Privacy Policy · ClearDive Maps

ClearDive (“ClearDive,” “we,” “us”) is a water-quality monitoring app that lets people search, submit, and understand water test results. This policy explains what information the ClearDive app and website collect, how we use it, the device permissions we request, and the choices you have — including how to delete your account.

Summary: You can browse as a guest without an account. We only ask for the camera and location when you actively use a feature that needs them, and only after you grant permission. We do nottrack you across other companies’ apps or websites, and we do not sell your personal data.

1. Information We Collect

Account information: your email address (and optional display name) when you create an account. Authentication is handled by Google Firebase Authentication; your password is never stored in plain text and is not accessible to us.
Guest use: you can view water quality data without an account. Guest sessions are not linked to an identity.
Water sample submissions: the sample location (coordinates, ZIP code, city, and/or body-of-water name), contaminant readings and units, collection date, optional notes, and any photos you choose to add (for example, a photo of a test strip, meter display, or printed report).
Scanned images and extracted text: when you scan a test strip, meter, or printed report, image processing happens on-device where supported. We keep the values you confirm; we do not use your photos to identify you.
Searches: ZIP codes, cities, or body-of-water names you search are used to return nearby results. You may optionally save searches to your account.
Usage analytics: we use Google Firebase Analytics to understand aggregate, non-identifying app usage (such as which screens are opened and general device type). This is used to improve the app, not to build advertising profiles.

2. Device Permissions

We request the following permissions only when a feature needs them, and the app works without them (you can always enter data manually):

Camera: used solely to photograph a test strip, a digital meter display, or a printed test report so measurements can be read. It is never used in the background.
Location (while using the app):used only when you choose “Use my location” to tag a sample site or center the map. You can instead type a ZIP code or an approximate location. We do not track your location in the background.
Photo library: used only if you choose to upload an existing photo of a test result.

You can grant or revoke these permissions at any time in iOS Settings › Privacy & Securityor in the app’s settings row in iOS Settings.

3. How We Use Information

To operate search, sample submission, evaluation, dashboards, and maps.
To compare your readings against configurable health and regulatory thresholds and show a safety classification.
To combine approved community readings with public government monitoring data so users can see water quality in an area.
To improve the app based on aggregate usage trends.
To respond to support requests you send us.

4. Tracking & Third Parties

We do not track you across apps and websites owned by other companies, and we do not use data for third-party advertising. We do not sell your personal information. We rely on the following third-party services, which process data on our behalf under their own privacy terms:

Google Firebase(Authentication and Analytics) — see Google’s Privacy Policy.
Public government data sources (e.g. EPA Water Quality Portal, USGS NWIS, and state agencies such as NJDEP) — this data is already public and is shown for reference; we do not send your personal data to them.

5. What We Share Publicly

When you submit a community sample and it is approved, its location, contaminant readings, and collection date become visible to other users, because the purpose of ClearDive is community awareness of local water quality. To protect your privacy, you may provide an approximate location rather than a precise home address, and unnecessary image metadata (such as embedded GPS EXIF data) is removed from photos before they are shared. We do not publicly display your email address.

6. Data Retention & Account Deletion

We retain your account and submission data while your account is active. You can delete your account and personal data at any time, directly in the app under Account › Delete account, or by emailing aperna.sardana@gmail.com. When you delete your account we remove your personal details (email, display name, saved searches). Environmental readings that were already approved and published may be retained in anonymized form, without your name attached, so the public water-quality record stays accurate.

7. Security

Authentication is handled by Firebase Authentication over encrypted connections; we do not store raw passwords. Data in transit is protected with HTTPS/TLS.

8. Health Disclaimer

ClearDive is an informational and screening tool. Community-submitted and image-extracted readings may not be laboratory verified, and nothing in the app is a medical diagnosis or a certified laboratory result. For a severe reading or a health decision, we recommend certified laboratory testing and, where relevant, professional advice.

9. Children’s Privacy

ClearDive is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will remove it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves and will change the “Last updated” date above when we do.

11. Contact Us

Questions about this policy or your data, or a request to access or delete your information? Email aperna.sardana@gmail.com. See also our Support page.