Privacy Policy

Bush-M8 is dedicated to protecting your privacy while providing rugged, reliable outdoor intelligence. This policy explains how we handle your data.

1. Beta Eligibility

The external beta and Bush-M8 Vision are for adults aged 18 or older. Do not use the beta to submit another person's personal information or culturally sensitive material.

2. Information We Process

• Account Information: Email address, username, authentication identifiers, and profile information you choose to provide.
• Public website: These pages provide information and email links. There is no website account, sign-up form, payment form or visitor analytics script. Opening an email draft does not send a message.
• Location Data: Camera scans do not automatically upload your location. If you deliberately save a location, its precise coordinates are stored as a private pin. Family or group tracking processes location only when you explicitly enable that feature.
• Photo identification: When you choose Bush-M8 Vision, the selected photo is re-encoded to remove embedded metadata, then sent through Supabase to Google Gemini and/or Pl@ntNet depending on the mode and availability. Do not include people, private text, number plates or sensitive cultural information. A suggested match is not proof of identity or safety.
• Sound Scanner: Microphone recording starts only when you choose Record Sound. You can preview a clip or save it privately on your device. Online identification sends only the selected clip through a Supabase Edge Function to Google Gemini after you approve the processing notice and choose Identify Sound. Embedded file metadata is removed; voices and other private details may still be audible. A sound suggestion does not confirm the caller and does not automatically create a sighting or publish the recording.
• Communications & Content: If you use community features outside the core beta, Supabase stores messages, map pins, checklists, and moderation submissions. These records are protected by access controls but are not end-to-end encrypted.
• Device and Service Data: Authentication sessions, notification tokens, and limited technical request metadata needed to secure and operate the service.
• Optional app counts: Firebase Analytics collection remains disabled. The separate "Share anonymous app counts" setting is off by default. If you opt in, the app sends small counts of app and feature opens, scan outcomes, quiz starts/completions and purchase steps. Analytics payloads contain fixed event labels, feature labels and counts only. They contain no names, emails, account/device/tracking IDs, locations, photos, messages, answers, billing identifiers or error text. Supabase uses your existing sign-in to accept requests, then stores only combined daily counts. Standard technical security metadata remains separate from the analytics totals.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use data to provide and secure the actions you request:

• Authenticate your account and preserve your library, history, and private saved locations.
• Send a photo for preliminary automated plant identification when you explicitly choose Vision.
• Analyse a selected animal-sound clip when you explicitly approve online Sound identification.
• Provide optional maps, group tools, notifications, and subscriptions when those surfaces are used.
• Prevent abuse, enforce per-account limits, investigate failures, and meet legal obligations.

4. Service Providers and Overseas Processing

• Supabase: Authentication, database, Storage and Edge Functions.
• Google: Gemini photo and sound processing, Firebase messaging, Google sign-in, maps, and app distribution. Google processing and abuse-monitoring terms apply when you choose an online identification feature.
• Website hosting: OpenAI Sites and Cloudflare deliver these public pages and process normal request metadata for delivery and security.
• Pl@ntNet: Plant-photo identification when the selected mode uses it.
• RevenueCat and app stores: Subscription entitlement and purchase processing when premium purchasing is enabled.

These providers may process data outside Australia. Their contractual, security, and retention terms apply alongside this policy.

5. Retention and Security

The identification functions do not intentionally save submitted photos or sound clips to Bush-M8 Storage, but transfer the selected media to Google for processing. Private sound saves are separate from explicit cloud backup or contribution actions. Account and private saved data are reviewed for removal when you request account deletion. Shared contributions and conversations follow the choices and manual review described below; upload permissions, personal information and any specific retention exceptions still need review. We use authentication, row-level access rules, private-by-default location records, transport encryption, and least-privilege server functions. No system is perfectly secure, and automated identification must not be treated as professional safety advice.

6. Your Controls

Combined app counts may be retained for trend reporting. They cannot identify returning individuals. Turn "Share anonymous app counts" off in Settings to clear unsent counts and stop new collection. An already-sent request may finish. Previously combined counts cannot be linked back to you or individually removed. Offline or failed sends may be absent. App counts are separate from account, location, photo-processing and notification choices.

You can:

• Decline Vision processing and use the reviewed offline library instead.
• Disable optional tracking and revoke camera, microphone, location, or notification permissions in system settings.
• Keep saved coordinates private; public location sharing is not part of the core beta.
• Account deletion: You can request permanent deletion of your Bush-M8 account and its associated personal data using the account deletion request page.

7. Delete your Bush-M8 account

Request permanent deletion of your account and associated personal data at Delete your Bush-M8 account, or email privacy@bush-m8.com with the subject Bush-M8 account deletion. You do not need to sign in or reinstall the app.

Include your account email. An operator will arrange verification through your account or registered email. If neither is accessible, ask for manual recovery. Do not send passwords, sign-in codes or payment details. Opening a page or email draft is not verification or submission; review the draft and press Send in your email app.

The manual review covers your sign-in account, profile, private saved locations and tracks, private discoveries and media, and personal information in retained content. Shared contributions, such as public posts, photos and recordings, stay by default. The request page also offers a clear choice to request their removal. Existing permissions and identifying details still need review; this policy does not grant new rights over older uploads or make private uploads public.

Other people's content is preserved. Conversations and interactions are to stay readable with your account identity replaced by Former member. Tell us about personal information within retained content that needs review. A neutral label alone does not remove identifying text, images or location information.

Some information may need to be retained for a specific legal, security or fraud-prevention reason. We will explain the data, reason and applicable period, and confirm what was removed, what remains and any unfinished work. The request page does not confirm completion.

Backup copies may remain until scheduled expiry. We will confirm the verified expiry schedule and how deletion is preserved after a restore. Any unverified schedule or unfinished safeguard must be reported as pending. No fixed backup period is stated here because the current schedule has not yet been verified.

Previously combined anonymous app counts cannot be linked back to your account. Copies downloaded by other people cannot be recalled from their devices. Existing reuse licences may need separate review. Uninstalling the app does not delete your account. Account deletion does not cancel a store subscription; manage it separately through its store. You can still email your deletion request.

8. Contact Us

For access, correction, deletion, privacy complaints, or questions, contact privacy@bush-m8.com. Privacy and cultural-safety concerns should not be submitted through a public community post.

Back to Bush-M8