Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 3, 2026

Introduction

AniSpotter is a wildlife-spotting app that helps users identify animal species and share sightings with the community. This privacy policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your information.

We are committed to protecting your privacy. If you have questions, please contact us at support@anispotter.com.

Data We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address
• Username
• Password (encrypted)
• Profile data (points, streaks)

You can sign in via email/password, Sign in with Apple, or Google sign-in through Supabase Auth.

Photos and Sightings

When you submit a wildlife sighting, we collect:

• Photo (uploaded to our server)
• Species identified
• Timestamp
• Location coordinates (optional, from manual entry or photo EXIF data only)
• User who submitted the sighting

Location privacy: Exact coordinates are stored server-side but never shown to other users. Our public map displays fuzzed (coarsened) coordinates only. Sensitive species are further coarsened or hidden from the public map.

Home Privacy Zone: You can mark a home privacy zone on your device. Sightings within this zone are never uploaded to our servers and never appear on the public map.

Identification Data

When you submit a photo for species identification, we send it (along with optional location and date context) to Anthropic's Claude API. We log:

• Photo hash
• Identification candidates returned
• Token usage

These logs help us improve our identification service.

Usage Events

We collect basic usage data to understand how the app is used and maintain service quality (e.g., identification attempt counts, errors, feature engagement).

How We Use Your Data

• Authentication: To create and maintain your account
• Species Identification: To identify wildlife in your photos via Claude API
• Sightings: To display sightings on the public map and in leaderboards (with fuzzed coordinates and your username/points visible)
• Social Features: To enable friend requests by username and public profile visibility
• Moderation: To detect and respond to inappropriate content and abuse
• Service Improvement: To analyze identification logs and fix bugs

Data Processors

Your data is processed by:

• Supabase — Hosts our database, authentication, and file storage
• Anthropic — Processes photos sent for species identification via Claude API

These processors act as data processors under our instructions and maintain appropriate safeguards.

Free Tier and Usage Limits

AniSpotter offers a free tier limited to 10 identifications per month, enforced server-side. This limit applies to photo submissions for species identification.

Data Retention

• Account data: Retained while your account is active. Upon deletion, your account, profile, sightings, photos, and identification history are permanently erased.
• Identification logs: Retained for service improvement (photo hash, candidates, token counts). These are separate from user account data and may be retained longer for analytics.
• Moderation records: If your account is suspended or removed, an audit log of moderation actions may retain your account identifier.

Account Deletion

You can delete your account in-app at any time. This permanently erases:

• Your account and login credentials
• Your profile (username, points, streaks)
• All sightings you submitted
• All photos you uploaded
• Your identification history

Suspended accounts: If your account is suspended for violating our terms, you must contact support@anispotter.com to request account deletion.

Children's Privacy

AniSpotter is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with information, we will delete that information and terminate the child's account.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights including:

• Access to your personal data
• Correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion of your data (see Account Deletion above)
• Opt-out of certain uses

To exercise these rights, contact support@anispotter.com. We will respond within 30 days or provide a timeline for response.

Security

We encrypt data in transit and at rest. However, no security measure is 100% effective. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential.

Third Parties

We do not sell, share, or rent your data to third parties. Supabase and Anthropic process data only as described above.

We do not use advertising networks, analytics SDKs, or tracking pixels.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy at any time. Changes will be posted here with a new "Last updated" date. Continued use of AniSpotter after changes means you accept the updated policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy, please contact:

support@anispotter.com