Privacy Policy

The short version of this policy:

• You can browse the site without an account.
• If you create an account, we collect your email and name, plus any additional information you choose to provide.
• If you apply to host a Scurry, we collect your property address — but we never publish it. Visitors only see a map pin rounded to a roughly one-mile area for your privacy.
• We use a small number of trusted service providers to keep the site running (authentication, payments, email, maps, hosting). They are listed below.
• We don't sell your data, period.
• You can ask for a copy of your data, correct it, or delete it at any time by emailing hello@treepuppies.com.

The rest of this document covers the same topics in more detail.

TreePuppies is a project that operates the website at treepuppies.com. The project is in its founding phase and currently operates as an unincorporated effort. A 501(c)(3) charitable structure is in formation. When the 501(c)(3) is established, this policy will be updated to reflect the new responsible entity.

Our mission is to enable backyard wildlife stewardship through live camera feeds, named squirrel profiles, and a network of licensed rehabbers and partners. We collect data only to the extent it serves this mission.

We collect different categories of data depending on how you use the site.

When you visit the site without an account

We collect minimal information needed to deliver the site: browser type, operating system, the page you're viewing, and a coarse approximation of your location based on your IP address (used by third-party services like Cloudflare and our analytics, when enabled). This is standard server-log data.

When you create an account

Accounts are managed by our authentication provider, Clerk. When you sign up, Clerk collects: your email address, a password (or a token from a connected sign-in provider like Google), and your name if provided. We receive a copy of this information for our own records, plus a unique account identifier.

When you apply to host a Scurry

We additionally collect:

• The street address, city, state, and ZIP of the proposed property
• Optional notes about the property (tree species, access, prior wildlife sightings, etc.)
• The proposed name of the Scurry and your intended Drey count

When you make a donation

(Phase 1 and beyond.) Donations will be processed by Stripe and PayPal. They handle your payment-card or banking data directly — we never receive or store payment-card numbers. We do receive donation metadata: amount, date, currency, and any donor-name information you choose to share publicly.

When you communicate with us

Emails you send to hello@treepuppies.com or other TreePuppies addresses are stored in our inbox indefinitely unless you request deletion.

What we don't collect

• We don't read your other tabs, browser history, or saved passwords.
• We don't gather facial-recognition data from any imagery on the site.
• We don't collect biometric, health, or other special-category data.
• We don't sell or rent your data to anyone.

We use the data above to:

• Operate the website and its features (hosting, the map, search)
• Maintain your account and let you log in across visits and devices
• Review and decide on Host applications, then plan installation and ongoing maintenance
• Send you transactional email related to your account or applications (signup confirmations, application status updates, donation receipts)
• Respond to your support questions or feedback
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Comply with applicable laws and respond to valid legal requests

We do not use your data for behavioral advertising, profile-building for sale, or any third-party marketing without your explicit opt-in consent.

The privacy of Hosts is something we treat as foundational, not as a feature. A few specific commitments:

• Your street address is private. The exact address is stored only for installation and maintenance logistics. It is never displayed publicly, never returned by any public API, and never shared with anyone outside our internal staff and installation/maintenance partners assigned to your Scurry.
• The map shows an approximate location only. The pin on the public map is rounded to a roughly one-mile grid with a deterministic offset, so a viewer cannot identify the property from its location.
• You decide what to share publicly. The Host's display name, bio, and the Scurry name are public; the actual address, your email, and any private notes are not.
• Camera feeds are bounded. Cameras installed in nesting boxes face into the box itself. They are not for monitoring the Host's broader property and are not configured to capture audio of human conversation.

We share data with the following service providers, each of whom handles only what they need to perform their function. We have data processing arrangements (or equivalent commitments) with each.

• Clerk — authentication and user account management. Clerk stores account credentials and basic profile data. See Clerk's privacy policy.
• Vercel — web hosting and content delivery. Receives standard server-log data for every request. Vercel's privacy policy.
• Neon — managed Postgres database hosting. Stores your account and application data at rest. Neon's privacy policy.
• Resend — transactional email delivery. Receives recipient email addresses and email content for messages we send to you. Resend's privacy policy.
• Mapbox — map tiles and geocoding. Receives your IP address and the locations being looked up. Geocoding requests for Host applications are made server-side and contain the property address. Mapbox's privacy policy.
• Cloudflare — content delivery and DDoS protection (where applicable). Receives standard request data. Cloudflare's privacy policy.
• Stripe and PayPal (Phase 1+) — payment processing for donations. They handle payment-card data directly. Stripe and PayPal privacy policies.
• Google (Phase 1+) — for Hosts who connect Nest cameras, Google handles authentication and provides camera streams via the Smart Device Management API. Camera footage flows through our media server and is rebroadcast to viewers under the terms of this policy. Google's privacy policy.

We may also share data when required by law (valid legal process), to protect the safety of users or others, or as part of a future merger, acquisition, or transfer of operations to the formed 501(c)(3). In the latter case we'll provide notice before any such transfer.

We use cookies and similar storage mechanisms to operate the site. Specifically:

• Authentication cookies set by Clerk to keep you signed in across visits.
• Functional cookies for preferences and session-state (e.g., remembering you dismissed a banner).
• Privacy-respecting analytics that count pageviews without tracking individual users across sites. We do not use third-party advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

You can clear or block cookies in your browser settings. Doing so may break sign-in and certain features.

• Account data — kept as long as you have an active account, plus a short retention period for fraud prevention and legal obligations after account deletion.
• Host application data — kept indefinitely as part of the Host relationship. If you withdraw an application or your Host status ends, you can request deletion.
• Donation records — kept as long as required by applicable tax and accounting law (typically seven years in the US).
• Email correspondence — kept indefinitely unless you request deletion.
• Server logs — kept for a short period (typically 30–90 days) for security and operational purposes.
• Camera footage and motion clips (Phase 1+) — live streams are not recorded. Motion-triggered clips are stored for a window described separately in the Host Terms.

Depending on where you live, you may have specific rights regarding your personal data. We honor the following globally, regardless of jurisdiction:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we have about you.
• Correction — ask us to correct anything that is wrong.
• Deletion — ask us to delete your account and associated data, subject to limited legal-retention exceptions (donation records, fraud prevention).
• Portability — get a machine-readable copy of the data you've provided.
• Objection — object to specific processing, including opting out of any non-essential email communication.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@treepuppies.com from the email address on your account. We respond within 30 days, usually faster.

TreePuppies is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

We welcome younger viewers to enjoy the squirrel cams. The site itself can be browsed without an account or any data submission.

TreePuppies is operated from the United States. If you visit from outside the US, your information will be transferred to and processed in the US, where our service providers also primarily operate. By using the site, you consent to this transfer.

We endeavor to honor the rights and protections afforded by major regional privacy frameworks (GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and similar) regardless of where you live. If you are an EU/UK resident and have concerns we have not addressed, you may file a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

We will update this policy as the site evolves — for instance, when we form the 501(c)(3), launch payment processing, or add new service providers. Material changes will be communicated via email to account holders and posted on the site at least 14 days before they take effect.

The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. We maintain a change log internally and can provide historical versions on request.

If you have any questions about this policy, want to exercise a right, or simply want to discuss how we handle your data, write to:

hello@treepuppies.com

We read every email from a real human inbox and respond personally.