🔒 Privacy Policy

The Farufoshi — Muraka Muraasil Citizen Scientists platform is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect data when you participate in our coral reef citizen science programme in the Maldives.

We collect the following types of information when you use the platform:

• Personal details: full name, email address, phone number, and address
• Coral reef observations: survey data submitted via FarufoshiMap activity cards, including survey location, date, coral type, fish species, and human impact notes
• Location data: GPS coordinates of pin-dropped observation points on the map
• Community content: forum posts and any images shared in the community forum
• Uploaded files: notes or sketches submitted alongside survey entries

Your information is used to:

• Enable you to submit coral reef observations via the FarufoshiMap survey system
• Display approved observations on the interactive reef map for citizen scientists and the public
• Generate analytics and trend reports on coral reef survey data collected across the Maldives
• Facilitate community discussion through the forum
• Support the Faru Foshi NGO in evaluating project impact and reporting to grant stakeholders
• Contact you regarding your account or participation in the citizen science programme

We do not sell your personal data. Survey observation data may be shared with environmental research partners, conservation organisations, or grant reporting bodies in anonymised or aggregated form only — your personal details are never shared without your consent.

All data is securely stored and protected with appropriate access controls. Only approved administrators and professional moderators can access raw observation data.

This platform is designed for participants aged 8–17 years, accompanied by a responsible adult. We take children's privacy seriously. We collect only the minimum data required to participate in the citizen science programme.

Accompanying adults are responsible for supervising the registration and use of the platform by children under their care. If you believe a child's data has been submitted without appropriate consent, please contact us immediately.

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request corrections to inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your account and associated personal data
• Withdraw consent for data processing at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at farufoshi.mv@gmail.com.

The platform may use session cookies to maintain your login state and improve your experience. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. Basic usage analytics may be collected to monitor platform performance and inform project reporting.

Survey observations submitted through FarufoshiMap are reviewed by moderators before being approved. Approved observations are displayed publicly on the interactive reef map, including the survey location, form type, and observation details — but not your personal contact information.