Privacy Policy

1. Overview

opspoor respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa and other applicable data protection laws.

This Privacy Policy explains how opspoor collects, uses, stores, processes, and protects personal information when you use the opspoor mobile application, website, and related services (collectively referred to as the “Services”).

By creating an account, accessing the Services, or submitting information through the platform, you consent to the collection and processing of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, you should not use the Services.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Services, and certain technical information from your device.

Account Information

• Email address
• Display name or username
• Profile information you choose to provide

User Content

• Wildlife sightings and related notes
• Comments, confirmations, and community interactions
• Photos, videos, or media you intentionally upload

Location Information

• Geographic coordinates associated with wildlife sightings
• Location information provided when using map-based features

Technical and Usage Information

• Device type and operating system
• App version and device identifiers
• Crash logs and diagnostic data
• Interaction data such as timestamps and feature usage

3. Location Data

opspoor uses location information to enable core features of the platform, including recording wildlife sightings, displaying sightings on maps, and providing location-based insights within the Services.

Location data may be collected when you actively record a wildlife sighting or use features that require geographic positioning. This information may include GPS coordinates provided by your device.

opspoor does not continuously track your location in the background unless you explicitly enable features that require location access while using the application.

Users may control or disable location permissions at any time through their device settings. Disabling location access may limit certain features of the Services.

To protect wildlife and prevent misuse of sensitive data, opspoor may reduce the precision of certain location data, delay visibility of sightings, or restrict the display of sensitive species locations.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

opspoor processes personal information only where permitted under applicable data protection laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

We process personal information based on the following lawful bases:

• User Consent: When you create an account, submit information, upload media, or otherwise interact with the Services.
• Performance of a Service: Processing necessary to provide the functionality of the platform, including recording sightings, displaying wildlife data, and enabling community interaction.
• Legitimate Interests: To operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Services, including preventing misuse, protecting wildlife, and ensuring platform integrity.
• Legal Obligations: Where processing is required to comply with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, or lawful requests from authorities.

5. How We Use Your Information

opspoor uses the information we collect to operate, maintain, and improve the Services.

Your information may be used for the following purposes:

• Provide the core functionality of the platform.
• Record and display wildlife sightings with relevant context such as time and location.
• Enable community interactions including confirmations, comments, and discussions.
• Improve the reliability, performance, and features of the Services.
• Moderate content and enforce platform rules.
• Protect wildlife by monitoring misuse of location-based information.
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access.
• Respond to user inquiries, support requests, or technical issues.
• Comply with applicable legal obligations.

6. Data Sharing

opspoor does not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

We may share information with trusted service providers who assist us in operating the Services. These providers may include cloud hosting providers, infrastructure services, analytics tools, crash reporting systems, and mobile app store billing platforms. Such providers are permitted to access personal information only to perform services on our behalf and are required to protect that information.

Content that you choose to publish through the platform, including wildlife sightings, comments, and uploaded media, may be visible to other users of the Services.

We may also disclose information where required to comply with applicable laws, legal processes, or lawful requests from authorities, or where necessary to protect users, wildlife, or the integrity of the platform.

7. Cross-Border Transfers

opspoor may store or process personal information on secure cloud infrastructure that may be located outside South Africa.

When personal information is transferred across national borders, opspoor takes reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the data in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

These safeguards may include the use of reputable service providers, contractual data protection obligations, and technical security measures designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access or misuse.

8. Data Retention

opspoor retains personal information only for as long as necessary to provide the Services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce platform policies, and protect the integrity of the platform and wildlife data.

Personal information associated with your account will generally be retained for as long as your account remains active.

When an account is deleted, personal identifiers may be removed, anonymized, or securely deleted within a reasonable period, except where retention is required for legal, security, fraud prevention, or wildlife protection purposes.

Certain platform records, such as wildlife sightings or community interactions, may remain within the system in anonymized form where removal would negatively affect platform functionality or community data integrity.

9. Your Rights Under POPIA

In accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you have certain rights regarding your personal information.

You have the right to:

• Request access to personal information held about you.
• Request correction or updating of inaccurate information.
• Request deletion or anonymization of your personal information.
• Object to certain processing activities.
• Withdraw consent for processing where consent was previously provided.

Requests to access, correct, or delete personal information may be submitted by contacting us at: support@opspoor.com.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe that your personal information has been processed in a manner that does not comply with POPIA.

10. Children’s Privacy

opspoor is intended for users who are at least 13 years of age. The Services are not directed at children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years old. If we become aware that personal information has been collected from a child under this age without appropriate consent, we will take reasonable steps to remove the information and deactivate the associated account.

Parents or legal guardians who believe that a child has provided personal information through the Services may contact us at support@opspoor.com to request removal of that information.

11. Security

opspoor implements reasonable technical and organizational security measures designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

These safeguards may include secure infrastructure, access controls, encrypted communications, and monitoring systems intended to protect the integrity of the Services.

While we take reasonable steps to protect personal information, no system or online service can guarantee absolute security. Users are encouraged to protect their account credentials and notify us immediately if they suspect unauthorized access to their account.

12. Account Deletion

Users may request deletion of their opspoor account at any time through the in-app account deletion feature available within the account or settings section of the Services.

When an account is deleted, access to the Services will be revoked and personal account information associated with the account will be removed or anonymized within a reasonable period.

Certain information previously submitted to the platform, such as wildlife sightings, comments, or media, may remain available in anonymized form where removal would negatively affect platform functionality, community records, or wildlife data integrity.

opspoor may retain limited information where required for legal compliance, fraud prevention, security investigations, or wildlife protection purposes.

13. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The opspoor website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, enhance user experience, and analyze how the Services are used.

Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help websites remember preferences, maintain login sessions, and measure site performance.

Cookies may be used for purposes such as maintaining user sessions, improving platform performance, and understanding how users interact with the Services.

Most web browsers allow users to control or disable cookies through their browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain features of the Services.

14. Third-Party Services

The Services may rely on or integrate with third-party technologies and service providers in order to operate the platform and deliver certain features.

These providers may include mobile application stores, cloud infrastructure providers, mapping services, analytics tools, and other technology partners.

Third-party providers operate under their own privacy policies and terms of service. opspoor does not control and is not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services.

Users are encouraged to review the privacy policies of any third-party services they interact with through the platform.

15. Wildlife Data Protection

opspoor is designed to promote responsible wildlife observation and conservation awareness.

To protect wildlife and prevent misuse of location-based information, certain wildlife sightings or species may be subject to restrictions within the platform.

opspoor may, at its discretion, reduce the precision of geographic coordinates, delay the publication of sightings, generalize location information, or restrict access to sensitive wildlife data where necessary to protect animals and their habitats.

These protective measures may be applied automatically or through moderation processes in order to discourage illegal wildlife activity and safeguard vulnerable species.

16. Data Accuracy and User Responsibility

Much of the information available through opspoor is generated and submitted by users of the platform.

While we encourage responsible reporting and community verification of wildlife sightings, opspoor does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of user-submitted information.

Wildlife sightings may become outdated, incorrect, or misidentified, and animals may move quickly from the locations where they were originally recorded.

Users are responsible for the accuracy of the information they submit and should exercise their own judgment when relying on information obtained through the Services.

17. Changes to This Policy

opspoor may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the Services, legal requirements, or privacy practices.

When updates are made, the “Last updated” date at the top of this page will be revised.

Continued use of the Services after the updated Privacy Policy is published constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Users are encouraged to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how personal information is protected.

18. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or would like to exercise your privacy rights, you may contact us at:

Email: support@opspoor.com

We will respond to privacy-related inquiries or requests in accordance with applicable data protection laws.