Privacy Policy

Effective date: September 9, 2026

Updated October 2026: VeriBark is now FaunaVera and supports many species. The previous VeriBark Privacy Policy remains available for reference.

BarkBack LLC ("FaunaVera," "we," "our," or "us") values your trust. FaunaVera was previously called VeriBark. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect information when you use the FaunaVera mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Service").

FaunaVera helps people better understand animals through analysis of videos, audio, and optional information provided by users. We are committed to using data responsibly, transparently, and ethically.

1. Who We Are

• Company: BarkBack LLC
• Location: North Carolina, United States
• Website: https://www.faunavera.org
• Contact Email: support@faunavera.org

2. Who FaunaVera Is For

FaunaVera is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children.

• Age Requirement: You must be at least 13 years old to use FaunaVera. If you are under the age of digital consent in your country, you may use FaunaVera only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
• No Data from Children: We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected data from a child under 13, we will delete that information immediately.
• Reporting: If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us at support@faunavera.org so we can delete it.

Global Use. FaunaVera is available globally. We process personal data in accordance with applicable privacy and data protection laws, including the laws of the EEA, the United Kingdom, and California where they apply to you. Section 10 describes rights that may be available to you depending on where you live, and Section 11 describes the legal bases we rely on for users in the EEA and UK.

3. Accounts and Identity Information

To use FaunaVera, users must create an account.

We may collect:

• Email address
• Username
• Password (handled securely via authentication providers such as Firebase)
• Profile photo, if voluntarily provided

Users may request deletion of their account at any time through the app or by contacting us at support@faunavera.org.

4. Information You Provide

Animal-Related Information (Optional). Users may optionally provide information about their animals, such as name, species, age, breed, sex, and behavioral notes. Providing this information is optional and not required to use the core features of FaunaVera.

Required Media Uploads. To generate analyses, FaunaVera requires users to upload video recordings, audio recordings, and/or photos (where applicable). These uploads are necessary for the Service to function.

Human Presence. Uploaded media may contain recordings of people — for example, a guardian's voice, hands, or face while filming an animal. You are responsible for ensuring you have appropriate consent from anyone who appears in content you upload. FaunaVera's models are designed to analyze animals, not people: we do not attempt to identify people who appear in uploads, do not build profiles of them, and do not use uploaded media for facial recognition, voice identification, or any other analysis of human subjects.

Because a video cannot always be fully anonymized while remaining useful for analyzing the animal in it, uploads that include people may be processed by our automated systems, reviewed by authorized personnel as described in Section 5, and, unless you opt out (Section 5), used to train and improve our models. If you would prefer that footage containing you or others never be used for training, use the opt-out in App Settings before uploading, or contact us at support@faunavera.org.

5. Uploaded Videos, Audio, and User Content

Storage and Processing

Uploaded videos, audio files, and photos are stored securely and associated with the user's account. Uploaded media is retained until you delete it or your account, unless a shorter retention period applies. See "Retention" in Section 5 for details.

We use industry-standard security measures to protect stored content, including encryption at rest where supported by our infrastructure providers.

User content is processed using automated systems, including machine-learning models, to generate behavioral insights, interpretations, and predictions about animal behavior.

Human Review and Quality Assurance

In addition to automated processing, authorized FaunaVera personnel and contractors may review user content on a limited basis for purposes such as:

• Training, validating, and improving FaunaVera's machine-learning models
• Quality assurance and accuracy checks
• Research and development
• Customer support
• Safety, trust, and misuse prevention
• Legal and regulatory compliance

In some cases, FaunaVera may engage qualified behavioral specialists or researchers to review content for training, validation, or research purposes. All such reviewers are subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations.

FaunaVera does not conduct unrestricted or casual human review of user content. Access is limited to specific, legitimate purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy.

