Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 11, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data Imagepedia ("we," "us") collects, why, and what rights you have over it. It applies to everyone who uses imagepedia.org or imagepedia.com (the "Service").

1. What we collect

• Account data: email address, display name, and a securely hashed password (we never store your password in plain text).
• Location data: precise GPS coordinates attached to each photo you submit. This is sensitive personal data under GDPR and California law, and we treat it accordingly — see Section 3.
• Photos: images you capture and submit through the Service.
• Usage data: your discoveries, identified species, and achievements.
• Cookies: a single essential session cookie that keeps you signed in. See our cookie banner and Section 6.
• Technical data: IP address and standard web server logs, collected automatically.

2. Why we collect it, and our legal basis

• To provide the Service (create your account, identify what you photograph, show your achievements) — necessary to perform our contract with you (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)).
• To send account-related email (confirming your address, notifying you of important changes) — necessary for the contract, and a legitimate interest in keeping your account secure.
• Location data specifically is used only to improve species-identification accuracy and to power the leaderboard/regional features. We ask for it because the Service cannot function without it — you consent to this by submitting a photo with location attached.

3. Sensitive data: your location

Your precise location, tied to a timestamp and a photo, can reveal sensitive information about your movements and habits. We do not sell, rent, or use your location data for advertising. It is used solely to power identification and the app's discovery features, and is shared with the identification provider described in Section 4.

4. Who we share data with

• Identification providers: when you submit a discovery, the photo and its location are sent to an automated species-identification service to determine what you photographed. This may be a third-party provider (e.g. iNaturalist's identification service) depending on configuration.
• Other users, in limited form: your display name and your total achievement count are visible to other users on the public leaderboard. Your email, exact discovery locations, and account details are never shown to other users.
• Service providers: infrastructure providers (hosting, email delivery, cloud storage) that process data on our behalf under contract, only as needed to run the Service.
• We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for third-party advertising.

5. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of these rights:

• Access — get a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction — fix inaccurate data (e.g. your display name, email).
• Deletion — delete your account and all associated data (discoveries, achievements, photos) at any time from your profile page, immediately and without waiting on us. You can also request deletion by email if you'd rather not use the self-service option.
• Portability — receive your data in a portable format (EU/EEA users, GDPR Art. 20).
• Opt-out of sale/sharing — not applicable; we do not sell or share your data for cross-context advertising (California Civil Code §1798.120).
• Limit use of sensitive personal information — you can request we limit use of your location data to what's strictly necessary for the Service (California Civil Code §1798.121).
• Non-discrimination — we will not penalize you for exercising any of these rights.

To exercise rights other than deletion (which is self-service, see above), email privacy@imagepedia.com. We will respond within 30 days (or the shorter period required by your local law, e.g. one month under GDPR).

6. Cookies

We use one essential cookie to keep you signed in. It is strictly necessary for the Service to function and is not used for tracking or advertising. We do not currently use analytics or advertising cookies.

7. Data retention

We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. Deleting your account via your profile page removes your personal data immediately, except where we're required to retain limited records for legal or security purposes.

8. Children's privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us at privacy@imagepedia.com and we will delete it.

9. International data transfers

Our infrastructure is currently located in the United States. If you are in the EU/EEA, UK, or another region with data transfer restrictions, your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States, which may not have data protection laws equivalent to your home jurisdiction. By using the Service, you acknowledge this transfer.

10. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted transport (HTTPS), hashed passwords, and access controls. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date above, and for significant changes we will make reasonable efforts to notify you.

12. Contact

Questions or requests regarding this policy: privacy@imagepedia.com.