Privacy
A shared fire with a deliberately small data footprint.
Anonymous Ember identity
A random browser identifier is saved in first-party local storage only after you choose to burn the fictional note or vote. On your first accepted burn, the service stores that identifier with a sequential Ember number and first-burn time. This prevents ordinary reloads from creating another Ember. No fingerprinting, name, email, account or wallet address is attached. A different browser or cleared site storage can still create another Ember, so the total is not a verified count of people. A previous version used a first-party cookie; if present, it is used once to restore the existing Ember and then removed. Ember records are retained while the shared identity feature operates. If you separately choose to publish a Sparkkeeper profile, your chosen nickname and cropped photo are linked to that browser’s Ember. This is optional and requires your consent.
Burn activity and Crowd Pulse
The anonymous identifier counts a browser once in the unique-burner total. Each accepted burn can increase today and all-time burn totals, including repeats; short-lived burn-event records are kept for up to 35 days. New browser identities have a separate connection-level rate limit to reduce rapid ID rotation. Cloudflare processes the connection IP for that short-lived rate limit; the IP is not saved in the Ember table or used as a permanent identity, because unrelated people can share an IP. The same saved browser identifier prevents more than one Crowd Pulse vote per UTC day, with daily poll records kept for up to 90 days. Aggregate totals may be retained for historical product measurement.
Connections and aggregate measurement
The campfire and observatory read shared server snapshots of Kraken, mempool.space and CoinSpectrum data; no visitor identifier is sent to those providers for these snapshots. Some optional tools, such as the six-block explorer, request Blockstream directly, which receives ordinary connection information. Cloudflare serves the site and processes security and rate-limit signals. Existing product events such as share intent or address copy are stored as daily aggregate counts; the event table does not store the browser identifier. The dedicated price embed has no voting, referral or product-event tracking.
Observatory sessions and snapshot cards
The first fresh network observation during a site visit is saved in first-party local storage as the session starting point, without an identifier or wallet data. It renews on a new observation after 24 hours; reset it using the tool or page footer. The latest public network snapshot is cached in session storage to show data immediately during navigation. Live prices may connect directly to Kraken’s public trade stream, which receives ordinary connection information. Public server observations are retained for 24 hours, fee samples for 31 days and shared snapshot cards for seven days. Cards contain public network values and selected educational transaction counts/types, not wallet addresses or browsing history. A share-button click is intent, not proof of a share or a new visitor. Saved browser IDs used elsewhere on the site are pseudonymous, not verified people.
Sharing and story cards
Sharing happens only after you choose an action. A spark URL contains an Ember number, not a security credential. If a new browser makes its first accepted burn from that URL, the new Ember record stores the referring Ember number. The referrer sees only an aggregate count of other saved browsers lit, not their identities. X, Reddit and native sharing open the service you select. Story cards are rendered in your browser. The site records aggregate intent when a sharing control is used, not proof that a post was published. The three leading referrers may appear publicly under Ember numbers with aggregate first-burn totals. You may optionally submit your nickname and photo with explicit consent. Photos are cropped to 96 pixels and converted to JPEG on your device, removing original metadata before upload. These fields stay until you remove them from the same browser or request removal through Contact, or the feature is retired. Browser storage acts as your editing credential; keep it private. Clearing it loses self-service access. You can remove your profile without losing the anonymous score; caches may take about two minutes to update. Profiles are self-submitted, not verified. To report an abusive profile, use Contact and give its Ember number. We may hide abusive profiles. The personal chain shows aggregate direct and onward first burns, limited to 12 steps and 5,000 sampled Embers. No browser UUID or contact details are published. Ranking is browser-based, not verified people, and grants no prize.
Contact
The contact form sends the name you choose to provide, your reply email and message to the creator through Cloudflare Email Service. The destination address is not exposed in the page. Contact details are used to read and reply to that message and are subject to normal email retention. Rate limiting processes connection information to reduce spam.
Voluntary tips and optional Firekeepers listing
The tip panel displays an ordinary Bitcoin address and copies it only when you choose the copy control. Transfers happen in your own wallet. Bitcoin transactions, addresses and amounts are public. No card checkout or wallet connection is used. If you voluntarily submit a Firekeepers claim, your chosen nickname, reply email, transaction ID, optional photo link and consent are sent privately to the creator by email for manual payment and claimant verification. Only approved nickname, optional reviewed photo and BTC amount are published; the email and transaction ID are not included in the public list. A public amount can still help someone identify a transaction. Recognition is optional, is ranked by the largest single verified payment, and is not a financial reward or guaranteed placement. Contact the creator to request a correction or removal. Claim correspondence is retained for verification and support under normal email retention; public entries remain until replaced or removal is requested.
Address cohorts and world map
The address widget retrieves shared aggregate data from our server, sourced from Bitcoin Research Kit / Bitview. The world map uses country-level BTC Nodes aggregates and public-domain Natural Earth geometry. No visitor identifier is sent to these providers. Address counts and node locations do not identify people or prove wallet ownership. Country and layer selections appear in the map URL when shared. Selecting a Bitcoin payment place retrieves public business details and photo references through a shared server cache of BTC Map / OpenStreetMap data. No visitor identifier is sent to BTC Map for this request. Photos, business websites and social profiles open only when you select their external links; the destination then receives normal connection information. Photos are not copied or rehosted.
Live market connection
The campfire and price-fire view can connect directly to Kraken’s public WebSocket service for BTC/USD trades. Kraken receives connection information such as your IP address. No wallet, account, entered calculator amount or campfire identifier is sent. The stream pauses in hidden tabs. A failed stream falls back to a labelled server snapshot.
Map workspace and street detail
Choosing Save view stores the map URL in first-party local storage on your device, including layers, filters, projection and camera. It is not a visitor identity or a server-side account. Restore reopens that view; clearing site storage removes it. Copy view and SatsTrail sharing put the selected settings and public place IDs into a shareable link. The city-name index searches locally. When detailed streets or the globe are visible, the browser requests public map tiles and fonts from OpenFreeMap; that provider receives ordinary connection information such as your IP address and the requested tile area. No campfire identifier, wallet or city-search text is sent to that provider. A lightweight country overview remains available without external street tiles.