Privacy Policy
WildPins (“we”, “us”) is a social naturalist application that helps users identify wildlife from photos and audio recordings, and share discoveries on a community map. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and the choices you have.
1. Information We Collect
- Account info — email and display name when you create an account. Guest mode does not require an account.
- Photos & audio recordings — submitted by you for AI identification. Image/audio is sent to our identification service (OpenAI GPT-5.2 Vision via secure HTTPS) and stored only if you choose to save the find.
- Location data — coordinates of saved finds and approximate location used to deliver proximity-based danger alerts. You may disable location at any time in your device settings.
- Device identifiers — Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) token used to deliver push notifications, and a Google Advertising ID used by Google AdMob for ad serving.
- Usage analytics — anonymized event data via Firebase Analytics and crash reports via Firebase Crashlytics.
2. How We Use Information
- Provide AI-powered animal identification.
- Pin your sightings on the community map (only public if you opt in).
- Send community danger alerts and group messages.
- Display ads via Google AdMob (free users only — Premium removes all ads).
- Process subscription payments via Stripe and/or platform billing.
- Diagnose crashes and improve the app.
3. Third-Party Services
- OpenAI — AI image/audio identification. (policy)
- Google Firebase — Analytics, Crashlytics, Cloud Messaging. (policy)
- Google AdMob — Advertising. (policy)
- Stripe — Payment processing. (policy)
4. Advertising & Consent
WildPins shows interstitial ads from Google AdMob to free-tier users. For users in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland, we use Google’s User Messaging Platform (UMP) to request consent before personalized ads are served, in compliance with GDPR. You may withdraw consent at any time from Settings → Privacy. Upgrading to Premium permanently disables all ads.
5. Data Sharing
We do not sell your data. We share data only with the service providers above strictly to operate the app. Public finds (only those you mark “public”) are visible to other users.
6. Your Rights & Data Deletion
- Delete your account — Settings → Account → Delete Account. This permanently removes your account, identifications, group memberships, group messages, and pins. Public finds may be retained in anonymized form.
- Export data — contact admin@wildpins.app.
- Withdraw consent — disable permissions from your device’s system settings, or delete the app.
Web request: you may also request deletion by emailing admin@wildpins.app from your registered address.
7. Children
WildPins is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.
8. Security
All network traffic uses HTTPS/TLS. Passwords are stored hashed with bcrypt. We retain data only as long as required to provide the service.
9. Changes to This Policy
We will post any changes on this page and update the “Effective date” above.
10. Contact
Email: admin@wildpins.app