Slate

Privacy Policy

Last updated 29 May 2026

Draft pending legal review. This is a working scaffold that describes how the app behaves today. The binding wording is being finalised with legal counsel before launch.

1. Who we are

Slate Explorer is operated by Slate Interactives ("Slate", "we", "us"). This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use the app, why, and the choices you have.

2. Data we collect

Account data — your email address and the sign-in method you use (for example an email or social login provider), plus an optional display name.
Usage data — your sightings, quests, leaderboard standing, audio-tour listens, favourites, and language preference.
Device & diagnostic data — app version, operating system, and basic technical information used to keep the app working and to help with support.
Subscription data — your subscription status and related records (we do not store your card number — see below).

3. How we use your data

We use your data to provide and personalise the Service, to operate subscriptions, to keep the app secure and reliable, to respond to support requests, and to comply with our legal obligations.

4. Camera, photos & AI scanning

The scan-to-identify feature uses your device camera. Wherever possible, identification happens on your device and images are not sent to us. For harder cases the app may send an image to a third-party AI identification service to return a result; in that case the image is used only to produce the identification and is not used to identify you. We will always ask for camera permission before using the camera. [Exact processing tiers and providers to be confirmed against the shipping pipeline.]

5. Subscriptions & payments

Payments are processed by our payment provider (Stripe) and, for purchases made through an app store, by Apple or Google. These providers handle your card or payment details directly under their own privacy policies; Slate does not store full payment card numbers.

6. Family Sharing

If you create or join a Family Sharing group, the group owner and members can see limited shared information about the group as shown in the app. Invite codes link accounts into a group; remove yourself from a group at any time in settings.

We share data with service providers who help us run the app (for example hosting, payment processing, and the AI identification service), with the venue you are visiting where relevant to deliver the experience, and where required by law. We do not sell your personal data.

8. Species data sources

Species information shown in the app is drawn from third-party sources including the IUCN Red List, iNaturalist, Movebank, and the World Database on Protected Areas. These sources provide information about species and habitats, not about you.

9. Children's privacy

The app is designed for family use and may be used by children under the supervision of a parent or guardian. A parent or guardian must set up and manage any account used by a child. We limit the data collected from children's use and apply our Family Sharing controls. [Final children's-privacy commitments, including any age gating and applicable COPPA/UK-AADC alignment, subject to legal review.]

10. Your rights & deleting your data

You can access, correct, export, or delete your personal data. You can delete your account directly in the app under Account → Delete account, which permanently removes your data. Depending on where you live you may have additional rights under laws such as the UK GDPR; contact us to exercise them.

11. Data retention

We keep your data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service, then delete or anonymise it, except where we must keep records to meet legal obligations.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes we will update the "Last updated" date and may notify you in the app.

13. Contact

Questions or privacy requests? Email oli@slateinteractives.com.