1. Who is responsible
BioGo is responsible for the processing described in this policy. Questions, privacy requests, and account-deletion requests can be sent to lennikrempe@gmail.com.
2. Information BioGo processes
| Information | How it is used | When it leaves the device |
|---|---|---|
| Account name, email address, password, verification and recovery information | Creates and protects the account, signs the player in, verifies email, and supports account recovery. | Sent securely to BioGo's API. Passwords are not stored by the app; the server stores a protected password hash rather than the readable password. |
| Gameplay and learning progress | Stores BioDex entries, XP, levels, teams, settings, quiz results, Arena and Cup progress, rewards, and related game state across devices. | Synced with the authenticated BioGo account. Local progress can remain available while offline. |
| Camera and photo-library images | Identifies plants and animals and lets the player document biodiversity. | Recognition is performed on the device where supported, or on BioGo's server when the player explicitly chooses online BioCLIP identification. Online identification does not save the photo to the private cloud gallery; saving a gallery photo is a separate choice. |
| Precise foreground location | Places the player on the map and provides nearby species, parks, missions, and distance-limited encounters. | BioGo does not upload coordinates, street addresses, movement history, or capture locations through progress sync or approximate-location sharing. Map, operating-system location, and geocoding providers may process location requests under their own policies. |
| Optional country and city | Shows the owner an approximate distribution of players. | Uploaded only after the signed-in player separately enables “Automatically share my approximate location.” This setting can be disabled and the saved country and city can be deleted. |
| Technical and security information | Operates, secures, diagnoses, and protects the service against abuse. | Server requests may produce limited operational records such as time, network address, response status, and security events. BioGo does not use third-party advertising trackers. |
| Optional in-app support reports | The message you submit, report category, species reference, account ID and submission time. If you choose to attach diagnostics: app version/build, platform and counts of known error categories. Reports do not include raw device logs, precise location or photo uploads. | Respond to your request and review problems with the app or species content. Access is limited to authorized support staff. |
Optional online identification with BioCLIP
If you choose online identification, your selected photo is sent through Cloudflare to BioGo's server and analysed on BioGo-operated hardware using BioCLIP. Embedded image metadata is removed before the temporary processing copy is queued. Online identification does not require precise GPS coordinates. An optional catalogue region can help choose the matching catalogue entry.
The temporary image is deleted after processing or cancellation. Unfinished processing requests expire after two minutes. Request status and suggested species expire after ten minutes; cleanup runs while the worker or server is operating and resumes after an interruption. Online identification alone does not add a species or points, save the image in your gallery, or authorize model training. You can decline online identification and use on-device recognition where a supported on-device model is available.
3. Permissions
BioGo may request foreground location, camera, photo-library, internet, and notification access. Permissions can be denied or revoked in the device settings. Ordinary gameplay remains available with reduced functionality when optional permissions or approximate-location sharing are declined.
4. How information is used
- Provide authentication, account recovery, progress synchronization, private photo storage, quizzes, content downloads, maps, encounters, and game features.
- Keep data available across the player's authorized devices and support offline changes.
- Protect accounts, investigate errors, prevent abuse, and maintain service reliability.
- Respond to support, privacy, deletion, and safety requests.
- Comply with legal obligations and enforce BioGo's terms and safety rules.
5. Sharing and service providers
BioGo does not sell personal information. Information is disclosed only when needed to operate the service, when the player requests it, or when legally required. Providers may include:
- BioGo's server, database, hosting, storage, email-delivery, security, and monitoring providers.
- Apple and Google for app distribution, operating-system permissions, device security, and platform services.
- Map and geocoding providers used to display maps or resolve a location to country and city.
- Authorities or professional advisers when disclosure is reasonably required by law, safety, or security.
The in-app Arena leaderboard is available to signed-in players and shows a player's display name, account identifier, Arena rating and wins. It does not show email addresses or shared country/city.
Third-party wildlife photographs and educational content may be loaded from documented content sources. Loading remote content can reveal ordinary network information, such as an IP address, to its host.
6. Legal bases in the EEA and UK
Where applicable, BioGo processes account and progress information to provide the requested service; processes optional cloud photos and approximate location with the player's consent; and processes limited security and operational information for legitimate interests in running and protecting BioGo. Consent can be withdrawn without affecting earlier lawful processing.
7. Retention and deletion
- Account information and synchronized progress are retained while the account is active.
- Private cloud photos remain until the player deletes them or deletes the account.
- In-app support reports are removed within 30 days of submission, whether open or resolved, and are removed from the active service when the account is deleted. You can also request their deletion while keeping your account.
- Saved country and city remain until sharing is removed or the account is deleted.
- BioGo-managed security and operational records and recovery backups have a maximum retention period of 30 days. After account or data deletion, any remaining copies in those records or backups are removed within 30 days of completion.
Players can delete cloud photos, remove shared country and city, sign out, or permanently delete their server account from BioGo's Settings. To request deletion without the app, or to delete selected data while keeping your account, use the BioGo account and data deletion page. A deleted record may remain in a protected recovery backup for no more than 30 days after deletion is completed.
8. Children
The currently published BioGo service is intended for users aged 13 and older. BioGo does not knowingly permit children under 13 to create independent accounts. A future school, family, or child-directed version will require appropriate parental or school authorization and a separate compliance review before it is offered to younger children. If a parent or guardian believes a child has provided personal information without the required permission, contact BioGo so the account and associated information can be reviewed and deleted.
9. Security
BioGo uses encrypted HTTPS connections, authenticated API requests, platform-protected token storage, access controls, and account-scoped records. No system is completely secure, so players should use a unique password and protect access to their devices.
10. International processing
Service providers may process information in countries other than the player's own. Where required, BioGo will use appropriate safeguards for international transfers.
11. Privacy choices and rights
Depending on local law, players may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or an objection to certain processing. Players may also withdraw consent for optional processing and may complain to their local data-protection authority. Requests can be sent to the contact address below. BioGo may need to verify the requester's identity before acting.
12. Changes to this policy
BioGo may update this policy when features, providers, or legal requirements change. The effective date at the top will be updated, and material changes will be communicated in the app or store listing where appropriate.
Contact
BioGo Privacy
lennikrempe@gmail.com
https://bio-go.com/privacy