inaturalist
- The documents do not say whether your data trains AI.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- Data is shared with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
Nature posts are public by default, shared with partners, and they can close your account anytime; they say they do not sell your data.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, device and IP data, cookies, photos or sounds, and GPS location of observations.
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Privacy policy
“When You record an encounter with an individual organism at a particular time and location and post it on iNaturalist (an “Observation”), We may collect Your User ID, latitude and longitude of the site of the Observation”
Training
They run the site, improve it, do marketing and research, and use Google Analytics that can serve ads.
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Privacy policy
“We use Google Analytics to understand how Our website, services, and products perform, how You use them, and to serve You with ads on third-party websites.”
Sharing
Observation posts are public and shared with partners; they say they will not rent or sell personal information.
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Privacy policy
“iNaturalist will not rent or sell Personal Information to anyone.”
Kept
Account data lasts while you are registered; observation details can stay after you close unless you ask.
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Privacy policy
“Personal information associated with Observations (time, date, location, etc.) may remain attached to Observations, even after You have closed Your account unless You request that We delete it.”
Controls
You can edit account settings, hide some location data, unsubscribe, and email them to delete observations.
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Privacy policy
“Upon Your request, We will close Your account and remove Your Observations.”
Fine print
They can close your account anytime without notice; you them; continued use accepts policy changes.
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Terms of service
“iNaturalist may terminate Your access to all or any part of the Platform or Services at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately.”
Expand “Read the exact line” to see the source alongside the explanation.
What you can turn off
The controls and opt-outs their own documents describe, and where they say to find them.
Opt out of third-party tracking
https://www.inaturalist.org/users/edit#account
Control email and account settings
https://www.inaturalist.org/users/edit
Request account close and observation removal
Contact privacy@inaturalist.org or help@inaturalist.org
Affiliate with iNaturalist.org to limit network sharing
Account settings (affiliate with iNaturalist.org as primary site)
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
They can shut off your account for any reason and do not have to warn you first.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“iNaturalist may terminate Your access to all or any part of the Platform or Services at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately.”
For example, you could lose access to your observations overnight with no email explaining why.
If someone sues them because of something you posted or how you used the site, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You agree to and iNaturalist, their contractors, licensors and Members, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of Your use of the Platform”
For example, if a photo you uploaded leads to a lawsuit, they can ask you to cover attorney fees.
When you post a sighting, your username, time, and location are public unless you take extra steps.
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Privacy policy
“Personal Information You provide related to the Observations You post (user name, date, time, location) is published in venues on iNaturalist where it is visible to anyone ("Published")”
For example, a rare-plant photo could show roughly where you were standing, visible to anyone on the web.
Your public observation records are copied to outside science and cloud partners.
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Privacy policy
“We also explicitly and publicly share this information in a machine-readable format with a handful of partners, including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (" GBIF"), the Amazon Web Services ("AWS") Open Data Sponsorship Program, and others.”
For example, a bird you logged could appear in GBIF datasets used by researchers worldwide.
By default others may copy and reuse your photos and notes for non-commercial use if they credit you.
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Terms of service
“Unless you specify otherwise when you post Content, you agree to license Content you contribute to the Platform under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial license (CC BY-NC).”
For example, a blog could reuse your mushroom photo with credit without asking you first.
Google can use tracking on the site, including to show you ads elsewhere.
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Privacy policy
“We use Google Analytics to understand how Our website, services, and products perform, how You use them, and to serve You with ads on third-party websites.”
For example, after browsing iNaturalist you might see related ads on another website.
Closing the account does not automatically wipe the location and time on old posts.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Personal information associated with Observations (time, date, location, etc.) may remain attached to Observations, even after You have closed Your account unless You request that We delete it.”
For example, after you leave, a hike’s GPS pin might still sit on the map until you email them.
If they change the rules and you keep using the site, they treat that as you agreeing, even without a personal notice.
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Privacy policy
“Your continued use of this site after any change in this Privacy Policy will constitute Your acceptance of such change.”
For example, a new sharing rule could apply the next time you open the app after they post an update.
They say they do not sell or rent your personal information.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“iNaturalist will not rent or sell Personal Information to anyone.”
For example, they claim they will not sell your email list to a marketing company.
Other people are not allowed to use the site’s data to train commercial AI, but this does not clearly say what iNaturalist itself does.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Users may not use any iNaturalist data for training artificial intelligence, machine learning models, large language models, or similar networks, algorithms, or systems for commercial purposes.”
For example, a company could not scrape your photos to train a paid identification model under these terms.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- third parties
- Any company or person other than you and the app, such as advertisers, partners or analytics firms. For example, an analytics company that receives a record of every screen you tap is a third party.
- sell or share
- Under California law, selling means passing your data to others for money or other value; sharing means passing it on for targeted ads. For example, letting an ad network use your browsing history in return for ad space counts as a sale.
- personal data
- Any information that is about you or can be linked to you, from your name to your phone's ID. For example, your email, your IP address and the list of apps on your phone are all personal data.
- indemnify
- You promise to pay the company's legal costs and losses if your use of the service gets it sued. For example, if you post a song you do not own and the label sues the app, you owe the app's lawyer bills.
- service providers
- Outside companies that handle your data on the app's instructions, such as a cloud host or an email sender. For example, the company that stores the app's files in the cloud sees your data but only does what the app tells it.
- venue
- The specific court or city where any lawsuit must be filed, which may be far from where you live. For example, a user in Florida may have to travel to a court in San Francisco to sue.
- model training
- Using your content and conversations as examples to teach an AI system, which can then echo them in future answers. For example, a story you write in a chatbot may be studied by the company to make the next version of the bot.
How we got here · grade D · score 38/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 3 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect account details, observation GPS, photos or sounds and metadata, plus IP, device ID, cookies, and usage logs.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
Sound files can be part of observations, but the documents do not treat voice or face as biometric identifiers.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
Not stated in the documents.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They use Google Analytics and say it is used to serve ads on third-party websites; users can opt out of some tracking in account settings.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they will not rent or sell personal information, but they publish observations and share them with partners and network members; some sharing can be limited in settings.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership, but posts default to a public CC BY-NC license plus a license for iNaturalist to display and promote them.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
They keep registration data while you have an account. Observation details can remain after you close unless you ask them to delete.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
Not stated in the documents.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe reasonable physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards and limited employee access, but no audit or bug-bounty program.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The platform is for people 13 and older unless a parent gives permission; they ask younger children to get an adult’s okay.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Policies are dated, but changes take effect when posted and continued use counts as acceptance.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may end access at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is “as is,” liability is limited, and you must indemnify them for claims from your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Donations and a store are mentioned, but no subscription auto-renewal or refund rules are described.
The privacy policy is 3,795 words at a college graduate level (Flesch reading ease 34); the terms are 2,534 words at a college graduate level.