Misuse prevention. In addition to limited review of uploaded content, we may review account information (such as the email domain and stated purpose of commercial, research, or API accounts) and patterns of use (such as upload volume, subject matter, and how outputs are accessed) to detect use that breaches our Animal Welfare Use Policy or other Terms. We do this using automated signals and, where a signal is flagged or a report is received, limited human review. We do not use this monitoring for advertising or to sell personal data.

Use for Model Improvement and Research

We use User Content to train and improve FaunaVera's machine-learning algorithms. This helps us provide more accurate behavioral assessments for all animals.

• Your Choice: Participation in model improvement is automatic to ensure the Service functions effectively, but you may opt out of having your future data used for training at any time via the App Settings.
• Anonymization: When used for training, data is de-identified and, where reasonably possible, anonymized (stripped of personal identifiers).
• Retention of Insights: Even if you delete your account, FaunaVera may retain the de-identified, anonymized, and aggregated insights, features, and model weights derived from your content, which are designed and processed so that they do not reasonably identify you or your animal.
• Derived Data and AI Models: In our Terms & Conditions we call these de-identified, anonymized, and aggregated insights, features, and model weights "Derived Data" and "AI Models." Derived Data is designed and processed so that it is not reasonably capable of being linked back to you, your animal, or any person who appeared in your uploads.
• Effect of deletion on trained models: When you delete content or your account, the original media and any analysis results tied to your account are deleted as described below. Models that were trained using your content before deletion are not retrained or modified; they are designed so that your original content cannot reasonably be extracted from them and so that they do not reasonably identify you. Your content will not be used in any future training after deletion, or after you opt out.

Users retain ownership of the content they upload to FaunaVera. FaunaVera uses uploaded content to operate the Service and, by default, to train and improve its machine-learning models.

FaunaVera may retain de-identified, anonymized and aggregated insights and model outputs derived from user content even after the original content is deleted. FaunaVera does not sell users' personal data or raw, identifiable user content.

Full details about ownership, licenses, and intellectual property rights are described in our Terms & Conditions.

Deletion of Content

You may delete your FaunaVera account and associated personal data at any time directly within the App.

To request deletion:

1. Open the FaunaVera app
2. Go to My Profile → Delete My Data
3. Follow the on-screen confirmation step

When you request deletion:

• Your account, animal profiles, uploaded media (videos, audio, photos), and analysis results associated with your account will be scheduled for deletion
• Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone
• Some information may be retained where required by law (for example, transaction records)
• De-identified, anonymized, aggregated data and model improvements derived from the content may be retained

We aim to complete deletion requests within 30 days, subject to technical and legal requirements.

If you are unable to access the App, you may also request deletion by contacting us at support@faunavera.org using the email associated with your account.

Alternatively, you may fill out the form found at https://www.faunavera.org/delete-account.

Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy:

• Account information is retained while your account is active and for a limited period afterward where necessary for security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, or dispute resolution.
• Uploaded media and analysis results are retained until you delete them or your account, unless a shorter retention period applies.
• Backup copies may persist temporarily after deletion until they are overwritten under our normal backup cycle.
• Analytics and technical logs are retained according to our internal retention schedules and the retention settings of the providers listed in Section 6.
• Derived Data and AI Models may be retained indefinitely, as described above.
• Transaction and legal records are retained for as long as the law requires.

6. Analytics, Device Data, and Tracking

We use analytics tools to understand how users interact with FaunaVera and to improve the Service. These may include:

• Firebase Analytics
• Google Analytics
• Mixpanel

We may collect:

• App usage data
• Device information
• Crash logs
• Performance metrics

Install and Campaign Attribution

To understand which of our posts, links and campaigns bring people to FaunaVera, we record how you found the app. This may include a campaign tag carried by the link you installed from (via the Google Play Install Referrer on Android or an Apple App Store campaign parameter on iOS), the source you select when onboarding asks how you heard about us, the first species you choose, and the platform you use. This information is stored with your account and shared with RevenueCat as subscription attributes so we can see which sources lead to subscriptions. We do not use an advertising identifier, we do not track you across other apps or websites, and this information is never sold.

