Privacy Policy
Your anonymity is the design
Isma’ Bird was built so that reporting wildlife crime cannot put you at risk. This page explains exactly what is stored, what is never stored, and why you can trust it.
What we never store
- Your name — never asked for, anywhere
- Your phone number — never asked for
- Your IP address — never written to the database
- Any account or login — none exists for reporters
- Hidden photo metadata — GPS and camera data are stripped from photos in your browser, before upload
- Any link between you and your report — the tracking code is generated randomly and shown only to you
What we store
- The incident details you provide: type, location pin, urgency, observations and any evidence you attach
- A random tracking code so you can follow progress — it identifies the report, not you
- A one-way cryptographic fingerprint of the submitting connection, used only to prevent spam and flooding. It cannot be reversed into an IP address or identity
- Your email address — only if you explicitly choose “Let investigators contact me”. Anonymous is the default
How location is handled
The exact pin you place is stored so enforcement can find the right spot. It describes where the incident happened — not where you live or who you are. The public statistics map never shows exact positions: locations are blurred to roughly 500 metres before anything is displayed publicly.
Retention and deletion
Every report has an expiry date. When it passes, the report — including its tracking code and any opt-in email — ages off the public map and out of retention automatically. Nothing is kept indefinitely.
Evidence files
Audio, photos and video upload directly from your device to secure cloud storage at unguessable addresses. Photos are re-encoded on your device first, which removes all hidden metadata including GPS coordinates. Evidence is accessible only to the platform administrator and is shared solely with the organisations you selected when reporting.
Who runs this
Isma’ Bird is fully independent. It receives no funding, has been paid for in full by its creator, and is not affiliated with any organisation, authority or interest group. It exists for one reason: to help protect Malta’s migratory birds.