The controller of your personal data is:
Animolo (also referenced in source code as "Żubr Radar") is a mobile application supporting nature observations across Europe. This document explains how we process your personal data in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 ("GDPR").
Pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on Digital Services (DSA) we designate the following single point of contact for users, Member State authorities, and the European Commission:
| Purpose | Address |
|---|---|
| Users (content reports, data rights) | contact@animolo.app |
| State authorities / European Commission | legal@animolo.app |
| Languages of communication | Polish, English |
Response time: up to 14 days for users, without undue delay for authorities.
| Category | Examples | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Account data | UID, e-mail, nickname, profile picture, year of birth (16+ gate), preferred language, home country | from the user during sign-up |
| Authentication data | Google / Facebook OAuth login tokens | from the login provider (Google / Meta) with consent |
| User content | sightings, photos, comments, reactions, private notes | from the user during use |
| Location | GPS coordinates of sightings (snapped to a ~1.1 km grid for strictly protected species), position in "presence" mode (also coarsened to ~1 km when in public mode) | from the device at the moment a sighting/presence is created |
| Nature walk traces | optional local GPS traces — stored only on-device (AsyncStorage); never uploaded to a server | from the device, in foreground mode |
| Technical data | push tokens, device identifier (Expo), app version, error log | from the device automatically |
| Analytics | event counters (e.g. "spot_created"), no advertising profiling | PostHog (product) + Firebase Analytics |
| Purpose | Legal basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|
| Service delivery (sign-up, sightings, friends, ranking) | Art. 6(1)(b) — performance of a contract |
| Security, abuse detection, terms enforcement | Art. 6(1)(f) — legitimate interest (protecting the service and community) |
| Public presence mode (~1 km broadcast, anonymous) | Art. 6(1)(a) — your explicit consent (revocable at any time in Settings) |
| Precise location (GPS) for pinning sightings | Art. 6(1)(a) — explicit consent each time you add a sighting |
| Push notifications | Art. 6(1)(a) — iOS/Android system consent |
| Product analytics (aggregated) | Art. 6(1)(f) — legitimate interest; opt-out in Settings |
| User-rights fulfilment (export, deletion) | Art. 6(1)(c) — legal obligation (GDPR Art. 15, 17, 20) |
Your data is processed with the support of trusted processors:
europe-west1 and eur3 (EU multi-region). Processing under Google's DPA.We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with data brokers or advertising networks.
| Data | Retention period |
|---|---|
| User account | until self-deletion (Settings → Delete account). After deletion — wiped within 30 days. |
| Sightings and their photos | 2 days from creation (application TTL); thereafter automatically removed from the database and storage (GCS lifecycle). |
| Presences | up to 4 hours (friends) / 1 hour (public); auto-deleted on expiry. |
| Comments and reactions | until the parent sighting is deleted (cascade). |
| Security logs | up to 90 days. |
| Backups | up to 30 days, encrypted. |
| Data export (on request) | ZIP file available for 7 days from generation. |
Under the GDPR, you have the following rights:
Animolo is intended for individuals aged 16 or older. During sign-up we collect year of birth and reject accounts that do not meet the threshold (GDPR Art. 8). If we learn that an account belongs to a person under 16, we will delete it without delay. Parents/guardians may report such accounts to contact@animolo.app.
Precise location is used only to pin sightings and record presence position. We never track your location in the background (apart from the optional, on-device "My walks" trace which never leaves the device).
For 11 strictly protected species (e.g. European bison, wolf, lynx, brown bear, Eurasian otter, wolverine, golden eagle, eastern imperial eagle, white-tailed eagle, capercaillie, black stork) GPS is mandatorily snapped at write time to a ~1.1 km grid in order to protect habitats from poaching (in line with the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC).
Public presence mode is additionally coarsened to ~1 km and anonymised (no nickname, no picture, no points).
We do not make decisions producing legal effects concerning you, or similarly significantly affecting you, by automated means alone (GDPR Art. 22). Ranking algorithms (e.g. the "Species Guardian" rank) are deterministic, based solely on your number of sightings, and have no effect on your rights outside the application.
Data is stored and processed in the EU (Firestore: eur3, Storage: EU multi-region, Functions: europe-west1). Where processors (e.g. Google) rely on support infrastructure outside the EEA, transfers take place under Standard Contractual Clauses (Commission Decision 2021/914) together with additional technical safeguards (encryption in transit and at rest).
The mobile application does not use cookies in the traditional web sense. We use local storage (AsyncStorage) to persist preferences, recently viewed parks, local map pins, and nature-walk traces. You can clear this data by uninstalling the app or via Settings → Clear local data.
Third-party SDKs:
We reserve the right to update this policy. Each material change increments the version number and triggers a fresh consent prompt in the app (consent screen). Without renewed acceptance you will not be able to use features that require consent.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe we process your data unlawfully:
We encourage you to contact us first at contact@animolo.app — most matters are resolved within 14 days.