Last updated: March 29, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how FaunaFocus ("FaunaFocus", "we", "us", or "our") handles information when you create an account, upload wildlife observations, connect third-party services, or browse shared pages on the site.
Information we collect
- Account information such as your email address, sign-in method, and account preferences.
- Observation content you choose to upload, including photos, notes, dates, tags, and location details.
- Metadata extracted from uploaded photos, such as timestamps or coordinates embedded in the file.
- Profile and sharing settings, including whether your gallery is public and which profile fields are visible.
- Operational logs needed to keep the service running, protect the site, and understand feature usage.
How we use information
- To provide your journal, store observations, and let you organize or edit your uploads.
- To process photos and optionally infer supporting metadata such as date taken or map position.
- To power features you request, including AI-assisted species identification and Google Photos imports.
- To send transactional emails, such as account confirmation or password reset messages.
- To improve reliability, troubleshoot issues, and help protect the service from misuse.
When information is shared
We share information only when needed to run requested features or when you choose to make content public.
- If you enable a public gallery, the observations and profile fields you mark as public can be shown to other visitors.
- If you use Google sign-in or Google Photos import, Google processes those requests under Google's own terms and privacy policies.
- If you use AI-assisted identification or related enrichment features, relevant image or text inputs may be sent to third-party providers that power those tools.
- We may use service providers for hosting, storage, email delivery, mapping, geocoding, analytics, and security operations.
- We may disclose information if required by law or if reasonably necessary to protect the service, users, or the public.
Your choices
- You can edit or remove observations from your account.
- You can change public gallery settings and control what profile information is shared publicly.
- You can disconnect third-party access from your Google Account if you no longer want FaunaFocus to use it.
- You can request deletion of your account data through the account management pages available in the site.
Data retention and security
We keep information for as long as it is reasonably needed to provide the service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and maintain security. We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect data, but no online service can guarantee absolute security or permanent availability.
Children's privacy
FaunaFocus is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without appropriate authorization.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date on this page. Continued use of the service after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.
Related terms
Your use of the site is also governed by the Terms of Service.