Privacy Policy for Lore
Effective date: July 27, 2026
Last updated: July 28, 2026
Lore is an independent product operated by Erick Dronski. This policy applies to the Lore iOS app, the Lore website at lore-web-liart.vercel.app, and the related account, support, and backend services (together, "Lore").
Questions or privacy requests can be sent to esdronski@gmail.com.
1. The short version
- You can browse places and use the core scanner without creating an account.
- Live camera scanning, device heading, and nearby-place ranking normally stay on your device. Lore does not store a continuous camera feed or a continuous location history.
- If you are signed in and explicitly choose Identify with Google, Lore sends one current camera frame to Google Cloud Vision for that request. Lore does not save that frame in Lore storage.
- Lore stores account and activity data only for features you choose, such as synced visits, journal notes and photos, private web Lore and media, preferences, badges, and Lore+ access.
- Your journal is private by default. If you turn on sharing for a note, that note becomes public on the place it belongs to, with your display name and the date. Journal photos and your precise location are never published.
- Lore does not sell personal information, show third-party ads, or track you across other companies' apps or websites.
2. Data Lore processes
| Feature | Data | Purpose and storage |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing and maps | Requested city, place, tour, and story records; standard network request data | Delivers the map and historical content. Hosting and content providers may receive IP address, user agent, requested URL, and timing data in ordinary server logs. |
| Live scanner | Camera video, precise location while in use, heading, motion, and AR session data | Ranks and positions nearby places. This normally runs on-device and is not written to Lore's database. Apple frameworks may process data under Apple's terms when precise geo tracking is enabled. |
| Optional Google identification | One JPEG camera frame and the signed-in account identifier needed to enforce a per-user quota | Sent only after an explicit confirmation to identify a landmark. Lore relays the frame to Google Cloud Vision and does not save the frame in Lore storage. The returned landmark name and confidence are shown for the request. |
| Account | Email address, authentication identifier, password hash handled by Supabase, and optional profile information | Creates and secures the account and syncs account features. Lore never receives a readable password. |
| Visits and journal | Visited place identifiers, timestamps, notes, and journal photos you choose to save | Syncs your passport and travel journal across signed-in sessions. Journal entries are private to your account unless you turn on sharing for a note. Lore does not infer or store a continuous route from these records. |
| Public lore (shared notes) | Your display name, the note text, the place the note belongs to, and the visit and share dates | Published on that place inside Lore for other travelers to read, and readable without an account. Sharing is off by default and you turn it on per note. Your precise location, coordinates, email address, and journal photos are not published; the note carries the place you attached it to, not where you were standing. Lore shows "A traveler" when you have not set a display name. |
| Reports and blocks | The reported note, the reason you chose, and the accounts involved | Runs the report and block controls that accompany shared notes. Several reports hide a note automatically while it is reviewed. A report or block is readable only by the person who made it and by Lore; the reported or blocked traveler is not told who reported or blocked them. |
| Preferences and achievements | Onboarding state, interests, hidden categories, story preferences, badges, and Insight totals | Personalizes ranking and keeps your progress. |
| Lore+ | StoreKit entitlement and introductory-offer state; Apple-signed transaction data used to verify the purchase; product, transaction identifiers, purchase or expiry dates, environment, and the account entitlement created from that verification | Unlocks paid features, supports restoration across devices, and processes subscription lifecycle events such as renewal, expiry, refund, and revocation. Lore verifies signed transaction data on its backend and retains the resulting account entitlement and limited transaction metadata. Apple handles payment-card information; Lore does not receive it. |
| Support and earlier release-update requests | Email address and the contents of messages you send; email previously submitted to the release waitlist | Replies to support requests and sends a release update that was previously requested. The public waitlist is now closed. |
| Private web Lore | A title, story, map pin, tags, and photos or videos you choose to save | Saves a private entry to My Lore for your account. Its media is stored in an owner-only bucket and displayed through short-lived signed links. The website's separate public submission form remains closed. |
| Earlier public web submissions | Text, media, attribution, moderation state, and related place data previously submitted through the website | The website's separate contribution form is closed; public sharing now happens through the journal, described in the Public lore row above. Existing pending or private submissions remain account-linked until deleted. Accepted factual records may remain only after account identifiers and public attribution are removed. |
The current iOS release does not include third-party advertising, behavioral analytics, or crash-reporting SDKs. Apple, Supabase, Vercel, and other service providers may still create limited operational and security logs as part of providing their services.
