Backyard Wildlife Alerts
Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 9, 2026
Backyard Wildlife Alerts ("the app", "we") lets neighbors share wildlife sightings and get alerts when wildlife is reported near places they care about. We collect as little as we can, never sell your information, and show no ads. Questions: contact@backyardwildlifealerts.com.
What we collect
- If you create an account: a username, your email address, and your password (we can't see it). Your username is public: it's shown on sightings you share. Your email is never shown.
- Sightings you share: the animal, what it was doing, the time, the location you set, an optional short note, and an optional photo.
- Alert settings (no account needed): the animals you follow, your home area and other places you watch (each with a radius), quiet hours, your phone's time zone offset, and your alert-sound choice. Names you give your places stay on your phone.
- Reports and confirmations: when you tap "I saw it too" or report a sighting, we record it with your account so each person counts once.
- Messages you send us: if you use Contact us, we get your email, your message, and your app version, phone model, and system version, so we can reply and fix problems.
- App ID: a random ID created when you install the app, so we can match your alert settings to your phone. It isn't linked to your name.
- Basic technical data: IP addresses are used briefly to limit abuse (for example, too many sign-in attempts) and appear in standard server logs.
How we use it
To show sightings on the map and list, send alerts that match your settings, keep "Seen by" counts honest, stop spam and abuse, reset your password, and confirm account changes. We do not use your data for advertising or profiling.
Location and privacy
- The app asks for location only while you're using it, to center the map, set your home area, and place a sighting. There is no background tracking.
- Your watch points are saved on our server so we can match alerts accurately. They are never shown to anyone.
- Sightings are shown at the exact spot where they were reported, with the town name, because an accurate location matters for safety.
Photos
Photos are re-saved on our server, which removes hidden data such as GPS location and camera details. Each photo is checked automatically for nudity on our own server; photos that fail aren't posted. Photos are public once posted.
Push notifications
Alerts are delivered through Google Firebase Cloud Messaging (and, on iPhone, Apple's push service). They receive your device's push token and the alert text. You can turn alerts off in the app or in your phone's settings.
We use your email only to send password-reset codes and notices about your account (such as a deletion confirmation). No newsletters or marketing.
Sharing
We don't sell or rent your information. We share it only with services that help run the app:
- Hosting: our web host (servers in the United States).
- Push delivery: Google Firebase Cloud Messaging and Apple Push Notification service.
- Maps and places: Google Maps shows the map in the app; Apple Maps (iPhone) and Geoapify (Android) suggest addresses as you type; Geoapify also turns a sighting's coordinates into a town name.
- If the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety.
Our website uses StatCounter for anonymous visit statistics; the app does not.
Data retention and deletion
- Delete your account anytime in the app (More > Account > Delete account) or at backyardwildlifealerts.com/delete-account. This permanently removes your username, email, password, sign-ins, reports, and confirmations.
- Sightings you shared stay up because they're community safety information, but they're no longer linked to you.
- Sightings that were hidden after reports, and their photos, may be kept so we can handle abuse and repeat offenders.
Children
The app isn't intended for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has an account, email us and we'll delete it.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date above and, for important changes, tell you in the app.