We’re a mapping platform for our customers' services. We power Runkeeper’s new route planning app, DroneDeploy is building on our Upload API, and Pix4D uses us as their one-click publishing platform for drone imagery. As a platform for other platforms we are responsible for protecting the privacy of our customers and their users. We take protection of user data very seriously. In addition to continuously updating the transparency report that we launched in June 2013, we just rolled out a refreshed privacy policy and new law enforcement guidelines today.
We collect very little information about you by design, store that information carefully, and never share it unless legally compelled by law enforcement. We require a subpoena or court order to provide basic information like your full name and means of payment. And to disclose your content, including maps and data, we need to see a probable cause search warrant. Simple.
Huge thanks to Marcia Hofman, former senior staff at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, for doing a full review of our privacy policy, and to EFF attorney Nate Cardozo, who maintains EFF’s “Who Has Your Back” list. Mapbox is aiming for five of six stars – we can’t fights for users' privacy rights in courts until we’re served a subpoena ;).
While the language of our policies is very direct, it is not meant to be anti-government. We acknowledge that government sometimes must act to protect citizens' safety and security. When information requests follow the law, we will cooperate with law enforcement and listen to the courts. But our refreshed policies are part of a bigger Mapbox mission. We are explicit about privacy because we strongly believe that the laws regulating government surveillance of individuals and access to user information need to be reformed. Mapbox has signed the Stop Watching Us petition and supports the principles of the Reform Government Surveillance open letter to Congress.
Hit us up on Twitter @Mapbox or me personally @ericg if you want to talk about privacy or have questions about how we handle your data. A lot of folks on our team worked on this new policy: Matt Irwin (ping @mtirwin) ran point with EFF, Mike Morris explained how we can push for larger reform in government surveillance beyond protecting Mapbox and its users (ping @mmorri), Nick Ingalls (ping @nickingalls) built the warrant canary in our transparency report, and Jeff Miccolis, Ian Ward, and Will White have been beyond paranoid in ensuring we store as little user information as possible.