Effective Date: February 16, 2026
Spot It! ("we," "our," or "the app") is a wildlife spotting and social discovery application. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application. Please read this policy carefully.
1. Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of information:
a) Information You Provide
- Account Information: Name, email address, username, and password when you create an account.
- Profile Information: Profile photo, bio, and other details you choose to add.
- User Content: Photos, videos, comments, and wildlife sighting reports you submit.
- Messages: Content of messages sent through the in-app messaging feature.
b) Information Collected Automatically
- Location Data: With your permission, we collect precise location data to enable wildlife sighting mapping and location-based features.
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers.
- Usage Data: How you interact with the app, including features used and time spent.
2. How We Use Your Information
- To provide and maintain the app's functionality, including wildlife sighting mapping and social features.
- To enable animal identification and matching through AI-powered analysis.
- To display sightings on maps and in community feeds.
- To facilitate social interactions such as following, liking, commenting, and messaging.
- To manage challenges, badges, and experience points (XP).
- To send notifications about activity relevant to you.
- To improve and optimize the app experience.
3. Sharing of Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share information in the following circumstances:
- Public Content: Wildlife sightings, profile information, and comments you post are visible to other users.
- Service Providers: We use third-party services including:
- Cloudinary for image and video storage and processing.
- MongoDB for data storage.
- Google Maps / Google APIs for mapping and location services.
- Google Gemini AI for animal identification features.
- Legal Requirements: If required by law, regulation, or legal process.
4. Data Storage and Security
Your data is stored on secure servers. We use industry-standard security measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure authentication with JSON Web Tokens (JWT), and hashed passwords. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure.
5. Location Data
Location data is central to Spot It!'s wildlife mapping functionality. You can control location permissions through your device settings. Disabling location access may limit certain app features such as mapping sightings and regional challenges.
6. Camera and Media Access
The app requests access to your device's camera and photo library to enable you to capture and upload wildlife photos and videos. This access is only used when you actively choose to take or select a photo/video.
7. Your Rights and Choices
- Access & Update: You can view and edit your profile information within the app.
- Delete Account: You may request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us.
- Permissions: You can manage location, camera, and notification permissions through your device settings.
- Notifications: You can opt out of push notifications via device settings.
8. Children's Privacy
Spot It! is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover that we have collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.
9. Third-Party Links
The app may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted within the app or on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Account Deletion
You may request deletion of your account and all associated data at any time by contacting us via email. Upon receiving your request, we will:
- Delete: Your account credentials, profile information (username, email, bio, profile photo), all sighting posts and associated media, comments, likes, messages, follow relationships, challenge progress, badges, and XP data.
- Delete from third-party services: Media files stored on Cloudinary (photos and videos) associated with your account.
- Retention: Anonymized, aggregated data that cannot be linked back to you (e.g., total sighting counts) may be retained for analytics purposes. We do not retain any personally identifiable information after deletion.
- Timeframe: Account deletion requests will be processed within 30 days of receipt.
To request account deletion, email us at: nicholas.wickboldt@light-work.ai
Please include the email address or username associated with your account in your deletion request.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Email: nicholas.wickboldt@light-work.ai