This explains what information Forkarium receives, what it is used for, how long it is kept, and what is sent to which outside services.
1. Information we collect
Most pages can be viewed without signing in. Depending on what you do, we receive the following.
When you sign in with Google: the account identifier (uid), email address, display name, and profile photo URL that Google provides.
What you create: posts, images, comments, connections between items, saved trails, follows, and reports.
Exploration records: which items you opened and in what order. These are tied to a random session number generated per browser, used only to check that the service works, and never published.
Access logs: IP address and access time (for security and incident response).
Cookies: one that keeps you signed in, and Google Analytics cookies for visit statistics.
Reading list: Saved in this browser. Your list does not sync across devices.
2. How it is used
Signing in, showing your profile and activity.
Ordering the feed and suggesting the next item.
Handling reports and keeping the service safe.
Visit statistics that show which pages are used, so we can improve the service.
3. Retention
Account information is kept until you delete your account. Public content you created stays until you delete it. Access logs are kept for up to 90 days.
4. Processors
Google Cloud: sign-in (Firebase Authentication), image storage (Firebase Storage), the database (Cloud SQL), and the servers (Firebase App Hosting).
Google Analytics: visit statistics.
Item descriptions and facts come from Wikidata and Wikipedia and are shown with their sources.
5. Information sent to outside services
We send the information below only when you use the feature described.
When you select Search Public Sources, we send your search query to Open Library, MusicBrainz, Crossref, and the Art Institute of Chicago to retrieve results. Do not include personal information in your query.
Starting research sends your question to Perplexity to search public sources. Results and sources are cached on our server; board drafts stay in this browser. Publicly saved case files and comments are visible to others. The same provider supports existing item research and descriptions.
To translate public posts, comments, wiki documents and case files into your language, we send the relevant text to Google Translate and MyMemory. Private drafts are not sent. Translations are cached on our server while originals remain unchanged. If translation fails, the original text is shown.
While you write a post, we send the draft (once it is 40 characters or longer, up to the first 3,000 characters) through OpenRouter to an AI model to suggest items it mentions, such as works or people. Forkarium's servers do not store the text we send.
When a post includes a link, Forkarium's server opens that page to show its title and image. YouTube videos load from YouTube (youtube-nocookie.com) only when you press play.
6. Your rights
You can edit your profile, delete posts, and delete your account at any time (see the account deletion page). Contact: hello@forkarium.com
