Legal
Privacy Policy
How HamBeacon and this website handle your information. The short version: the app collects nothing and needs no account.
Overview
HamBeacon is published by Blue Heron Data (“we,” “our,” or “us”). We respect your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information the HamBeacon app and the hambeacon.com website collect, how that information is used, and the choices you have. HamBeacon is built so your study data stays yours. The app requires no account and collects no personal information.
Information We Collect
The HamBeacon app
HamBeacon does not collect, transmit, or store personal information. You do not create an account and you do not sign in. Your study data, including your progress, readiness, bookmarks, streak, practice exam history, and any target exam date you set, is stored locally on your device. If you turn on iCloud sync, that data is also stored in your personal iCloud account through Apple’s CloudKit, so it stays in step across your Apple devices. We have no access to your iCloud data, and Apple does not give us your name, your Apple ID, or the contents of your study data.
The app contains no analytics, no advertising, no third-party tracking, and no crash reporting. Every study mode works offline. HamBeacon can send you notifications, such as a study reminder or the one-time nudge when your readiness crosses 75%, and every one of them is scheduled locally on your device by the app itself. No device token is registered with any push notification service, nothing is transmitted, and we have no way to know whether a notification was sent or seen. You control notifications in iOS or macOS Settings at any time.
Our website
The hambeacon.com website does not ask you to create an account and has no contact form. If you email us using the address on the Contact page, we receive whatever you choose to include in your message, such as your email address and anything you write, and we use it only to reply to you.
Server logs
Our hosting provider, Hostinger, automatically records standard server log data when you visit the site. This can include your IP address, browser type, the page that referred you, and the date and time of your visit. This data is used for security monitoring and site performance.
Cookies
Our website sets a single cookie, cookieyes-consent. It records the choice you make on our cookie consent banner, which is provided by CookieYes, so the banner does not ask you again on every visit. It is strictly necessary, cannot be turned off, and expires after 12 months.
We do not use advertising cookies, tracking cookies, analytics cookies, or performance cookies.
You can manage your choices at any time through the cookie consent banner on our website, and you can set your browser to block or delete cookies, though some site features may then not work as expected.
How We Use Your Information
We use the limited information described above to operate and secure the website, to reply to messages you send us, and to monitor site performance. We do not use it for advertising, and we do not build a profile of you.
Data Retention
- HamBeacon app data. Stored on your device and, if you enable sync, in your own iCloud. We never receive it, so we cannot retain or delete it. You control it through your device and iCloud settings.
- Email you send us. Kept only as long as needed to handle your message.
- Server logs. Kept by our hosting provider under its standard retention schedule.
- Cookie consent record. The consent cookie expires after 12 months, after which the banner asks for your choice again.
Data Sharing
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information, and we do not share it for advertising. The HamBeacon app shares nothing with us. To operate, we rely on a few service providers and share data with them only as needed:
- Apple. Distributes the app and handles your purchase. If you enable iCloud sync, your study data is stored in your own iCloud account under Apple’s terms, and we do not receive it.
- Hostinger. Hosts the website.
- CookieYes. Manages the cookie consent banner.
Your use of the app and of iCloud features is also subject to Apple’s Privacy Policy.
Your Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights over your personal information, including to access, correct, or delete it, to object to its processing, and to withdraw consent. Because the HamBeacon app holds your study data only on your device and in your own iCloud, you can already view, change, or delete that data yourself at any time, and we never have a copy. For information held through the website, such as an email you sent us, contact us using the Contact page.
If you are in the European Union, these rights arise under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you are in California, you have similar rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Children’s Privacy
HamBeacon does not collect personal information from anyone, regardless of age. The app requires no account, and your study data stays on your device and in your own iCloud. Consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), we also do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a new effective date.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please reach us through the Contact page.