Privacy notice
Last updated November 10, 2026
The short version:
- You can browse the map without an account.
- We show where geese are, never street addresses.
- We strip location and camera data from photos before we store them.
- Your email is never shown publicly. We don’t sell data or run ads.
- Anyone can ask us to take a goose off the map, no account needed.
What we collect
When you browse. Our hosting provider keeps standard server logs (such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested) for security and reliability.
When you honk. If you aren’t signed in, we set a cookie with a random ID so each person gets one honk per goose. It contains no name or contact details.
When you sign in. Google shares your name, email address and profile picture with us. We create a public handle for you, like @stoopwatcher.
When you file a goose or log an outfit. We keep the photos, the pin you place, the outfit tags and description, the date, and which handle filed it.
When you apply for a Field Office, report something or request a take-down. We keep what you send us, such as your city, your note and your email address, so we can follow up.
What’s public
Goose photos, the pin, the neighborhood, outfit tags and descriptions, honk counts, and the handle of whoever filed them. Your profile shows your handle, your bio and a photo: your Google profile picture, until you upload your own. Your name and email address are never shown.
Photos and location
- Before a photo is uploaded, your device re-saves it, which removes its location and camera data. If the photo has GPS, it is only used on your device to suggest where to place the pin.
- Pins mark the goose. We never publish street addresses or house numbers, and we ask filers to keep people, house numbers and license plates out of frame.
Cookies
- Sign-in: keeps you signed in. Needed for filing.
- Honks: the random ID described above.
We don’t use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
How we use it
To run the Registry: show the map and records, credit filers, count honks, prevent spam and abuse, review reports and take-down requests, and reply to applications. We don’t sell personal information and we don’t show ads.
Who we share it with
Only the services that run the Registry for us, and only what they need: Vercel (hosting and photo storage), Neon (database), Google (sign-in) and Photon, an OpenStreetMap address search run by komoot (only when you type an address to place a pin; we send the text you typed, not who you are, and we don’t keep it). We may also disclose information if the law requires it.
Take-downs
If a goose on the map is on your porch, use “Is this your porch? Ask us to take it down.” on its record. No account is needed. We review these before anything else.
Your choices
- You can delete your own filings.
- You can ask us for a copy of your data, or to delete your account and everything you filed, by emailing us.
- You can clear the honk cookie at any time in your browser.
How long we keep it
We keep account information while your account is open. When something is deleted it disappears from the Registry right away and from our backups within 30 days.
Children
The Registry is for people 13 and older. If we learn that someone under 13 has an account, we delete it. See the Terms of Service.
Changes
If we change this notice we’ll update the date at the top, and for significant changes we’ll post a notice in the app.