OpenCaves is a free, community-built map of the cenotes and caves of the Yucatán Peninsula. This policy explains what personal information OpenCaves collects, why, who it is shared with, and the choices and rights you have.
OpenCaves is operated by Christian Rémillard, in Québec, Canada, who is also the person in charge of the protection of personal information under Québec law. For any question or request about your personal information, write to privacy@opencaves.org.
When you just browse. You don't need an account to use the map. To make some features work, the app signs you in with an anonymous session: a random identifier with no name or email attached.
When you create an account. We store your email address and the name you choose. If you sign in with Google or Microsoft, we also receive the name and photo of that profile. Passwords are handled by our authentication provider (Firebase Authentication); we never see them. We use your email address to sign you in, to email you the team's replies to your feedback, and now and then news from OpenCaves; you can turn each kind off on your account page or with the link in each email.
What you save or rate. Cenotes you save are stored in your account and are private to you. When you rate a cenote, your rating is stored with your account identifier (not your name or email) and is used to compute the cenote's public average.
What you contribute. Photos, maps, videos and cave information you add are public: they are shown to everyone using OpenCaves. Uploaded files are linked to your account identifier and keep their original file name. The original photo is kept as uploaded, including any embedded data such as the location where it was taken (EXIF), and photos can show faces: please only share what you're comfortable making public.
Your location. When you use "Find my location" or "My location", your device's position is used on your device only, to center the map or fill in a coordinate. We don't store it or send it to our servers. It only becomes part of a cave's data if you save it in a coordinate field yourself.
Technical information. Like any website, the services that deliver OpenCaves (see below) receive technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the map area you view. We don't use advertising.
Usage statistics. We use Google Analytics to see how OpenCaves is used: the pages you visit and what you do there (for example the words you search for, the caves you save, share or rate, and the filters you use), your browser and device type, and your approximate location (country or city). It doesn't receive your name or email address. Google Analytics stores a cookie in your browser to recognize your next visits. You can turn these statistics off (see "Information stored on your device").
We use your information only to run OpenCaves: to sign you in, keep your saved cenotes and ratings, show and attribute contributions, protect the service against abuse, and answer your requests. Usage statistics help us improve OpenCaves and show the most visited caves first in search suggestions. We don't sell your personal information, and we don't use it for advertising or profiling.
OpenCaves relies on these service providers, who process information on our behalf or when you use their features:
Some of these providers store or process information outside Québec and Canada, notably in the United States, where it is subject to local law. We use providers that offer protections consistent with Québec and Canadian privacy law.
To work quickly and offline, OpenCaves stores data in your browser: your preferences, a copy of the cave data, and pictures and maps it downloads for offline use. This data stays on your device. You can clear the downloaded pictures and maps from your account page ("Offline use"), or all of it through your browser's settings.
Google Analytics' cookie is also stored there. To turn usage statistics off in a browser, open https://opencaves.org/?no-analytics once (https://opencaves.org/?analytics turns them back on), or block Google Analytics with your browser's settings or an add-on.
We keep your account information for as long as you have an account. When your account is deleted, your saved cenotes and ratings are deleted with it. Contributions you made public (photos, maps, cave information) stay part of the open cave data unless you ask us to remove them. Google Analytics keeps usage statistics for 14 months. Technical logs kept by our providers are deleted on their own schedules.
You can ask to access the personal information we hold about you, correct it, or delete it. You can also withdraw your consent, ask us to stop using it, or receive a copy in a common format. You can change your name on your account page. For anything else, write to privacy@opencaves.org. We'll answer within 30 days. If you're not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec.
OpenCaves is not intended for children. Accounts are for people 14 and older. Younger children need a parent's or guardian's consent to create an account.
We use the security measures built into our providers (encrypted connections, access rules that let each person write only their own data, restricted administrator access). No online service is perfectly secure, so we'll tell you, and the Commission when required, of any incident that could seriously harm you.
If we change this policy, we'll update the date above. For important changes, we'll let account holders know in advance.
privacy@opencaves.org