mapparition. Each one gets only what it needs:
- Supabase hosts our database and handles sign-in.
- Apple Maps (iPhone) and Google Maps (Android) draw the map, so your phone talks to them when it loads map tiles.
- Wikimedia Commons serves the place photos. Your phone loads them straight from Wikimedia.
- YouTube supplies the titles and thumbnails of videos people post. Tapping a video opens YouTube.
- Expo delivers app updates to your phone.
- Our web host and email provider run this website and its email.
Map data from OpenStreetMap, the National Register of Historic Places and the National Park Service describes places, not people.
What other people can see
Your username, display name, rank, points, how many places you’ve visited, your posts and replies, and your verified badge and credentials if you have them. Your email address is never shown to other users.
How long we keep it
We keep your account information until you delete your account. Deleting it permanently removes your profile along with your check-ins, points, posts and replies. Email-list addresses are kept until the app launches or until you ask us to remove yours. Contact messages are kept as long as we need them to help you.
Your choices
- Location: you can turn off location for Mapparition in your phone’s settings. You can still browse the map, but checking in needs it.
- Your posts: you can add to or delete your own posts at any time.
- Delete your account: open the app, go to the Me tab and tap Delete my account. Can’t get into the app? Use the support form or email pwmaine@gmail.com and we’ll do it for you.
- A copy of your data, or a correction: email pwmaine@gmail.com.
- Leave the email list: email pwmaine@gmail.com and we’ll remove you.
Children
Mapparition isn’t meant for children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect information from them. If you think a child under 13 has an account, contact us and we’ll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we’ll update the date at the top. If the change is a big one, we’ll also let you know in the app.
Contact
Macabre Media · pwmaine@gmail.com