Privacy Policy for Peregrine Planner

Last Updated: July 8, 2025

Introduction

Welcome to Peregrine Planner's Privacy Policy. Your privacy is critically important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application ("App") and visit our website hosted on GitHub Pages ("Website"). By accessing or using the App or Website, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide

We may collect information you provide directly through the App or Website, including:

• Account Information: Your name, email address, and profile picture when you create an account
• User Content: Bird sightings, trip logs, notes, photos, and any other content you create, upload, or store in the App
• Feedback and Support: Information you provide when contacting us for support or submitting feedback

Information Collected Automatically

When you use our App or Website, we may automatically collect:

• Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information
• Usage Data: How you use the App or Website, including screens viewed, features used, and actions taken
• Location Information: With your permission, we collect precise GPS location to provide location-based features, including showing nearby bird sightings and creating optimized birding trip routes

Information from Third Parties

• eBird Data: We use bird observation data from eBird, a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, to provide information about bird sightings in your area. This data is subject to eBird's own terms and privacy policy, which can be found at eBird's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• To create and maintain your account
• To provide, maintain, and improve our App and Website features
• To process and manage your bird sightings, trip logs, and other content
• To customize your experience based on your preferences and location
• To communicate with you about updates, features, and support requests
• To analyze usage patterns to improve our App and Website
• To create anonymized, aggregated data sets that help improve birding data

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

Service Providers

We may share information with third-party service providers who help us operate, provide, improve, or secure our App and Website, such as cloud storage providers and analytics services.

eBird Data Contribution

If you choose to contribute your bird sightings to eBird using our "Export for eBird" feature:

• Your selected bird observations, including species, date, location, and optional photos will be formatted for submission to eBird
• You control when and whether to upload this data to eBird
• Once uploaded to eBird, your data becomes subject to eBird's data policies
• This shared data helps support global bird conservation and research

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).

Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access and Update: You can access and update your account information through the App's Profile settings
• Location Services: You can enable or disable location services through your device settings or when prompted by the App
• Push Notifications: You can manage notification preferences in the App settings or your device settings
• Export Preferences: You can control whether photos are included in exports in your Profile settings
• Data Deletion: You can request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us at peregrineplanner@gmail.com

Data Storage and Retention

• Local Storage: Bird sightings, trip data, and photos are stored locally on your device
• Retention: We retain your information as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services
• Deletion: After account deletion, we will delete or anonymize your information, except where required to retain it by law

Children's Privacy

Our App and Website are not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, which may have different data protection laws. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information.

GitHub Pages Website

Our Website is hosted on GitHub Pages. When you visit our Website:

• GitHub may collect certain information as described in the GitHub Privacy Statement
• We do not use cookies or tracking technologies on our GitHub Pages Website
• The Website is informational and does not collect personal information beyond what may be submitted through the contact form

AI Model Usage and Data Training

Peregrine Planner incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) models to enhance bird identification and user experience. Please be aware of the following regarding AI usage:

AI Bird Identification Features

• Sound Detection: We use Cornell's BirdNET AI model for real-time bird sound identification. This model analyzes audio data locally on your device to identify bird species from their sounds.
• Photo Identification: Our AI analyzes images you provide to suggest bird species based on visual features. This processing occurs locally on your device.
• Enhanced Processing: Optional enhanced processing features may use additional AI models for improved accuracy, including noise reduction and consensus scoring.

Data Training and Privacy

• No Training Data Usage: Your personal bird identification data, photos, audio recordings, and other user-generated content are NEVER used to train AI models or shared with AI model developers.
• Local Processing: Bird identification processing occurs locally on your device whenever possible, meaning your data doesn't leave your device for AI analysis.
• Third-Party AI Models: We use established AI models (such as BirdNET) that have been trained on publicly available datasets. We do not contribute your personal data to these training datasets.
• Experimental Features: AI identification features are experimental and should always be validated against field guides or expert birders. Results are provided as suggestions, not definitive identifications.

AI Model Limitations

• AI identification accuracy depends on various factors including audio quality, image clarity, lighting conditions, and environmental factors
• The bird database supporting AI features may be incomplete, and some species may not be recognized
• Confidence scores indicate the model's certainty but should not be considered absolute measures of accuracy
• Regional filtering features may improve accuracy for local species but may miss rare or out-of-range birds

eBird Data Usage

Peregrine Planner uses bird observation data from eBird, which is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Please be aware that:

• Bird sighting data provided in the App comes from eBird's database of observations
• The App accesses recent eBird data to show birds that have been reported near your location
• eBird is among the world's largest biodiversity-related science projects, with millions of bird sightings contributed by birders globally. eBird is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and collects data documenting bird distribution, abundance, habitat use, and trends through checklist data collected within a scientific framework.

eBird Data Terms and Privacy

When using eBird data through our App or contributing your sightings to eBird:

• All eBird data are provided for non-commercial use in research and education. Thousands of participants freely provide data to eBird, and in this same spirit, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology makes these data freely available.
• The Cornell Lab will never use or share your personal information for commercial purposes. Your contact information is only available to the team at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and volunteer regional reviewers.
• When you export sightings to eBird, you contribute to a global citizen science project that helps track bird populations, migration patterns, and habitat needs.
• Raw data, including latitude and longitude of observation locations, are freely shared with researchers upon request. eBird checklists will display name and location data, though name display can be turned off by the user.

For complete information, please review:

• eBird Data Access Terms of Use
• eBird Data Privacy and Data Use
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology Privacy Policy
• eBird Community Guidelines

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated "Last Updated" date. If we make material changes, we will provide notice through the App or by other means.

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: peregrineplanner@gmail.com