Privacy policy
This policy explains what personal data Antarctic Life (Android and iOS apps, the Web App at app.antarcticlife.app and this website) processes, why we use it and how you can exercise your rights. In short: we only ask for what is necessary, we do not sell your data, there is no advertising, and your notes and photos are private.
01Data controller
The data controller is GROW IN SENSE SAS, Tax ID (CUIT) 30-71644990-0, with registered address at Los Arenales 1110, Lote 389, Escobar, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina (“Antarctic Life”, “we”). Antarctic Life is a non-profit project by CampoGIS LLC and DigitalFlow. Privacy contact: privacidad@antarcticlife.app.
02What data we process
- Account: full name, email, user type (passenger, guide, scientist or other), language and, optionally, country and operator or institution. If you choose a password, we only store an encrypted, irreversible version of it.
- Sign in with Google (if you use it): name, verified email and your Google account identifier. We never receive your password.
- Your trips: trip name, dates, ship, operator, ports, who you travel with and the name for your Logbook, only if you fill them in.
- Your records: what you recorded (species, landscape or moment), date and time, location (if you allowed it), trip stage, count and any text you add.
- Photos you choose to add to your records.
- Travel notes: the recordings you make, their text transcript, date, time and, if you allowed it, location.
- Technical data: a device identifier generated by the app, platform and app version, and the IP address in server logs.
- Consents: which documents you accepted, their version and the date.
We do not ask for sensitive data or payment details.
03Device permissions
The app asks for location (only while you use it), camera and photos, microphone and notifications, always at the moment you use the feature that needs them. None is mandatory. What each one is for, and what happens if you decline, is detailed in the Terms and conditions. The app does not use location or the microphone in the background.
04What we use it for
- Creating and managing your account and emailing you sign-in codes.
- Storing your records, photos and notes offline and syncing them across your devices when there is a signal.
- Transcribing your travel notes into text.
- Showing you content based on where you are (Species of the day, “Around you”, Explore). This is calculated on your device: we do not send your position to the server for it.
- Creating your PDF Logbook. It is generated on your device and is not uploaded to any server.
- Protecting the service and preventing abuse.
- Producing aggregated, anonymous statistics to improve the app.
- Conservation and research, only if you switch it on: your wildlife records may be shared in anonymised form for conservation and research. You can switch it off at any time from your profile.
We do not sell or share your data, there is no advertising and we do not build commercial profiles.
05Legal bases
We process your data with your consent (Argentine Personal Data Protection Law 25,326) and, for users in the European Economic Area, on the bases of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): performance of the service you request, your consent (location, microphone, use for conservation) and our legitimate interest in the security of the service.
06Location
Only if you grant permission, and only while you use the app. It is used on your device to know which stage of the trip you are in and show you content about the area. Your position is stored only when you record something or a travel note. If you decline, the app works just the same: you can pick the trip stage manually.
07Travel notes
If you record a travel note, we store the audio, the date, the time and, if you allowed it, the location. The audio is transcribed into text on our own server, using a speech-recognition program (Whisper) that runs there: we do not send it to third parties or use it to train models. Notes are private: only you can listen to and read them; they are not shared with other users, are not part of conservation data and are not shown in the admin panel. You can correct the transcript or delete a note whenever you like: deleting it removes the audio and the text from our servers. Reminders are local notifications on your phone, use no external servers and can be turned off from your profile.
09International transfers
Our servers are located in the European Union. The European Union recognises Argentina as providing an adequate level of data protection, and we apply the same security measures to all users.
10How long we keep it
- For as long as your account is active.
- If you delete your account, we immediately erase your profile, trips, records, photos and travel notes (recordings and transcripts) from the database.
- Backups are rotated and may retain data for up to 6 months before being destroyed.
- Server logs are kept for up to 90 days.
- Anonymised data used for conservation cannot be linked back to you.
11Your rights
You can access, rectify, update and erase your data, object to its processing, request its portability and withdraw your consent. Many of these actions are available in the app (Profile → Edit my details, use for conservation, Delete my account). For anything else, write to privacidad@antarcticlife.app from your account's email address. We reply within the legal time limits.
Argentina's Agency for Access to Public Information, as the supervisory authority under Law 25,326, handles complaints from anyone whose rights are affected by a breach of personal-data protection rules. If you live in the European Union, you can also complain to the data protection authority in your country.
12Security
All communications are encrypted (HTTPS). If you choose a password, we only store an encrypted, irreversible version (hash): nobody, not even us, can read it. Session tokens are also stored encrypted and, after several failed attempts, password sign-in is temporarily locked. Data waiting to sync stays on your device. Every action by the admin team is logged.
13Children
If you are under 16, you need permission from your parent or guardian to use the app. If we find an account belonging to a minor without that permission, we may delete it.
14Changes
If we change this policy, we will publish the new version here and let you know in the app. If the change is significant, we will ask you to accept it again.