SurfCams has no accounts, no ads and no tracking cookies. This page lists the little that does happen with your data.
Last updated 1 November 2026.
There is nothing to sign up for. SurfCams sets no cookies, runs no advertising scripts, doesn't follow you across other sites, doesn't build profiles and never sells or shares data about you.
A few settings are saved in your browser's local storage so the site looks the way you left it: light or dark mode, the map's position and layer, your spot lists and display choices. Map filters last for the visit only. These stay on your device and are never sent to us. Clearing the site's data in your browser removes them.
To see which pages and spots people use, we count visits with Umami, an open-source analytics tool that we run on our own server, so the data goes to no third party. It sets no cookies and doesn't recognise you across sites or days: it records the page, the referring site, your country, browser, operating system and screen size, and turns your IP address into an anonymous visit id instead of storing it.
For a small sample of visits it also records how the page is used (clicks, scrolling and page changes) so we can find what is confusing or broken. Text you type is masked and never recorded. We use both only to improve the site, as our legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. Blocking the analytics script with an ad blocker turns both off without affecting the site.
The location button on the map asks your browser for your position, and only after you allow it. It is used in your browser to centre the map and is never sent to us.
Like every website, our server sees each request: your IP address, the page or file asked for, the time and your browser's name. We use this only to keep the site running and to protect it from abuse, for example to limit how fast one address can call the API. That is our legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. Logs are kept only for a short time, aren't combined with other data and aren't shared.
Cloudflare delivers the site and shields it from attacks, so it handles your connection like any network provider. The map is drawn from OpenFreeMap tiles, and the fonts load from Google Fonts. Each of these sees your IP address when your browser fetches from it.
Cam stills and replays come through our server, so the cam's operator doesn't see you. When you open a live cam, the video or player usually comes straight from the operator (their server, their embedded player, or YouTube in privacy-enhanced mode), and their privacy policy applies to it.
Under the GDPR you can ask what data we hold about you, have it corrected or deleted, or object to its use. As there are no accounts, that is at most a few log lines; write to us and we'll help. You can also complain to your data protection authority.
Write to us about anything on this page, and we will answer.