1. Introduction

Welcome to Under the Hedge ("we," "us," "our"). We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website https://www.underthehedge.com/ (the "Service").

By using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect several different types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our Service to you.

A. Information You Provide to Us

Account Information: When you create an account, we collect personal information such as your username, email address, and a hashed password.

User-Generated Content (UGC): We collect the content you voluntarily upload to our Service. This includes:

• Photos and Videos of wildlife.
• Encounter Details: Such as text descriptions and timestamps.
• Location Data: We collect location information you provide, either by you manually entering it or by extracting it from your uploaded media's metadata (e.g., EXIF data).

Communications: If you contact us directly (e.g., for support), we may receive additional information you provide.

B. Information We Collect Automatically

Log and Usage Data: When you access the Service, our servers automatically record information, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, and other usage data.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our Service and hold certain information. Please see our Cookie Policy for more details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• To Provide and Maintain the Service: To create your account, publish your encounters, and allow you to interact with other users.
• To Display Your Content: Your username, uploaded content (photos, videos), and associated location data will be publicly displayed on the Service as the core part of our community platform.
• For Conservation and Research: This is a key part of our mission. We use the User-Generated Content, particularly encounter photos and location data, to "contribute to biodiversity awareness" and "support conservation efforts and scientific research."
• To Improve Our Service: To analyze usage patterns to understand how our Service is used and how we can improve it.
• To Communicate With You: To send you service-related notices, security alerts, and support messages. We may also send you newsletters or promotional materials if you opt-in.
• To Enforce Terms and Ensure Safety: To protect the security and integrity of our platform and enforce our Terms of Use.

4. How We Share Your Information

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

• With Other Users: As stated above, your username and the content you post (including photos, videos, and location data) are visible to other users of the Service.
• With Conservation & Research Partners: We may share encounter data (such as species, location, and timestamps) with trusted third-party partners, such as universities, conservation organizations, or research institutions, to support our shared mission. We will strive to anonymize or aggregate this data where possible, but the nature of wildlife tracking may require specific location data. We will not share your personal account information (like your email) with these partners without your explicit consent.
• With Third-Party Service Providers: We may share data with vendors who perform services for us, such as web hosting, database management, analytics (e.g., Google Analytics), and email delivery. These providers are obligated to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify.
• For Legal Reasons: We may disclose your information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we believe in good faith that such action is necessary to (a) comply with the law, (b) protect our rights or property, or (c) protect the personal safety of our users or the public.

5. Your Data Rights and Choices

Depending on your location (e.g., the EU or California), you may have certain rights regarding your personal information.

• Access and Update: You can review and update your account information at any time by logging into your profile settings.
• Data Portability: You may have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Erasure (Deletion): You can request the deletion of your account.
• Object or Restrict Processing: You may have the right to object to or request that we restrict certain processing of your personal information.

Please Note: When you delete your account, your personal profile information (username, email) will be deleted. However, to maintain the integrity of the conservation data, your previously submitted encounter data (photos, locations, descriptions) may be retained on our Service in an anonymized format, meaning it will no longer be linked to your account.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hedgehog@underthehedge.com.

6. Data Security

We use commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect your personal information. This includes using SSL encryption for data in transit. However, please be aware that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure.

7. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for or directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EU/UK). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under this age. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal data without parental consent, please contact us immediately.

8. International Data Transfers

Your information, including personal data, may be transferred to—and maintained on—computers located outside of your state, province, or country where the data protection laws may differ. If you are located outside of our primary country of operation, please note that we transfer and process the data there. Your consent to this Privacy Policy represents your agreement to that transfer.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date at the top. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us using the site's contact form.