On our website, cookies or similar technologies may be used for basic functionality and analytics.

We do not use this information to sell personal data.

7. Third-Party Services

FaunaVera relies on trusted third-party service providers to operate the Service, including but not limited to:

• Cloud Infrastructure: Google Cloud Platform (to host videos, databases, and run AI analysis).
• Authentication: Firebase Auth (to securely manage your login credentials).
• Analytics: Firebase Analytics, Google Analytics, Mixpanel (to understand how the app is used).
• Payment Processors: Apple App Store and Google Play Store (to process payments). We do not have access to your credit card information.
• Subscription Management: RevenueCat (to validate your purchase receipts and manage subscription status). Note: We do not share your payment method details with RevenueCat.

These providers process data on our behalf or as service providers and in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection laws.

8. Subscriptions and Payments

FaunaVera may offer subscriptions, free trials, and in-app purchases.

Payments are processed exclusively through Apple App Store or Google Play. FaunaVera does not collect or store payment card information.

9. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share information in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: We share data with trusted third-party providers (such as the service providers described in Section 7) solely to operate the App. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, court order, or government request.
• Safety & Security: We may disclose information when we believe it is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of FaunaVera, our users, animals, or the public.
• Business Transfers: If FaunaVera is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
• Commercialization of Anonymized Data: We may share and commercialize de-identified, anonymized and aggregated insights (which cannot identify you personally) for research, marketing, and business development, subject to the Animal Welfare Use Policy in our Terms & Conditions.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances
• Object to the processing of your data. Please note that since our Service relies on processing video data to function, objecting to this processing may require deleting your account.
• Request data portability
• Withdraw your consent at any time, where consent is the basis for processing, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal
• Lodge a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority, in particular in the EEA or UK country where you live or work, or where you believe a breach occurred

Users may exercise these rights through in-app controls or by contacting support@faunavera.org. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

11. Legal Bases for Processing (EEA and UK Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data only where we have a valid legal basis to do so.

Depending on how you use FaunaVera and the type of information involved, we may rely on the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract. We process personal data where necessary to create and manage your account, analyze media you upload, generate and deliver FaunaVera results, provide customer support, administer subscriptions and free trials, and otherwise provide the Service you request.
• Legitimate interests. We may process personal data where necessary for our legitimate interests in operating, maintaining, securing, improving, and protecting FaunaVera. This may include preventing fraud, misuse, security incidents, and violations of our Terms or Animal Welfare Use Policy; debugging and fixing technical problems; quality assurance; improving reliability and accuracy; and conducting research and development. When we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the potential impact on users and take steps to protect their rights and privacy.
• Model improvement. We may use eligible User Content to train and improve FaunaVera's machine-learning systems where we have a legitimate interest in improving the accuracy, reliability, safety, and usefulness of the Service. As described in Section 5, you may opt out of having your future User Content used for model improvement at any time through App Settings or by contacting us. We do not rely on this basis where applicable law requires a different legal basis.
• Consent. We rely on your consent where required by law, including for certain optional analytics, cookies, SDKs, or similar technologies, and for any other processing activity where we specifically ask for your consent. You may withdraw your consent at any time.
• Legal obligations. We may process personal data where necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, tax requirements, or other legal obligations.

Where more than one legal basis could apply, the basis we rely on will depend on the specific purpose and context of the processing.

You may object to processing based on legitimate interests as described in Section 10.

12. International Users

FaunaVera operates from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the U.S., your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States or other jurisdictions where our service providers operate.

Where required, we use legally recognized safeguards for international transfers, such as adequacy decisions, Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, and applicable UK international-transfer safeguards (such as the UK Addendum to the Standard Contractual Clauses or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement). You may contact us at support@faunavera.org for more information about the safeguards that apply to your data.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify users through the app or by other appropriate means.

The "Effective Date" at the top of this policy reflects the most recent update.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us at support@faunavera.org.