Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 16, 2026

This site (volunteer.templeearth.cc) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data is collected, why, and how you can control it.

Data Controller

This site is self-hosted and independently operated. For inquiries: [email protected].

What Data Is Collected

We use Matomo, an open-source analytics platform self-hosted on our own server. No data is ever sent to third parties. The following information may be collected when you visit:

Page views — which pages you visit and when
Referrer — the website or link that brought you here
Browser & device — browser name and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution
IP-based location & ISP — approximate city, region, country, latitude/longitude, and internet service provider derived from your IP address using a local GeoIP database
Interactions — link clicks, file downloads, and search queries you make on the site
Performance data — page load times to help us improve speed
JavaScript errors — technical errors to help us fix bugs
Submissions — if you submit an ecovillage to the map, the data you provide (name, description, location) is stored and displayed publicly

Data Enrichment

To improve the quality and usefulness of the map data, we may enrich visitor IP information using free, self-hosted open-source data enrichment tools. These tools run entirely on our own server and no data is sent to external services. Enrichment includes:

Geographic & ISP enrichment — Chickadee resolves IP addresses to city-level location data, ISP/organization names, and geographic coordinates using local databases (DB-IP).
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) — SpiderFoot may correlate IP addresses, domains, and metadata against public data sources to identify patterns and enrich visitor context.
Reconnaissance enrichment — theHarvester may gather publicly available information associated with IP addresses and domains for security and data quality purposes.

All enrichment is performed locally on our infrastructure. No enriched data is shared, sold, or transmitted to any third party. These tools use free tier / rate-limited public APIs where applicable (e.g., ip-api.com, VirusTotal public) and respect their terms of service.

Cookies

Matomo sets the following cookies on your browser if you consent:

_pk_id — used to recognize returning visitors (expires after 30 days)
_pk_ref — stores the referring website (expires after 6 months)
_pk_ses — temporary session cookie (expires after 30 minutes)
mtm_consent — stores your consent choice (expires after 30 days)
mtm_consent_removed — stores your opt-out choice (expires after 30 days)

We do not use any advertising, tracking, or third-party cookies beyond what Matomo sets for analytics.

Legal Basis (GDPR)

If you are visiting from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or similar jurisdictions, data processing is based on your consent. You must explicitly accept tracking for it to begin. You may withdraw consent at any time using the button below.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

Opt out of analytics tracking at any time (use the button below)
Access the data collected about you by contacting us
Request deletion of your data
Withdraw consent at any time

Opt Out of Analytics

You can enable or disable analytics tracking at any time using the button below. Your choice will be remembered for 30 days.

Data Retention

Raw analytics logs are retained for 180 days before being automatically deleted. Aggregated reports are kept indefinitely but contain no personally identifiable information.

Who Has Access

All data is stored on our own server. Only the site administrator has access. We do not share, sell, or transfer your data to any third party.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes materially, the "Last updated" date at the top will be revised. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? Email [email protected].