Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what information Places We Remember handles, how it is used, and how you can contact us about privacy requests.

Places We Remember is operated by Ancestor Maps, LLC (“Ancestor Maps,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

This policy describes how the Service currently handles personal information and related technical data. We may update this policy as the Service changes.

1. Who this applies to

This policy applies to visitors, members, and people who submit photograph-rights concerns through our public rights form.

2. Information we collect

2.1 Account and profile information

If you create an account, we process information such as:

• email address and authentication credentials/session data managed through our authentication provider;
• display name / public attribution label; and
• account standing and related account metadata (for example, verification and standing states used by the product).

We do not collect a date of birth. Member accounts are limited to people who represent that they are at least 18 (see Terms of Use).

2.2 Contributions you submit

Depending on features you use, we may process:

• place submissions and related geographic/place fields;
• suggested updates to places;
• memories and replies;
• photographs and optional caption, photographer, source/collection, credit/context, and date notes;
• content reports you submit about places, memories, replies, or photographs; and
• other materials you choose to send through Support.

Published contributions may appear publicly according to the product’s publication and moderation rules.

2.3 Formal photograph-rights concerns

If you use the public Copyright / rights concern form, we process:

• required claimant name and email;
• optional organization, address, and phone if you provide them;
• photograph identifier;
• claim type and written statement;
• required good-faith and authority attestations; and
• a reference code associated with the concern.

Places We Remember does not currently store a raw IP address or an IP hash as part of the guest rights-claim record. Bot-resistance verification is performed with Cloudflare Turnstile (see Sections 3 and 4).

2.4 Support communications

If you contact Support, we process the information you include in that communication so we can respond.

3. Automatic and technical data

3.1 Sessions and local browser storage

• Authentication sessions are persisted by our authentication client so you can remain signed in across visits (typically via browser local storage managed by the auth library).
• Draft memory and reply text may be temporarily kept in browser sessionStorage so a draft can be restored during the same browsing session.
• An administrative interface cookie may store sidebar open/closed state for signed-in administrators.

These mechanisms support product operation. They are not advertising trackers.

3.2 Map and location

Map pages request map tiles from our map provider (currently MapTiler). Those requests are made by your browser to the provider as part of displaying the map. After the map camera moves, requested tiles naturally correspond to the visible map extent. A map provider may receive ordinary network request information associated with those tile requests.

If you choose a “use my location” (or similar) map action:

• geolocation is user-triggered;
• coordinates are used as transient application state to position the map;
• Places We Remember does not currently transmit those coordinates to Supabase, analytics, a geocoder, or a provider geolocation endpoint as part of that geolocation action; and
• Places We Remember does not currently retain those coordinates as an account or profile attribute.

This does not mean a map provider could never infer approximate viewed location from ordinary tile or network requests after the map moves.

3.3 Security and abuse prevention

For the public rights form, we use Cloudflare Turnstile. Your browser interacts with Turnstile, and our server verifies the Turnstile token with Cloudflare before accepting a submission. We do not currently send a remote IP parameter as part of that verification path.

When a browser connects directly to providers such as Cloudflare Turnstile or MapTiler, those providers may receive ordinary technical request information such as IP address, browser or device information, requested resources, and similar network metadata as part of providing their service.

3.4 Analytics

Places We Remember does not currently integrate a separate optional analytics or advertising SDK for visitor tracking.

4. How we use information

We use information to:

• provide and secure the Service;
• authenticate members and enforce eligibility/account standing;
• store, process, display, and moderate contributions;
• generate public photograph derivatives after processing/publication workflows;
• receive and review content reports and rights concerns;
• communicate about accounts, verification, and Support requests; and
• maintain operational logs, audit records, and moderation history needed to run the Service.

5. Photographs and storage

When photographs are processed and published:

• Public derivatives (such as gallery images served from the public photo storage) may be publicly accessible.
• Private original and full-resolution processing copies are kept in private storage and are not exposed through the public place-page gallery.
• If a photograph is removed from public publication, public derivatives may be deleted asynchronously.
• Private original/full copies may currently continue to be retained after public removal for operational, moderation, audit, security, or dispute-handling needs.

We do not currently implement a fixed “delete after N days” schedule for private photograph copies, moderation cases, or claimant contact records. We retain information as reasonably necessary to operate the Service, handle moderation and rights issues, maintain security and auditability, and meet legal obligations. Exact long-term retention periods may be refined later; this policy will be updated if those practices change in a material way.

6. Third parties we use to operate the Service

Places We Remember currently relies on the following service providers for core operation:

These providers process data as needed to provide their services to us. Direct browser requests to providers such as Cloudflare Turnstile or MapTiler may also involve ordinary network metadata as described in Section 3.

We list service providers here based on the integrations actually used by the Service. Providers that are not active are not treated as current processors merely because they may be supported by the architecture.

7. Sharing

We do not sell personal information.

We share information with the service providers above to operate the product, and we may disclose information if we believe disclosure is required by law, necessary to protect rights and safety, or needed to investigate abuse, security issues, or rights concerns.

Published contributions and public photograph derivatives are, by design, publicly visible.

8. Your choices and requests

8.1 Account and profile

You may update certain profile information (such as display name) through account settings where the product allows it.

8.2 Privacy and deletion requests

Places We Remember does not currently offer full self-service account deletion or data-export tooling.

To request account closure or deletion discussion, ask a privacy-related question, or request correction of account information where applicable, contact:

support@placesweremember.com

We review these requests manually and respond as reasonably practicable.

8.3 Rights-concern follow-up

If you submitted a formal rights concern, keep your reference code and contact support@placesweremember.com for follow-up. There is currently no self-service claimant portal.

9. Children

Places We Remember member accounts are intended for people 18 and older. We do not knowingly create member accounts for children under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, contact support@placesweremember.com.

10. Security

We use service providers and access controls designed to protect information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.

11. International processing

The Service and its providers may process data in the United States and other locations where those providers operate.

12. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date identifies the current version. Material changes to contribution-related practices may also be reflected through updated policy versions in the product’s policy-acceptance workflows.

13. Contact

Ancestor Maps, LLC operates Places We Remember.

For privacy questions or requests:

support@placesweremember.com