Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Photos you submit for species identification
• Field journal entries and sighting notes
• Species corrections and feedback submitted through the reporting system

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device identifier: an anonymous ID used to manage your usage within the App. This is not linked to your name or any personal account.
• Device location: collected when you grant GPS permission (enabled by default, can be disabled in Privacy settings). Used for species identification context and sighting records. See Section 3 for details.
• IP address: may be used to determine approximate location when GPS is unavailable. We do not store your IP address.
• Device type, operating system, and App version
• Usage data such as scan counts, feature interactions, and collection progress

1.3 Information You Provide When Signing In (Optional)

If you choose to sign in to sync your journal across devices, your sign-in provider shares with us a sign-in identifier (such as an email address, or a relay address generated by your provider if you choose to hide your email). This identifier is used solely to authenticate you and link your data to your account. You can use Fauna's core identification features without signing in.

1.4 Information We Do Not Collect

• We do not collect your phone number or other contact information beyond a sign-in identifier
• We do not use advertising identifiers or tracking pixels
• We do not use the App Tracking Transparency framework because we do not track you across other companies' apps or websites
• We do not sell your personal information to third parties

2. How We Use Your Information

3. Location Data

3.1 How We Collect Location

The App requests foreground location permission (never background). Location sharing is enabled by default when you grant GPS permission. You can disable it at any time through the App's Privacy settings. If you deny GPS permission, the App may use your IP address to determine an approximate city-level location.

3.2 How Location Is Protected

Your precise GPS coordinates are stored only on your device and are never sent to our servers. Before any location data is transmitted, coordinates are anonymized into a broad geographic area so that we cannot determine your precise location from the data we receive. For sighting logging, our server records only your country and continent. It does not receive coordinates, city, or street-level data.

3.3 IP-Based Geolocation

When GPS is unavailable, your IP address may be used by a third-party service to determine your approximate location. We do not store your IP address on our servers.

3.4 Disabling Location

You can disable location sharing at any time through the App's Privacy settings or your device's system settings. Disabling location will limit certain features (regional species suggestions, automatic sighting location tagging) but will not prevent you from using the core identification features.

4. Data Storage

4.1 On-Device Storage

4.2 Server-Side Storage

5. Third-Party Services and AI Disclosure

We share data with third-party service providers to operate the App. These providers are bound by contract to use your data only for the services they provide to us.

Important: Your photos are sent to one or more third-party AI providers for species identification. By using the identification feature, you explicitly consent to your images being processed by these providers, who may retain and use API inputs in accordance with their own terms. We recommend not photographing sensitive personal information alongside organisms.

6. International Data Transfers

Fauna is operated from Canada. Your data may be processed and stored in Canada, the United States, or other countries where our service providers operate. By using the App, you consent to the transfer of your data to these jurisdictions. We ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including the use of contractual protections with our service providers.

7. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities as required by applicable law. Where required, we will provide notification within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.

8. Data We Do Not Share

• We do not sell your personal data to any third party
• We do not share your data with advertisers or data brokers
• We do not use your data for targeted advertising
• We do not share your precise GPS coordinates with any third party

9. Account Deletion and Data Removal

9.1 Delete Local Data

Available to all users. Through Settings > Storage & Data > Delete All Data, you can permanently remove all locally stored data, including your journal, photos, badges, collections, preferences, and device identifier. This action cannot be undone. If you used the App without signing in, this also signs out your guest session. Any anonymized sighting data already sent to our servers is no longer linked to your device, but this action does not remove it. See Section 9.3 to request server-side deletion.

9.2 Delete Account (Signed-In Users)

If you signed in, you can permanently delete your account and the data associated with it through Settings > Manage Account > Delete Account. This removes your account record, your journal entries stored on our servers, and your local data on the device. This action cannot be undone.

9.3 Request Deletion by Email

If you'd like us to remove anonymized sighting data, corrections, or sampled diagnostic records associated with your device identifier or former account, contact us at support@faunatheapp.com. We will process deletion requests within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or necessary for legitimate business purposes (such as fraud prevention).

10. Children's Privacy

The App is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided data through the App, contact us at support@faunatheapp.com and we will promptly delete it. Users between 13 and 18 should use the App with parental awareness.

11. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including encrypted device storage for sensitive data, HTTPS encryption for all data in transit, and anonymization of location data before transmission. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

12. Your Rights

12.1 All Users

Regardless of your location, you have the right to:

• Access the data we hold associated with your device identifier
• Request deletion of your server-side data
• Disable location sharing at any time
• Delete all local data through Account Deletion

12.2 European Economic Area (EEA) Residents: GDPR

If you are located in the EEA, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to: access, rectify, or erase your personal data; restrict or object to processing; data portability; and lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Our legal basis for processing is your consent (for location data and photo submission) and legitimate interest (for service operation, abuse prevention, and service improvement). To exercise your GDPR rights, contact us at support@faunatheapp.com.

12.3 California Residents: CCPA/CPRA

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to: know what personal information we collect and how it is used; request deletion of your personal information; and opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data). We do not use sensitive personal information for purposes beyond those necessary to provide the App. To exercise your rights, contact us at support@faunatheapp.com.

12.4 Canadian Residents: PIPEDA

If you are a Canadian resident, you have rights under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), including the right to: access your personal information held by us; challenge the accuracy and completeness of your information; and withdraw consent for certain data processing. To exercise your rights, contact us at support@faunatheapp.com.

13. Data Retention

Local data is retained on your device until you delete the App or use the Account Deletion feature. Server-side sighting and correction data is retained as long as necessary for ecological research and model improvement purposes, unless you request deletion. Upon receiving a deletion request, we will remove your data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or necessary for legitimate business purposes (such as fraud prevention).

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the App prior to the changes taking effect. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Your continued use of the App after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your data rights, or need to report a privacy concern, contact us at support@faunatheapp.com.