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Fauna, operated by Dgitalstack Ltd. ("we," "us," "our"), respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information when you use the Fauna mobile application ("App"). By using the App, you consent to the practices described in this policy.
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.
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Photos | Sent to a third-party AI provider for species identification, and retained on our servers, linked to your device identifier, so we can improve scan accuracy over time. Photos are never sold or shared with advertisers, and we do not associate them with your name or contact information. |
| Sign-in identifier (if you sign in) | Authenticating you and linking your journal to your account so it syncs across devices |
| Device identifier | Usage management, associating corrections, preventing abuse |
| Location (GPS) | Species identification context, sighting journal entries, regional content |
| Location (anonymized) | Your coordinates are anonymized into a broad geographic area for regional species content. Your exact coordinates are never transmitted. |
| Sighting country/continent | Aggregate ecological statistics and regional species alerts (no coordinates stored) |
| Species corrections | Used to improve AI identification accuracy and may be reviewed by Fauna staff |
| Usage data | App improvement, feature development, understanding usage patterns (see Section 5) |
| Purchase/subscription status | Used to verify your entitlements and process transactions (see Section 5) |
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.
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, only your country and continent are recorded on our server—no coordinates, city, or street-level data.
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.
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.
| Data | Storage Method | You Control |
|---|---|---|
| Species journal (all sightings) | Local device storage; also synced to our servers if you sign in | Deleted when you delete the App or clear data; server copy deleted via Manage Account > Delete Account |
| Photos | Local device storage | Deleted when you remove a sighting or delete the App |
| Badges, collections, preferences | Local device storage | Deleted when you delete the App or clear data |
| Device identifier, subscription status | Encrypted device storage | Deleted via Storage & Data, Manage Account > Delete Account, or App removal |
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Scan photos | Retained indefinitely, linked to your device identifier, to improve scan accuracy. Deleted on request — see Section 9. |
| Journal entries (signed-in users only) | Retained while your account is active, until you request deletion |
| Anonymized sighting locations | Retained as long as necessary for ecological research, unless you request deletion |
| Species corrections and sampled failed-scan diagnostics | Retained as long as necessary for model improvement, unless you request deletion |
| Species taxonomy data (not user data) | Periodically refreshed |
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.
| Category | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| AI identification provider(s) | Species identification | Your photo is sent to one or more third-party AI providers for analysis. Providers may process and temporarily retain images in accordance with their own terms. |
| Cloud infrastructure and authentication | Backend database, server functions, and (if you sign in) account authentication | Anonymized sighting data, corrections, device identifiers, sign-in identifiers, and journal entries for signed-in users. |
| Sign-in providers (if you sign in) | Authentication | If you choose to sign in, the provider you select handles authentication and shares with us a sign-in identifier (such as an email or relay address). |
| Subscription management | In-app purchases and subscriptions | Purchase tokens, subscription status, and entitlements. |
| Apple App Store | Payment processing | Payment details are handled entirely by Apple. We do not receive or store your payment information. |
| Geolocation service | Approximate location when GPS is unavailable | Your IP address (only when GPS is unavailable). We do not store your IP address. |
| Analytics | Product analytics | Anonymized usage events (e.g., scans started, collections viewed, features used). Events are associated with your anonymous device identifier, not your personal identity. No photos, location coordinates, or personal information are shared. |
| Taxonomy data | Species classification verification | Species scientific names (not user data) |
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.
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.
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.
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 is not removed by this action — see Section 9.3 to request server-side deletion.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Regardless of your location, you have the right to:
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.