Privacy Policy
This policy explains what personal data the Foragers Log app collects, why, who we share it with, and the rights you have over it. We’ve tried to describe what the app actually does rather than what sounds reassuring — if anything here is unclear, please contact us.
1. Who we are
Foragers Log is operated by Averment [09912963] (“we”, “us”), which is the data controller responsible for your personal data.
For any privacy questions, or to exercise your rights, contact us at foragerslog[at]averment.digital. A postal address is available on request.
2. Data we collect
Account & profile
To use the app, you create an account. We collect your email address and display name (both required), and optionally an avatar photo. We also store your email-verification status, a “profile private” setting, your favourited forages, and basic activity metrics (the date you were last active and a count of your active days). Sign-in is handled through Firebase Authentication and can use email/password, Google Sign-In, or Apple Sign-In.
Device & technical information
Once per day, we record technical details about the device you’re using: a device identifier, model, manufacturer, platform and operating-system version, WebView version, app version and build, language setting, and available memory. This helps us support the app across different devices, investigate problems, and understand which versions are in use. A history of devices you’ve signed in from is kept on your profile.
Location
Location is central to the app, so we handle several kinds:
- Your live location is used, with your permission, to show where you are on the map and to work out distances. This is used while you’re using the app and is not stored as a location history.
- Forage and observation coordinates — when you log a find, its precise latitude and longitude are stored as part of that record. These coordinates are not blurred or reduced in precision.
- Place names — to label the area you’re in, your current coordinates may be sent to OpenStreetMap’s Nominatim service to look up the nearest village, town, or county.
Please note that a forage you add to the public map, or share with a community, will expose its exact location to others (see section 4).
Content you create
We store the content you add: forage logs (location, description, photo, species, and your display name), observations (such as phenology stage, “ready now” or “couldn’t find it” notes, photos, and notes), and any communities you create or join. When you use plant identification, we record which method was used (chosen by you, or AI-assisted), the AI tool involved, its ranked suggestions and confidence, and whether you accepted or edited the result.
Photos
Photos you take or select are uploaded to our storage and attached to your forages, observations, or profile. Photos taken in the app may also be saved to your device’s photo gallery. Please be aware that photos can carry embedded metadata such as GPS coordinates from the camera; where a photo is shared publicly, that metadata may be accessible to others.
Analytics & crash reports
We use Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics to understand how the app is used and to detect and fix crashes. Analytics records screen views and events such as searches (including the search term), plants and places viewed (including place names), forages logged, filters applied, and community actions. Crashlytics automatically captures crash information including stack traces and device details. We do not attach your account identifier to analytics or crash data, and we do not send your coordinates to these services.
3. How & why we use your data
We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR. These are our current assessment and are subject to confirmation by our legal review.
| Purpose | Data | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Creating and running your account | Email, display name, sign-in details, profile settings | Performance of a contract |
| Showing your location & distances on the map | Live device location | Consent (via device permission) |
| Logging and displaying your finds | Forage/observation content, coordinates, photos | Performance of a contract |
| Plant identification | Photo and optional coordinates sent to Pl@ntNet | Consent / performance of a contract |
| Supporting devices & fixing problems | Device & technical details, crash reports | Legitimate interests (app reliability) |
| Understanding usage to improve the app | Analytics events | Legitimate interests |
| Sending you notifications | Push token | Consent (via device permission) |
4. What other people can see
The map is public. When you add a forage to the public map, its precise location, description, photo, species, and your display name are visible to other users. Because coordinates are exact, a public forage near your home or a private patch can reveal that location. Consider whether you want to log sensitive sites publicly.
Communities. Public communities can be discovered by nearby users. Members can see the community’s forages and an activity feed showing who added or removed items. If you invite someone to a community, or request to join one, the email address involved is stored.
Private forages. Forages you mark as private are intended to be visible only to you and are hidden from the public map and from other members.
Administrators. Our administrators can access account and content records — including email addresses, device details, and both public and private forages — in order to operate and moderate the service.
5. Who we share data with
We don’t sell your data. We use the following service providers (“sub-processors”) to run the app. Each receives only the data needed for its function.
| Provider | Purpose | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase | Core backend: accounts, database, storage, functions, messaging, analytics, crash reporting | Account, content, location, and technical data |
| Google & Apple | Sign-in providers | Sign-in identity |
| Pl@ntNet | Plant identification (via our server) | Your plant photo and optional coordinates |
| Stadia Maps | Map tiles | The map area you’re viewing |
| OpenStreetMap (Nominatim) | Turning coordinates into place names | Your current coordinates |
| What3Words | 3-word location addresses (where enabled) | A 3-word address |
| Email delivery provider [Google] | Sending transactional emails (e.g. community invites) | Recipient email, community & inviter names |
We may also disclose data where required by law.
6. International transfers
Your core data is hosted in the European Union (Google’s europe-west1 region). Some of our providers may process data outside the UK. Where that happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as UK adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses / the International Data Transfer Agreement, so your data receives an equivalent level of protection.
7. How long we keep your data
We keep your account and content for as long as your account is active. Analytics and crash data are retained in line with our providers’ settings (typically up to 14 months for analytics and around 90 days for crash reports).
You can delete your account in the app, which removes your profile and sign-in credentials. Forages, observations, and photos you contributed may be retained after this so that shared maps and communities remain intact. If you want that content and any remaining identifiers removed as well, contact us and we will action it.
8. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to: access a copy of your data; correct inaccurate data; request erasure; object to or restrict certain processing; request portability of your data; and withdraw consent at any time (for example by changing your device permissions). To exercise any of these, email foragerslog[at]averment.digital.
If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your data, you can complain to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk, though we’d appreciate the chance to put things right first.
9. Security
We use the security features of our hosting provider, including encryption in transit, and restrict administrative access. No system is completely secure, so we can’t guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable steps to protect your data and to address issues we become aware of.
10. Children
Foragers Log is not intended for children. You must be at least 16 to create an account. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
11. Permissions & notifications
The app asks for the following device permissions, which you can change at any time in your device settings:
- Photos — to select photos and to save photos you take.
- Location — to show you on the map and record where a find is.
- Notifications — to alert you to forage approvals and community activity. Community notifications may include the display name of the member who took the action.
12. Changes & contact
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we’ll change the “last updated” date above, and for significant changes we’ll aim to let you know in the app.