bioloom.

Overview

bioloom. ("the App") is a community-driven platform for reporting and discovering bioluminescent events. This privacy policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data responsibly. We do not sell your personal data to third parties, and we do not use your data for advertising purposes.

Data we collect

When you use the App, we may collect the following information:

• Account information: your email address and a username of your choosing, used to create and manage your account.
• Location data: your device's GPS coordinates, collected only when you explicitly choose to share your location while submitting a sighting report. We do not track your location in the background.
• Sighting reports: the content you submit, including location names, coordinates, descriptions, intensity ratings, and observation dates and times.
• Photos: images you choose to upload alongside sighting reports.

We do not collect any data automatically beyond what is necessary to maintain your authenticated session.

How we use your data

Your data is used solely to provide and improve the App's functionality:

• To create and manage your account.
• To display your sighting reports on the map and in the feed, attributed to your chosen username.
• To display photos you upload alongside your sighting reports.
• To enable other users to discover bioluminescent events.

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose unrelated to the App's core functionality.

Data sharing

Sighting reports (including location, description, intensity, photo, and username) are visible to all users of the App. This is the core function of the App — community sharing of bioluminescence sightings.

Your email address is never displayed publicly and is never shared with other users or third parties.

We use Supabase as our backend infrastructure provider. Your data is stored on Supabase's servers and is subject to their privacy practices. Supabase acts as a data processor on our behalf and does not use your data for their own purposes.

We use the Google Places API to provide location search functionality. When you search for a location, your search query is sent to Google. No other personal data is shared with Google.

We do not share your data with any other third parties.

Data storage and security

Your data is stored securely on Supabase infrastructure, which uses encryption in transit and at rest. Photos are stored in Supabase Storage. Authentication is handled by Supabase Auth with industry-standard security practices.

While we take reasonable measures to protect your data, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure.

Data retention

We retain your account data and sighting reports for as long as your account is active. You can edit or delete individual sightings from within the App at any time. If you wish to delete your account and all associated data, please contact us using the details below.

Your rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate personal data.
• Request deletion of your personal data.
• Object to or restrict the processing of your personal data.
• Data portability — receive a copy of your data in a structured format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address below.

Children's privacy

The App is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, we will take steps to delete that data.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected on this page with an updated "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or your personal data, please contact:

James Vanstone
jamesfvanstone@btinternet.com