Privacy Policy

LiberPixels may store information associated with a user's account and use of the platform. Some usage information (sections 1.3 to 1.5) is also recorded for visitors who are not signed in.

badge 1.1 User Account Information

When a user creates an account, LiberPixels may store information in the user's user profile, including information required to provide account functionality.

Access to user information is controlled through authentication and Firestore security rules.

Authenticated users may access user profile documents within the system. Public profile information may also be accessible to unauthenticated users where the profile has specifically been marked as public.

Users should therefore avoid placing private, confidential, or sensitive information in profile fields that may be visible to other users.

fingerprint 1.2 Authentication Information

LiberPixels uses authentication to identify users and control access to protected functionality.

The system uses a unique authenticated user ID to determine whether a user is authorised to access or modify their own information.

Users are responsible for protecting their authentication credentials.

LiberPixels does not intentionally provide users with access to another user's account.

travel_explore 1.3 Site Access Logs

LiberPixels records each page that is opened on the platform, whether or not the visitor is signed in. This is used to understand how the platform is used, to detect abuse, and to keep an access record for administrators.

Each page view record may include:

• The date and time, and the page that was opened.
• The page the visitor arrived from (the referring page), where the browser provides it.
• The visitor's IP address.
• An approximate location (country, region and city) derived from the IP address by the hosting provider.
• The browser and device type, as reported by the browser.
• An anonymous visitor identifier stored in the visitor's browser (see 1.5).
• For signed-in users, their user ID, email address and display name.

Because the same anonymous visitor identifier is used before and after signing in, page views made before signing in on the same browser may be linked to the user's account.

download 1.4 Download Records

When media is downloaded through LiberPixels, a download record is created, whether or not the person is signed in. These records form an audit trail of what was downloaded, from which source and when, and by whom.

Each download record may include:

• The date and time of the download.
• The media's title, identifier, source provider, media type, creator and file address.
• How it was downloaded (a single file or a collection ZIP) and the page it was downloaded from.
• The same visitor and account details listed in 1.3 (IP address, approximate location, device, anonymous visitor identifier and, if signed in, user ID, email address and display name).

Administrators can search download records by media item and export the list of people who downloaded a given item.

cookie 1.5 Cookies and Browser Storage

LiberPixels stores the following in the visitor's browser to support the records above:

• An anonymous visitor identifier (browser storage and the lp_vid cookie), a random value that lets LiberPixels tell visitors apart without an account. It is kept for up to one year.
• The date of the last visit (browser storage), used to count unique visitors per day.
• A sign-in token (the lp_auth cookie), set only while a user is signed in and sent only with download requests, so a download can be linked to the signed-in account. It expires after one hour and is removed on sign out.

These are used only by LiberPixels for the purposes described in this policy. They are not used for advertising and are not shared with advertisers. Clearing the browser's site data removes them; a new anonymous identifier is created on the next visit.

LiberPixels allows authenticated users to create and manage personal media collections.

A collection may contain information such as:

• Collection title.
• Collection description.
• Collection owner ID.
• Collection owner's name.
• Collection visibility settings.
• Saved media items.
• Sharing information.
• Editor information.

Users can determine whether supported collections are publicly accessible or restricted.

Collection information is protected through access-control rules.

LiberPixels supports different levels of collection access.

A collection may be:

• Public: accessible to users when the collection is marked as public.
• Followers Only: accessible to accepted followers of the collection owner.
• Owner/Shared Access: accessible to the collection owner and users who have been given access.
• Editor Access: accessible to authorised users who have been granted editing permissions.

Administrators may also access collections where authorised through the system's administrative controls.

Users should consider carefully what information they place in collections that are made public or shared with other users.

When a user adds media to a collection, LiberPixels may store information necessary to identify the saved media item and its relationship to the collection.

Collection items may include references and metadata associated with third-party images, videos, or audio.

LiberPixels does not claim ownership of third-party media stored or referenced within a user's collection.

Saving a media item to a collection does not transfer copyright or ownership of that media to the user or to LiberPixels.

LiberPixels supports a follow-request system.

The platform may store information about relationships between users, including:

• Follower ID.
• Followed user's ID.
• Follow-request status.
• Relationship status, such as pending or accepted.

A follow request initially has a pending status and may become accepted when the followed user approves the request.

Users may end a follow relationship or remove a pending request where permitted by the platform.

Following information is used to support follower-based features, including collections that are visible only to accepted followers.

LiberPixels may store notifications associated with user activity.

Notifications may contain information such as:

• Notification message.
• Notification type.
• Recipient ID.
• Actor ID.
• Related collection ID.
• Date/time information.
• Read/unread status.

Notifications are associated with the relevant recipient's account and are protected so that users can access their own notifications.

Collection owners may share collections with other users and may provide editing access where supported by the platform.

