Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

ForageFinds ("we", "us", "our") is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. You can contact us at foragefinds.app@gmail.com.

2. What we collect

Account identifier

When you first open the App, we create an anonymous account for you through Firebase Authentication. This gives your device a random user ID so your spots stay linked to you. We do not ask for your name, email address or phone number.

Spots you create

When you save a spot, we store:

• the title and notes you write;
• the spot's location (latitude and longitude) and location codes (geohashes) derived from it, used to load nearby spots;
• the tags you choose, such as resource type, abundance, habitat, land status and visibility;
• any photo you attach;
• who the spot is visible to, your user ID as its owner, and when it was created and last updated.

Notes and photos can contain personal information if you include it. Please don't add other people's personal details to a spot.

Your device location

If you allow location access, the App uses your device's precise or approximate location to centre the map on you and to place new spots where you are standing. We don't track your location in the background, and we don't store a history of where you've been. Your location is only saved when you choose to save it as part of a spot.

Camera and plant scanning

If you allow camera access, the App can identify plants and fungi. Identification runs entirely on your device. Camera frames are analysed locally and are not uploaded to us or anyone else. A photo is only uploaded if you choose to attach it to a spot.

Searches

When you search for a place or spot, your search text and the map area you're viewing are sent to our servers and to Google Places to return results.

Usage and device data

We use Google Analytics for Firebase to understand how the App is used. It collects information such as an app-instance identifier, device model, operating system version, app version, approximate region (derived from IP address), screens viewed, session length, and crash or performance events. We use it to fix bugs and improve features, and not for advertising.

Data stored on your device

The App keeps a local copy of spots and image thumbnails on your phone so the map loads quickly and works with weak signal. This stays on your device and is removed if you uninstall the App or clear its data.

This website

This website does not use cookies or analytics. Our hosting provider may log standard request data (such as IP address and browser type) for security and reliability. The site loads fonts from Google Fonts, which means your browser connects to Google's servers.

3. How we use your data

• To provide the App: saving your spots, syncing them, showing them on the map, and showing you spots others have shared.
• To apply the visibility you choose for each spot.
• To provide search.
• To keep the service secure and prevent abuse, including moderating public content that breaks our Terms.
• To understand usage, fix crashes and improve the App.
• To comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal data, use it for targeted advertising, or use it to make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

4. Legal bases

Under the UK GDPR and EU GDPR we rely on:

5. Visibility and sharing

New spots are private to you. You can change each spot's visibility:

• Private / Hidden: only you can see it.
• Friends: people you've shared it with can see it.
• Public: any ForageFinds user can see the spot's title, notes, photo, tags and exact location.

Think carefully before making a spot public. Once others have seen it we can't control what they do with that knowledge. Avoid publishing spots on private land, at your home, or at sensitive wildlife sites.

6. Service providers

We use these providers to run ForageFinds. They process data on our behalf under contracts that require them to protect it.

Google's own handling of data is described in the Google Privacy Policy and the Firebase privacy information. We may also disclose data where the law requires it, to protect someone's safety, or as part of a sale or reorganisation of our business, in which case this policy will continue to apply.

7. International transfers

Our providers may process data outside the UK and European Economic Area, including in the United States. Where they do, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or the UK–US Data Bridge and EU–US Data Privacy Framework where the provider is certified.

8. How long we keep data

• Spots and photos: until you delete them or ask us to delete your data.
• Anonymous account: while you use the App. Anonymous accounts can't be recovered on a new device, so if you uninstall the App or reset your device you will lose access to it. Spots linked to an account that has been inactive for 24 months may be deleted.
• Analytics data: up to 14 months, then deleted or aggregated.
• Data held for legal reasons: only as long as needed for that purpose.

9. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you have the right to:

• access a copy of your personal data;
• correct inaccurate data;
• delete your data;
• restrict or object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests;
• receive your data in a portable format;
• withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier processing.

You can edit or delete individual spots directly in the App. For anything else, email foragefinds.app@gmail.com. Because accounts are anonymous, we'll ask you to send your user ID from the App so we can find your data. We'll respond within one month.

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk, or to your local data protection authority if you're in the EU. We'd appreciate the chance to sort it out first.

California residents

We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. You can ask us to access, correct or delete your personal information using the contact details above, and we will not treat you differently for doing so.

10. Device permissions

You can change these at any time in your device settings: on iOS under Settings → ForageFinds, and on Android under Settings → Apps → ForageFinds → Permissions.

11. Security

Data is encrypted in transit and at rest by our cloud provider, and access to spots is restricted by server-side security rules so only the people a spot is visible to can read it. No system is perfectly secure, and we'll tell you and the relevant authorities about any breach that puts your data at risk, as the law requires.

12. Children

ForageFinds is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their data. Foraging carries real risks and children should only forage with a responsible adult. If you believe a child under 13 has used the App, contact us and we'll delete the data.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the App changes. We'll update the date at the top, and if a change is significant we'll tell you in the App before it takes effect.

14. Contact

Questions about privacy: foragefinds.app@gmail.com