This Privacy Policy explains how VideoYeti LLC (“we,” “us”) collects, uses, and shares information when you use Skouter (“the Platform”) at skouter.app.

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you sign up, we collect your name, email address, and profile information. If you sign in with Google, we receive your Google profile name, email, and profile photo. We do not receive or store your Google password.

Photos & EXIF Data

When you upload photos, we extract and store EXIF metadata including: GPS coordinates (latitude/longitude), camera make and model, lens information, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and timestamp. This data is used to tag photos to locations and display camera settings publicly.

GPS data from your photos is displayed on the Platform as “shot from” pins showing where you stood when you took the photo. If you do not want this information shared, remove EXIF data from your photos before uploading, or use the privacy controls in your settings to fuzz or hide this data.

Location Data

We may request your device location (with your permission) to show nearby locations and provide local sun data. We do not track your location in the background.

Usage Data

We collect standard analytics: pages visited, features used, device type, browser, and approximate location (city-level from IP address). We use this to improve the Platform and fix bugs.

Payment Information

Skouter is currently free to use and we do not collect payment information. If we introduce paid features in the future, payments will be processed by Stripe and we will not store credit card numbers. Stripe's privacy policy will govern payment data: stripe.com/privacy.

2. How We Use Your Information

Display your photos, ratings, and tips on location pages
Show “shot from” pins from your photo GPS data
Calculate sun position and golden hour data for locations you scout
Send you transactional emails (welcome, password reset)
Send optional digest emails (you can unsubscribe anytime)
Improve the Platform through aggregated, anonymized usage data
Respond to your messages and support requests
Display your profile in the hire directory (if you opt in)

3. AI Features

Skouter uses AI (powered by Anthropic's Claude) for photo analysis, shoot planning suggestions, and lighting recommendations. When you use AI features, your photos and text prompts are sent to Anthropic's API for processing. Anthropic does not use your data to train their models. See Anthropic's privacy policy at anthropic.com/privacy.

4. What We Share

Public Information

Your profile (display name, avatar, city, specialty, portfolio), photos, ratings, tips, and shot-from pins are publicly visible on the Platform. This is the core function of a community scouting tool.

Third-Party Services

We use the following services that receive some of your data:

Supabase — Database and authentication (stores your account and content)
Vercel — Hosting (serves the Platform, sees IP addresses)
Google Maps — Maps and geocoding (receives location coordinates)
Stripe — Payment processing (only used if/when paid features launch)
Anthropic — AI features (receives photos and prompts when you use AI)
Sentry — Error tracking (receives anonymized error reports)
Resend — Email delivery (receives your email address for transactional emails)

We Do Not Sell Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to advertisers or data brokers. We do not run third-party advertising on Skouter and do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

5. Data Retention

Your account data and content are retained as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove your profile, photos, and personal data within 30 days. Aggregated, anonymized data (such as location rating averages) may persist after deletion.

6. Your Rights

You can:

Access your data by visiting your profile and settings
Delete individual photos or content at any time
Delete your account entirely (email us at info@videoyeti.com)
Opt out of digest emails in your settings
Request a copy of your data by emailing us

7. State Privacy Rights (CCPA, CPRA & similar laws)

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under state privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), the Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA), the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA), and similar laws. These may include:

Right to know — what personal information we collect about you and how it's used
Right to access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
Right to delete — request that we delete personal information about you
Right to correct — request that we correct inaccurate personal information
Right to opt out of “sale” or “sharing” — we do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. There is no “sale” to opt out of.
Right to non-discrimination — we will not treat you differently for exercising these rights

To exercise any of these rights, email info@videoyeti.com. We will respond within 45 days. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

8. International Users & GDPR

Skouter is hosted in the United States. If you access the Platform from outside the US, your data will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the US. For users in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, our legal basis for processing your data is: (a) performance of a contract with you (our Terms), (b) your consent (for optional features like EXIF sharing), and (c) our legitimate interest in operating and improving the Platform. You have rights under the GDPR including access, rectification, erasure, portability, and objection. Contact info@videoyeti.com to exercise these rights.

9. Cookies

We use essential cookies for authentication (keeping you logged in). We do not use tracking cookies or third-party advertising cookies. Google Maps may set its own cookies per Google's policies.

10. Children

Skouter is not intended for children under 16. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 16. If we learn we have, we will delete it promptly. Parents or guardians who believe their child has provided us with information can contact us to request deletion.

11. Copyright & DMCA

Our DMCA takedown process, including how to submit a notice and our counter-notification procedure, is available at /dmca.

12. Security

We use industry-standard security measures including HTTPS encryption, secure authentication via Supabase, and row-level security on our database. However, no system is perfectly secure. Use a strong, unique password.

13. Changes

We may update this policy. Material changes will be communicated via email or a notice on the Platform. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

14. Contact

Privacy questions? Email info@videoyeti.com.

VideoYeti LLC · Louisville, KY