Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 5, 2026

FindMyWildlife ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our website, www.findmywildlife.com (the "Website"). The Website provides information about wildlife species, sighting locations, and nearby accommodations, and allows users to submit sightings, use our AI-powered species identification tool, participate in community forums and groups, and access wildlife news. By using the Website, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Website.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information when you use the Website:

1.1 Account and Contact Information

If you create an account or contact us, we may collect:

Name and email address used to register or contact us.
Username and password (stored in encrypted form).
Profile information you choose to provide, such as a display name or bio.
Notification preferences and communication settings.

1.2 User-Generated Content

If you submit content to the Website, we may collect:

Wildlife sighting reports, including species name, date, time, and location (country, region, or coordinates you choose to share).
Photographs, videos, or other media you upload in connection with a sighting or community post.
Forum posts, group discussions, comments, and replies.
Reviews or ratings of species viewing locations or accommodations.
Your user ID and the date and time of each submission.

1.3 AI Species Identification Data

When you use the Identify Species feature, we may collect:

Images you upload for identification purposes.
The AI-generated identification results associated with your submission.
Metadata associated with uploaded images, which may include device type or upload timestamp.

Uploaded images may be used to improve our AI model's accuracy, as described in Section 2. We do not use uploaded images for any purpose unrelated to species identification and model improvement without your consent.

1.4 Location Data

We may collect location data in the following circumstances:

If you voluntarily provide a location when submitting a sighting or using the wildlife map.
If you enable location services in your browser or device, we may collect your approximate location to provide localised content or nearby sighting data.

You can disable location access at any time through your browser or device settings. We will not collect precise location data without your explicit consent.

1.5 Non-Personal and Technical Information

We automatically collect certain technical information when you visit the Website:

Usage Data: Pages visited, search queries, species or countries viewed, and time spent on the site.
Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers.
Referral Data: The URL of the page that referred you to our Website.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies: As described in Section 6.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To Provide the Website: To display wildlife species data, sightings on the interactive map, accommodation listings, wildlife news, and community content.
Account Management: To create and manage your account, authenticate your identity, and send service-related communications.
AI Identification: To process images you upload and return species identification results. With your consent, to use submitted images to retrain and improve the accuracy of our AI model.
Sightings Map: To display your submitted sightings on the public wildlife map. Sightings are attributed to your username unless you choose to submit anonymously.
Community Features: To display your forum posts, group contributions, and profile information to other users in accordance with your privacy settings.
Personalisation: To suggest species, destinations, or content based on your browsing history, location, or stated interests.
Communication: To respond to enquiries, send account-related notifications, and inform you of changes to our policies or features.
Analytics and Improvement: To analyse usage patterns, monitor Website performance, identify bugs, and improve our services.
Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes, and to protect our rights and the safety of our users.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

Service Providers: We may share information with third-party providers who assist us in operating the Website, including hosting services, analytics platforms, email delivery tools, and AI infrastructure providers. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
Publicly Displayed Content: Sightings you submit to the map, forum posts, group content, and reviews may be visible to all Website visitors. Your username will be associated with this content unless you submit anonymously where that option is available.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government authority, or to protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our users.
AI Model Improvement: Anonymised or aggregated image data may be shared with AI research or development partners solely for the purpose of improving species identification accuracy, subject to appropriate data processing agreements.
Business Transfers: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change via a prominent notice on the Website or by email.

4. Community Features and Public Content

When you participate in community features such as forums, groups, or the sightings map, please be aware that:

Content you post in public groups or forums is visible to all Website visitors, including those who are not registered users.
Your username and profile picture (if set) will be associated with your posts and sightings.
You should not include sensitive personal information about yourself or others in public posts or sighting reports.
You can request deletion of your posts or sighting data by contacting us at support@findmywildlife.com, subject to our data retention obligations.

We encourage you to exercise caution about the personal information you choose to share in public community spaces.

5. Third-Party Links and Services

The Website may contain links to third-party websites, including hotel booking platforms, national park authorities, and conservation organisations. These third-party sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their data practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit before providing them with personal information.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on the Website. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us maintain your session, remember your preferences, and analyse usage.

6.1 Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies: Necessary for the Website to function, including maintaining your login session and security tokens.
Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Website, such as tracking page views, search queries, and feature usage. We use this data in aggregate form to improve the Website.
Preference Cookies: Store your settings and preferences, such as language, search filters, or map view configurations.
Functional Cookies: Support features such as community notifications, saved species lists, and map bookmarks.

6.2 Managing Cookies

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Website, particularly account-related and community features. By continuing to use the Website, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this Policy. For more information about cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, use, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), secure server infrastructure, and access controls limiting who within our organisation can access personal data.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and any relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction: Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete information.
Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, including your account, sighting data, and community posts, subject to our legal and operational obligations.
Objection: Object to the use of your data for AI model training or personalisation.
Opt-Out of Communications: Unsubscribe from marketing or notification emails using the link in any email we send, or by contacting us directly.
Data Portability: Request a copy of your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@findmywildlife.com. We may require verification of your identity before processing your request and will respond within a reasonable timeframe in accordance with applicable law.

9. International Data Transfers

The Website is operated from India and is hosted on infrastructure that may be located in other countries. If you access the Website from outside India, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in India or other jurisdictions where our service providers operate.

By using the Website, you consent to this transfer. We take steps to ensure that any cross-border transfer of personal data is subject to appropriate safeguards consistent with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

10. Children's Privacy

The Website is intended for users who are at least 18 years old, as set out in our Terms and Conditions. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under this age, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at support@findmywildlife.com.

11. Retention of Information

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by applicable law. Our general retention practices are:

Account Information: Retained for the duration of your account and for up to 12 months after account deletion, to allow for reactivation requests and to fulfil legal obligations.
Sighting and Community Data: Publicly submitted sightings, posts, and group content may be retained indefinitely to maintain the integrity of the community database, unless you request deletion.
AI Identification Images: Retained for up to 24 months for model improvement purposes, unless you withdraw consent, in which case we will delete them promptly.
Usage and Analytics Data: Retained in aggregated or anonymised form for up to 24 months for analysis and improvement purposes.
Legal and Compliance Records: Retained for as long as required by applicable Indian law.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, new features, or legal requirements. The updated Policy will be posted on this page with the revised "Last Updated" date. Where changes are material, we will provide a prominent notice on the Website or notify you by email. Your continued use of the Website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us at:

Email: contact@findmywildlife.com

Website: www.findmywildlife.com

We are committed to addressing your concerns and ensuring your privacy is protected while you use FindMyWildlife.