WildPins

WildPins Field Guide

Protect the animal behind the pin

Why exact wildlife coordinates need privacy controls and how private, group, approximate, and hidden locations should work.

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Exact coordinates can create real pressure

A public pin can attract visitors to a nest, den, roost, rare plant, rehabilitation release site, or private property. Even well-meaning visitors may create trails, noise, litter, traffic, or repeated disturbance.

WildPins privacy levels

PrivateOnly the owner should see the find and its exact coordinates.
Group sharedOnly approved group members should see the shared record, with location controls still available.
Public approximateThe community can discover the sighting without receiving the owner’s exact point.
Hidden locationThe species and date may be shared while the map location is withheld.

When to hide more

Use the strongest protection for active nests, dens, roosts, endangered or heavily collected species, young animals, rehabilitated releases, and locations on private land. Moderators should be able to reduce precision even when the original poster chose public sharing.

Photos can contain location data

Camera files may include embedded metadata. WildPins should remove EXIF location and device information before storing or serving an uploaded public image. A public photo endpoint should never reveal hidden coordinates through metadata or filenames.

Owner control

The owner should be able to change privacy, correct a mistaken location, remove group sharing, or delete the find. Correcting a pin should update the existing record rather than create a duplicate.