Privacy Policy

This policy explains what information the Lantern Hunt iPhone app collects, how it is used, who can see it, and how you can delete it. Lantern Hunt is operated by Ilani Nurick, United States (“we” or “us”).

In short: Lantern Hunt collects the information needed to run your account and to record your removals, including photos and precise location. Approved removals and your profile are visible to other app users, with map locations shown at reduced precision of about 10 meters. We do not use third-party advertising, and we do not sell your personal information. You can permanently delete your account in the app under Profile → Delete Account.

Information we collect

Account and sign-in information

Lantern Hunt has one type of account. Accounts do not require your name or email address.
For every account, we store an account identifier and the times the account was created and last signed in.
Our authentication provider also records information about your sign-in sessions, including your IP address and device/browser information.

Profile and game information

Your display name (a default name is assigned if you don't choose one), your avatar image and the avatar cosmetics you equip.
Your account role and the dates your profile was created and last updated.
Your nymph collection: each nymph's name, variant, rarity and hatch date, and whether it is your companion or marked hidden.
Your points and leaderboard rank, which are calculated from your submissions.

Removal submissions

When you submit a removal, we collect:

The type of removal (adult lanternfly or egg mass) and the quantity.
“Before” and “after” photographs, and the times they were taken.
Your precise location (latitude and longitude) and its GPS accuracy estimate. The app collects these from your device's location services and sends them with the submission.
The time you submitted it, its review status, the review date, any rejection reason, and the points calculated for it.

Before uploading, the app creates new image files from your photos. Embedded metadata from the original photos, such as GPS tags, is not included in the uploaded images.

How we use information

To create and maintain your account and sign you in.
To receive, store and review your removal submissions.
To calculate points and rewards, and to provide the leaderboard, community map, profiles and other community features.
To provide support and to prevent, detect or investigate misuse of the app.

Who can see your information

Every Lantern Hunt user has an account. So information visible to “other users” is visible to anyone using the app.

Visible to anyone with the link

Avatar images are stored in publicly accessible storage. Anyone who has an avatar's web address can view it without signing in.

Visible to other Lantern Hunt users

Your profile: display name, avatar, equipped cosmetics, points, leaderboard rank, account role, and the dates your profile was created and last updated.
Your nymph collection: including nymph names and your companion. Marking a nymph as hidden in the app may not prevent other users from accessing its information.
Approved removals: these appear on the community map. Map locations are shown at reduced precision of approximately 10 meters, not your full stored coordinates. This is still fairly precise and may indicate a specific property or street location. The map also shows the removal type, quantity, submission time and points. Other users can view the before and after photos of approved removals, and approved removals can be associated with your public profile and display name.

Not visible to other users

Your full-precision coordinates and GPS accuracy, your pending and rejected submissions and their photos, and your sign-in session information.

Administrator review

An administrator reviews submissions. The administrator can see the full submitted information needed for review, including full-precision location and photos.

Supabase provides our database, authentication, file storage (for photos and avatars) and server functions. Your information is stored and processed by Supabase on our behalf.
Netlify hosts the website the administrator uses to review submissions.
Apple system features, such as MapKit for maps and the iOS photo picker, are used to provide app features. Apple's own privacy policy applies to Apple's services.

Lantern Hunt does not use third-party advertising and does not contain third-party advertising, analytics, crash-reporting or tracking software. We do not sell your personal information.

How long we keep information

We generally keep your account information and submissions, including rejected submissions and their photos, for as long as your account exists. They are removed when you delete your account, unless we have an operational or legal reason to keep particular information. There is no fixed automatic deletion schedule.

Deleting your account

You can permanently delete your account inside the app. Go to Profile → Delete Account. This deletes:

Your Lantern Hunt account and sign-in information
Your profile and avatar images
All of your removal submissions, including approved ones shown on the map, and their photos
Your nymph collection and other game records

Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. After deletion, your removals and profile no longer appear on the map or leaderboard. However, information from your approved community activity, such as your display name, avatar, map locations or photos, may have been seen by other users before you deleted your account. Deleting the app from your phone does not delete your account. If you need help deleting your account, contact us.

Security

We use access controls to limit who can see stored information, as described above. No method of storing or transmitting information is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children's privacy

Lantern Hunt does not ask users for their age, and accounts do not require a name or email address. Parents and guardians should be aware that the app collects precise location and photos, and that approved removals and profile information are visible to other users as described above. If you believe a child has provided personal information and you want it removed, delete the account in the app or contact us.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app changes. When we do, we will post the updated policy on this page and change the effective date above.

Contact

Questions or requests about privacy: partners@lanternhunt.org (Ilani Nurick, United States). See also our Support page.