Anonymous reporting vs. an account
ITMO works without signing up. Here is how device-based anonymous reporting works, what a free account adds, and how the two connect.
ITMO is anonymous-first on purpose. You shouldn't need to hand over an email address to tell your neighbors the mountain is out.
Anonymous (device) mode
The first time you use ITMO, your device gets a randomly generated anonymous token. On the web it lives in a browser cookie. In the iOS app it lives in the iOS Keychain. That's what lets you report right away, and what lets us prevent duplicate and abusive reports.
That token:
- is not linked to any advertising ID (no IDFA or IDFV on iOS);
- isn't tied to your name, email, or any hardware identifier.
Anonymous reports have no direct link to your identity.
A free account
Creating an account is optional. It's what you need for:
- adding photos to reports;
- a profile, with a username;
- streaks, benchmarks, and Tahoma Tokens;
- showing up on the community leaderboard.
Your account attaches to the device you already have, so reports from that device get linked to you. It doesn't replace the device identity.
Public by default, private if you want
New accounts default to a public profile: your display name and username can appear on the public leaderboard and a shareable profile page, and your reports can be attributed to you. You can make your profile private at any time in your profile settings. Only signed-in, public users with a username are eligible for the leaderboard.
Signing out
Signing out clears your account session on that device. The device itself goes back to being anonymous.
Want it all gone? See deleting your account.
Tips for accurate reports
Simple habits for reporting what Mt. Rainier really looks like, so the map stays useful for everyone in the Pacific Northwest.
Location privacy
Your house will not show up on the ITMO map. Here is how big the hexagons are on web and iOS, what we store, and what happens to photo metadata.