3. Camera, location, and AR
Lore asks for camera and location permission only when a feature needs them. Location is requested while Lore is in use, not as continuous background tracking. You can browse the map without granting camera access, and you can change permissions at any time in iOS Settings.
The normal scanner uses the device camera, location, heading, motion sensors, and Apple AR frameworks to rank and position known places. Lore does not run facial recognition, create face templates, or use camera or AR data for advertising, profiling, or data brokerage.
The optional Identify with Google action is separate from normal scanning. It requires a signed-in account and an explicit confirmation before one frame is uploaded. Do not use that action when a frame contains information you do not want processed by Google Cloud Vision.
The website scanner uses browser camera, location, and orientation permissions for local geometric ranking. Public web cloud-image recognition is disabled, so the website does not upload scanner frames for AI identification.
4. Service providers
Lore uses the following providers to operate the service:
| Provider | Role |
|---|---|
| Apple | App distribution, StoreKit purchases, device permissions, and Apple camera, location, and AR frameworks. |
| Supabase | Authentication, database, storage, and Edge Functions. |
| Google Cloud | Optional Cloud Vision landmark identification after explicit confirmation. |
| Vercel | Website hosting and operational request logs. |
| Wikimedia | Public historical summaries and media requested by Lore features. |
| OpenFreeMap, Mapterhorn, and Amazon Web Services | Map styles, map tiles, and terrain data requested by the web map. |
| YouTube and linked social platforms | Optional external or embedded public media that you choose to open. |
These providers receive only the data needed for their role. Lore requires providers that process personal data on its behalf to use it only to provide the contracted service and to afford the same or equivalent privacy protection described here, subject to their published terms and applicable law.
Lore may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect users or the service, investigate abuse, or complete a business transfer. Lore does not share personal information for targeted advertising.
5. Retention and deletion
- Account, profile, preferences, visits, journal, badges, and entitlement rows are retained while your account is active and are deleted when you delete the account.
- Journal photos, private web Lore media, and other account-owned storage objects are deleted with the account.
- A shared note stays public until you turn sharing off for it, delete the note or the visit, or delete your account; each of those removes the public copy. Moderation records, reports, and blocks may be kept longer where that is reasonably needed for safety, abuse prevention, and legal obligations.
- The website's contribution form is closed. Private web Lore and existing pending or rejected public submissions and their media are deleted with the account. Accepted factual records may remain only in de-identified form, without the account identifier or public attribution.
- A waitlist email is retained until the requested release communication is sent or you ask for removal. Support correspondence is retained only as long as reasonably needed to resolve the request, prevent abuse, and meet legal obligations.
- Lore does not save camera frames sent for optional Google identification.
- Provider-controlled backups and security logs may persist for a limited period under the provider's retention policy. They are not used to recreate a deleted account except where required for disaster recovery, security, or legal compliance.
6. Your choices
Camera and location
You can deny or revoke camera, location, and motion permissions in iOS Settings or browser settings. Features that need a denied permission will be unavailable, but the rest of Lore remains usable where technically possible.
Sharing a note
Sharing is off by default and is set per note in the journal under Share with all travelers. Turning it off and saving removes the note from the place. The display name shown on a shared note is the one on your profile, so choose a name you are comfortable publishing. On a note someone else shared, the entry menu offers Report this lore and Block this traveler; blocking hides every note by that traveler from you.
Account deletion
In the iOS app, open Profile > Settings > Delete account. On the website, open Profile > Account > Delete account. Deletion removes the authentication record and associated private account data described above.
Deleting a Lore account does not cancel an Apple subscription. Apple controls App Store billing; manage it at Apple Subscriptions.
If you cannot access the deletion control, email esdronski@gmail.com from the account email.
Access and correction
You can update available profile information in Lore. To request access, correction, or deletion that is not available in the product, contact the email above. Lore may verify the request before acting on it.
7. Children
Lore accounts are for people age 13 or older. Browsing does not require an account. Lore does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
8. Security and international processing
Lore uses access controls, encrypted network transport, row-level database security, private storage for journal and web Lore media, rate limits, and authenticated server functions. No service can guarantee absolute security.
Lore and its providers primarily process data in the United States. If you use Lore elsewhere, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States, subject to applicable safeguards and provider terms.
9. Changes to this policy
Lore may update this policy as features or providers change. Material changes will be reflected by a new effective date and, when appropriate, an in-app or website notice. The version published at lore-web-liart.vercel.app/privacy is the current version.
10. Contact
- Operator: Erick Dronski
- Email: esdronski@gmail.com
- Support: lore-web-liart.vercel.app/support