Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

georeference.it ("we", "our", or "the platform") is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect, why, and how we use it.

1. Website

When you use georeference.it without an account, we do not collect any personal information. We use a session cookie solely to maintain your browsing state (e.g. flash messages). No tracking, analytics, or advertising cookies are set.

If you create an account, we store your name, email address, and a hashed password. This information is used only to authenticate you and attribute your georeferencing contributions. We do not share it with third parties.

Georeferencing contributions (coordinates, uncertainty, remarks) you submit are associated with your account and are publicly visible as part of the platform's open data output.

2. Browser Extension

The georeference.it browser extension runs on GBIF occurrence pages (gbif.org/occurrence/*). Here is exactly what it does and does not do:

  • It reads the GBIF occurrence key from the page URL and sends it to georeference.it/api/v1/occurrences/{key} to check whether we have georeferencing data for that specimen.
  • It fetches map tiles from our server (georeference.it/api/v1/tiles/{z}/{x}/{y}), which in turn proxies tiles from OpenStreetMap. No tile request is made directly from your browser to OpenStreetMap.
  • Your badge position and size preferences are stored locally in chrome.storage.local (or its Firefox equivalent). This data never leaves your browser.
  • The extension does not collect, transmit, or store any personal information. It does not track which occurrences you view, does not read any other page content, and does not communicate with any service other than georeference.it.

3. Map tile proxy

Our server fetches map tiles from OpenStreetMap on your behalf. The request originates from our server, not from your browser. We do not log which tile coordinates are requested beyond what is retained in standard server access logs (typically 7 days).

4. Server logs

Our web server retains standard access logs (IP address, request path, timestamp) for up to 30 days for security and debugging purposes. These logs are not shared with third parties.

5. Data deletion

You may delete your account at any time from your profile page. Doing so removes your email, name, and password. Georeferencing contributions associated with your account are anonymised rather than deleted, as they form part of the platform's scientific output.

6. Contact

For any privacy-related questions, contact us at privacy@georeference.it.