Privacy

Last updated: October 21, 2026.

Just reading the site

No ads and no account needed. You can read every page and use the map and tools without signing up.
Analytics: we use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages and tools people use, so we know what to improve. It sets cookies and collects things like your approximate location, your device and browser, the pages you view and the buttons, filters and map choices you use. It never gets your name, your email address, or what you type into a report or message. Search words you type into the site's search boxes are counted so we can see what people look for. You can opt out with Google's opt-out add-on or by blocking cookies, and the site works the same either way. See how Google uses this data. We also use Clicky to see how visitors move through the site. Like Google Analytics it sets cookies and sees the same kind of information, never your name, email or what you type into a form (Clicky's privacy policy). Blocking cookies opts you out of both.
Things your browser remembers, not us: your sort choice on the creature index, your last place on Near me, and a draft of a report you haven't sent yet (stored only on your device so you don't lose them). Clearing your browser data removes them.
Other services the pages load: map tiles from OpenFreeMap, fonts from Google Fonts and code libraries from cdnjs and jsDelivr. The Was it a planet? tool also fetches the Space Station's orbit from Celestrak; the place you enter stays in your browser. Like any website, these see your IP address when they send the file. Witness videos only load from YouTube (in its privacy-enhanced mode) when you press play.

Sending a report

When you report an encounter we keep what you type and choose: the date and time, what you saw, the story, sounds, smells, how many people were there, links to any photos and videos, and where it happened.

Your exact location is private. Only our moderators see the exact spot. The public map shows the report on a grid of about 5 km (3 miles), never the exact point, so nobody can find your home or a private spot from it.
We don't take photo or video uploads. You can link to pictures and videos you've posted elsewhere (Imgur, Flickr, YouTube and so on). Those files stay on that service, under its rules. Some services keep the GPS location inside a photo, so check before you share a link.
Your name is optional. Reports are anonymous unless you choose to show a display name.
Every report is checked by a person before it appears on the site, and we can turn down reports that break our rules.
Spam protection: forms use Cloudflare Turnstile to check you're not a bot, and we store a scrambled one-way code made from your IP address (not the address itself) to spot floods of fake reports or votes.

Your location, only when you ask

Near me and the app only ask for your location when you tap "Use my location". The phone rounds it to about 1 km before it's used, and we don't save it: it's only used to fetch the reports around that point. Picking a town instead uses a list built into the site, with no outside service.
On the report form, "Use my location" also rounds the point to about 1 km on your phone before it's sent. It's stored with the report like a spot you tap on the map (see above: only moderators see it, the public sees about 5 km).
We never track your location in the background. The app has no background location at all.
Your last searched place and filters are remembered in your browser so the app reopens where you left off. "Forget this place" or clearing your browser data removes them.
A report you write with no signal is kept in your browser until you're back online, then sent the normal way.

Sighting alerts (notifications)

If you turn on alerts, we store your browser's push address and keys (from Google, Mozilla, Apple or Microsoft, depending on your device), the place you saved rounded to about 1 km, your radius, which kinds of report you want and whether you use km or miles. We also note when we last sent you an alert, to keep it to three a day.
That place is the only location we keep for alerts. It doesn't change unless you move your alerts.
Alerts go through your browser maker's push service, which delivers the message but can't read it (it's encrypted).
Turn them off with "Turn off alerts" on the Near me page, or by blocking notifications for this site. Either way we stop sending, and dead push addresses are switched off automatically.
Push addresses are never sold or shared, and no account or email is needed.

Accounts and voting

Signing in uses a one-time link sent to your email. We keep your email address and, if you choose one, a display name. There's no password for us to lose.
Your email is never shown on the site, never sold and never added to a mailing list. We only use it to sign you in and, if we need to, to contact you about one of your reports.
When you vote "real or hoax", we keep the vote, the account that cast it and the scrambled IP code, so each account counts once and vote-stuffing can be caught. Results are shown as totals, never as who voted what.

Who can see what

Everyone: approved reports (story, date, approximate area, photo and video links, display name if you chose one) and vote totals.
Our moderators only: the exact location, your email address and the scrambled IP code, to check reports and stop abuse.
Service providers that run the site for us: Cloudflare (hosting for reports, alerts and the database), Resend (sends the sign-in emails and passes contact-form messages to our inbox), GitHub (hosts the public pages), and Google Analytics and Clicky (visitor statistics; see above). They process data only to provide those services.
We don't sell or rent anyone's information, and we don't share it with advertisers or other sighting organisations.

If you sign up for the weekly email, we store your email address with Resend, the service that sends it, and use it only for that email. We ask you to confirm by clicking a link first. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link, and we never sell or share the list. Signing up is separate from a reporting account: an account alone never puts you on the list.

Removing your report or account

If you sent a report while signed in, you can edit or withdraw it yourself from the report page. Withdrawing removes it from the site straight away.
To remove a report sent without an account, delete your account, or ask what we hold about you, email hello@encounteratlas.com. We reply within 30 days.
Sign-ins expire after 90 days on a device, and you can sign out at any time.

Affiliate links

Some links on creature pages (books, documentaries, gear and shirts) go to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra, and it never decides what we write: books are listed because they're about the creature, not because of a deal. These links are marked as sponsored for search engines.

When you click one, Amazon may set its own cookies to credit the sale to us. That happens on Amazon's site, under Amazon's privacy notice. We don't get your name, address or what else you buy, only order totals.

Children

Encounter Atlas is meant for adults and teens. If you're under 13, please ask a parent or guardian to send a report for you.

Changes

If we change how we handle your information, we'll update this page and the date at the top.