Roost Inc. (“Roost,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates roostbirding.app. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that information. By using our website or creating an account, you agree to the practices described here.
1. Information We Collect
Account information. When you create a Roost account, we collect your name, email address, and any profile information you choose to provide. Authentication is handled by Clerk (clerk.com), a third-party service. We do not store your passwords.
Email waitlist. If you submit your email address on our app waitlist page, we store that email in our marketing platform (Mailchimp) and use it only to notify you about the Roost app launch and related Roost news. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send.
Birding data. If you import your eBird sighting history or log sightings through Roost, we store that data in our database (Neon PostgreSQL) to power your life list, statistics, and dashboard features.
Location data. If you choose to set a location in the app, we store that location (as coordinates or a place name) in your browser cookies to personalize rare bird alerts and hotspot content. We do not collect your location without your action. You can clear this at any time.
Usage data. We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to collect anonymized usage data — pages visited, time on site, browser type, and general geographic region. This data does not identify you personally and is used to understand how people use Roost so we can improve it.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide and improve the Roost platform and website
- Power your life list, year list, and birding statistics
- Personalize rare bird alerts and content based on your location
- Send you app launch notifications and Roost news (if you opted in via the waitlist)
- Send transactional emails related to your account (e.g. password resets)
- Understand how our website is being used via anonymous analytics
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. Ever.
3. Third-Party Services
Roost uses the following third-party services that may process your data as part of providing their services:
- Clerk (clerk.com) — Authentication and user account management
- Mailchimp (mailchimp.com) — Email marketing and waitlist management
- Neon (neon.tech) — Database hosting for your birding data
- Vercel (vercel.com) — Website hosting and infrastructure
- Sanity (sanity.io) — Content management for articles, species guides, and gear reviews
- Google Analytics 4 (google.com/analytics) — Anonymous usage analytics
- Mapbox (mapbox.com) — Interactive maps on species and hotspot pages
- eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ebird.org) — Bird sighting data and species information
Each of these services has its own privacy policy governing how they handle data. We encourage you to review them.
4. Cookies
We use cookies and similar browser storage for the following purposes:
- Authentication — Clerk uses cookies to keep you signed in
- Location preference — We store your chosen location in a cookie to personalize alerts. You can clear this via your browser settings.
- Analytics — Google Analytics uses cookies to track anonymous usage patterns
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some features of Roost may not work correctly as a result.
5. Data Retention
We retain your account and birding data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required by law to retain it.
Waitlist email addresses are retained until you unsubscribe or request removal.
6. Your Rights
Depending on where you are located, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data
- Opt out of marketing emails at any time (via unsubscribe link in any email)
- Request a copy of your birding data
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@roostbirding.app.
7. Children's Privacy
Roost is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with their information, please contact us at hello@roostbirding.app and we will delete it promptly.
8. Affiliate Links
Some pages on Roost contain affiliate links to third-party products. Clicking these links and making a purchase may result in Roost earning a commission at no additional cost to you. These links do not affect our editorial recommendations. For more information, see our Affiliate Disclosure.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of Roost after changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:
Roost Inc.