Privacy Policy
This statement describes what personal data the app Humboldt Expedition and this website process, why we use them, and what rights you have.
1. Controller
Remo Diethelm
Email: hello@humboldtexpedition.com
2. What the app is about
Humboldt Expedition is a collection game: you photograph animals, artificial intelligence identifies the species, and when identification is confident a drawing is minted. Many features — community sightings, trading, leaderboard — rely on sharing certain information with other users. Section 5 explains exactly what is shared.
3. Data in the app
3.1 Account and profile
- Email address and password: for registration and sign-in (Firebase Authentication). The email is used for verification and password reset. It is not visible to other users.
- Collector name: a unique display name you choose. It is visible to other signed-in users (e.g. on the leaderboard and in friend requests).
- Profile picture: chosen from a predefined catalog. You cannot upload your own photos as a profile picture.
3.2 Sightings: photos, capture time, location
- Photo: The sighting photo is compressed and stored in our cloud storage (Firebase Storage).
- Capture time: The capture time is read from the photo's EXIF metadata and stored; without a valid capture time, upload is not possible.
- Location: With your permission, the app records the device location when you take a photo and stores it with the sighting. Location is needed for maps, community features, and nearby discoveries.
- Copy on your device: Sighting photos taken with the camera are also saved — with embedded GPS coordinates — in your photo gallery. This copy stays on your device and is not processed by us.
3.3 AI-assisted species identification
For species identification we send the sighting photo and — if available — the capture coordinates to an AI service. Depending on configuration we use Google (Gemini / Vertex AI) or Anthropic (Claude). Providers process the request on our behalf; processing may take place outside Switzerland or the EEA, particularly in the USA (see section 7).
3.4 Home location (optional)
You may voluntarily set a home location (“home garden”) with an address. This information is visible only to you and is not shared with other users.
3.5 Push notifications
If you allow notifications, we store Firebase Cloud Messaging device tokens (max. 10 devices) to inform you, for example, about new trade offers. You can disable notifications at any time in system settings.
3.6 Map display (OpenStreetMap)
Maps in the app load map tiles from OpenStreetMap Foundation servers (tile.openstreetmap.org). The map server necessarily receives your IP address and the requested map area.
3.7 Crash reports (Crashlytics)
For app stability we use Firebase Crashlytics. When a crash occurs, technical information is transmitted (including device model, operating system and app version, crash log). The app contains no other analytics or advertising SDKs.
3.8 Permissions
The app requests the following permissions — only when you use the related feature:
- Camera — photograph animals for your collection.
- Photo library — upload existing images as sightings and save captures.
- Location (while using the app) — store sighting locations, show position on maps, nearby discoveries.
- Notifications — alerts about trade offers.
4. Species catalog (no personal data)
Species profiles, reference photos, and drawings are compiled automatically from public sources (including iNaturalist, Wikipedia, GBIF) and partly prepared with AI. No personal data is processed for this; your sighting photos are not used for it.
5. What other users see
- Community sightings: With a confident identification and location, the sighting is shown to other signed-in users — but only with an approximate location (randomly offset by up to 100 m) and the calendar day of capture, without time and without your name.
- Friends: With friends whose request you accepted, your confident identifications are shared including the exact sighting location; friends can also see your maps.
- Leaderboard: Collector name, profile picture, and score are visible to all signed-in users.
- First discovery: If you discover a species first, your collector name is permanently shown in the species catalog as first discoverer.
- Trading: Trade offers are visible to the collectors involved.
6. Purposes and legal bases
We process data to provide the app and its game features (contract performance), based on your consent (camera, location, notifications — each revocable via system permissions) as well as our legitimate interest in stability, security, and abuse prevention (e.g. crash reports, uniqueness of drawings). Swiss data protection law (DSG) applies; where the GDPR applies, we rely on Art. 6(1)(a), (b), and (f) GDPR.
7. Recipients, storage location, and third countries
- Google / Firebase (Google LLC or Google Ireland Ltd.): authentication, database (Firestore), file storage, Cloud Functions, push messages, crash reports, and hosting of this website. Our Cloud Functions run in the Google Cloud region Zurich (europe-west6); individual Google services may also process data in other countries.
- AI services: Google (Gemini / Vertex AI) and Anthropic (USA) for species identification (see 3.3).
- OpenStreetMap Foundation (UK): delivery of map tiles (see 3.6).
Where data is transferred to countries without an adequate level of data protection (particularly the USA), we rely on appropriate safeguards such as EU Standard Contractual Clauses or provider certifications (e.g. Data Privacy Framework).
8. Retention and deletion
Your data remains stored as long as your account exists. If you delete a sighting in the app, the associated photo and identification are also removed. You can request complete deletion of your account and all associated data at any time: Delete Account & Data.
9. Your rights
You have the right to access your stored data, rectification, erasure, and data portability, and — where applicable — restriction of processing and objection. You may withdraw consent at any time. Contact hello@humboldtexpedition.com. You may also lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority; in Switzerland with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC / EDÖB).
10. This website
This website is delivered via Firebase Hosting (Google); server log data are necessarily generated (including IP address, time of access). The website uses no cookies and no tracking. Fonts are loaded from Google Fonts; your IP address is transmitted to Google.
11. Changes
We update this statement when the app or legal situation changes. The version published here applies.