Privacy Policy

We may collect:

• Account information you provide, such as your name, email address, username, and the profile details you add (display name, handle, bio, location, website, avatar).
• Content you submit, such as photos, captions, credits, and licensing choices; articles and comments; jellyfish sightings; and team-application answers and work samples.
• Approximate or precise location, only when you choose to share it — for example, the device location used by the jellyfish and launch-viewing tools to compute what's visible from where you are. This is used in your browser to do the calculation and is not stored unless you submit it with content.
• Login and authentication cookies that keep your account secure and signed in.
• Usage information, such as pages visited, clicks, time on page, browser and device type, IP address, and approximate location derived from it.
• Analytics data from tools such as Vercel Analytics.
• Information from embedded content, such as X/Twitter and YouTube embeds and third-party map imagery, which may collect data when you view or interact with them.

We use this information to:

• Create and manage accounts, and log users in and maintain sessions.
• Display the content you submit, with the credit and licensing you choose.
• Review team applications and the work samples submitted with them.
• Provide, personalize, and improve the Service.
• Analyze usage and performance.
• Secure the Service and prevent abuse.
• Respond to support requests and comply with legal obligations.

When you submit a photo, you choose its license and whether MaxQ may reuse it (for example, in articles, broadcasts, or elsewhere on the site). We honor that choice. Crew and partner submissions are treated as cleared for MaxQ use. Public photos appear in the community gallery with credit to you and may surface on your public profile. You can delete photos you've submitted at any time from your profile.

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

• Login and session management
• Security
• Analytics
• Embedded third-party content

We use logs to investigate errors and improve the experience. These logs may include data like browser type, operating system, time of request, approximate location, and more.

We may share information with:

• Service providers that help us run the Service — such as hosting, database, authentication, analytics, and security providers (for example, Vercel and Convex).
• Third-party platforms when you view embedded content from services like X/Twitter, YouTube, or map-tile providers.
• Law enforcement or regulators when required by law.
• Another company if MaxQ is sold, merged, or reorganized.

We do not sell your personal information.

If you are in the UK or EEA, we process your personal data only when we have a legal basis to do so, such as:

• To provide the Service
• For our legitimate interests, such as improving and securing the Service
• With your consent, where required
• To comply with legal obligations

You may have rights to access, correct, delete, object to or restrict certain processing, withdraw consent where applicable, and request a copy of your data.

To make a request, contact us at admin@maxq.app.

If we learn that we collected personal information from a child under 13 without the required consent, we will delete it as soon as reasonably possible. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at admin@maxq.app.

We keep personal information only as long as needed to provide the Service, meet legal requirements, resolve disputes, and enforce our policies. You can delete your submitted content from your profile, and you can request account deletion by contacting us.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make important changes, we will update the effective date above.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at admin@maxq.app.