Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 17, 2026 — version 2026-09-17

This Privacy Policy explains what information Urban Archive collects, how we use it, and the choices you have. It applies to the Urban Archive website and services (the "Service").

1. What we collect

  • Email address. We always collect your email address when you create an account, so we can sign you in and contact you about your account.
  • Profile information from third-party sign-in. If you sign in with Google, Microsoft, or Facebook, that provider returns your name and (where available) a profile image URL on first sign-in.
  • Content you contribute. Photographs and the information you provide about them.
  • Usage measurement. We record how the Service is used — pages and items viewed, searches, and actions such as sharing or playing audio — so we and the organizations that publish here can see how their collections are reaching people. These records are kept on our own systems and are not tied to your account, name, or email address. To tell returning visitors from new ones without knowing who they are, your browser stores a random identifier in its local storage; it is not a cookie, is never sent to a third party, and you can remove it at any time by clearing this site's data in your browser.

2. What we don't collect

We do not sell your personal information, serve advertising, or use advertising cookies. We use Google Analytics for aggregate usage statistics — see Sections 3 and 7 — but no other third-party analytics or tracking.

3. How we use your information

  • To authenticate you and maintain your session.
  • To display your chosen display name alongside content you contribute.
  • To communicate with you about your account and your submissions.
  • To understand how the Service is used, in aggregate, via Google Analytics.

4. Who we share it with

We do not share your personal information with third parties except with service providers that help us operate the Service — for example, our hosting provider Render, map tile host Cloudflare, walking-directions provider Stadia Maps, and Google Analytics for usage measurement. These providers process data on our behalf.

5. How long we keep it

We retain your account information until you request deletion. Rejected submissions are deleted approximately 30 days after the decision.

6. Your rights

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information by contacting us at team@urbanarchive.org. We will respond within a reasonable time.

7. Cookies

We use httpOnly, session-scoped cookies to keep you signed in, and Google Analytics cookies to measure aggregate usage of the Service. Our own usage measurement (Section 1) uses your browser's local storage rather than a cookie. We do not use advertising cookies.

8. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy? Contact us at team@urbanarchive.org.

9. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes are reflected in the version date above and are released alongside updates to our Terms of Service.

This document is version 2026-09-17.