Privacy | Encounter Atlas

Last updated: October 12, 2026.

Just reading the site

No ads, no tracking cookies, no account needed. You can read every page and use the map and tools without signing up.
Visitor counts: we don't run visitor analytics right now. If we add them, we'll use a cookie-free service that only shows totals, like page views and countries, and we'll update this page first.
Things your browser remembers, not us: your sort choice on the creature index, 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. 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.

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 and the database), Resend (sends the sign-in emails and passes contact-form messages to our inbox) and GitHub (hosts the public pages). 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.

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.

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.