LiberPixels may therefore store identifiers such as user email addresses in sharing or editor lists.

These details are used to determine whether another authenticated user has permission to view or edit a collection.

Users should only share collections with people they trust.

Users may have the ability to mark their profile as public.

Where a profile is marked as public, certain profile information may be accessible to unauthenticated users.

The Firestore security rules distinguish between public profiles and protected user information.

Users should not include sensitive personal information in publicly visible profile fields.

LiberPixels may process search information to provide its search functionality.

This may include:

• Search queries.
• Selected media type.
• Search filters.
• Search refinement information.
• Search results and associated metadata.

Where search-history functionality is implemented, searches may be associated with the authenticated user's account.

Users should avoid entering passwords, private information, or other sensitive personal information into search queries.

LiberPixels may use AI-assisted functionality to help refine vague or broad searches.

AI functionality may process search-related information and relevant media metadata to generate search suggestions or refined queries.

LiberPixels is designed to avoid unnecessarily sending personally identifiable information to AI services.

Where applicable, personally identifiable information is removed before information is sent to an AI service.

The AI service is not intended to receive the original images, videos, or audio files merely for search refinement.

If the AI service is unavailable, LiberPixels may use standard keyword-based search functionality as a fallback.

LiberPixels retrieves media and metadata from supported third-party providers.

These may include:

• Pixabay.
• Pexels.
• Unsplash.

Information necessary to perform a search may be transmitted to the relevant third-party API.

Third-party providers may independently process information according to their own privacy policies and terms.

LiberPixels does not control the privacy practices of external providers.

LiberPixels may temporarily store or cache media metadata and thumbnails to improve system performance and reduce unnecessary requests to third-party APIs.

Cached information may include:

• Media identifiers.
• Titles.
• Creator information.
• Source information.
• Licensing information.
• Attribution information.
• Thumbnail information.

LiberPixels is not intended to permanently store third-party media solely for the purpose of providing search functionality.

Cached information may be removed, updated, or replaced when required by the system or the relevant third-party provider.

LiberPixels is designed to keep third-party API credentials and API keys on the server side.

API credentials should not be exposed through the public client interface.

The platform is designed to respect applicable third-party API restrictions and rate limits.

LiberPixels does not sell users' personal information.

Information may be processed by services required to operate the platform, including:

• Authentication services.
• Firebase/Firestore services.
• Third-party media APIs.
• AI services used for search refinement.
• Hosting or technical infrastructure where applicable.

Only information necessary for the relevant functionality should be shared.

Information may also be disclosed where required by applicable law or where necessary to investigate serious security, abuse, or unlawful activity.

LiberPixels includes an administrative access system.

Authorised administrators may have access to information necessary to perform administrative functions and maintain the platform.

Administrative access is controlled through an administrator record and authentication.

This includes the site access logs and download records described in sections 1.3 and 1.4, which administrators can view, search and export.

Administrative access should only be provided to authorised individuals.

LiberPixels uses Firestore security rules to restrict access to stored information.

The system uses authentication and ownership checks to control access to user-related information.

For example, users can modify their own user information, while collection modifications are restricted to collection owners, authorised editors, or administrators.

Follow relationships and notifications are also protected through authentication and user-specific access rules.

Although reasonable security controls are implemented, no online system can guarantee absolute protection against unauthorised access, loss, or security incidents.

LiberPixels may retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the relevant functionality.

This may include:

• Account information while an account remains active.
• Collections while they remain available.
• Saved collection items while they are retained by the user.
• Follow relationships while they remain active.
• Notifications until they are deleted or otherwise removed.
• Cached metadata and thumbnails according to the system's caching requirements.
• Site access logs for 90 days, after which they are deleted automatically. Daily totals that do not identify individuals may be kept longer.
• Download records as a permanent audit trail. These are not removed automatically when an account is deleted, but a removal request can be made as described under Privacy Requests.

Information may be removed when it is no longer required, when a user deletes supported information, or when technical or legal requirements require its removal.

Users may manage information through the functionality provided by LiberPixels.

Depending on the implemented functionality, users may be able to:

• Update their profile.
• Manage their collections.
• Add or remove media from collections.
• Change collection visibility.
• Accept or remove followers.
• Manage follow requests.
• Manage notifications.
• Delete collections.
• Manage account information.

Some information may need to be retained where required for security, technical, or legal purposes.

Users should understand that information deliberately made public or shared with other users may no longer be private.

For example, making a collection public may allow other users to access the collection and its associated items.

Making a collection visible to followers allows accepted followers to access it.

Users are responsible for checking their collection visibility and sharing settings before storing personal or sensitive information.

LiberPixels is not specifically designed as a children's service.

Users should not provide unnecessary personal information when using the platform.

Where additional legal requirements apply to the processing of children's personal information, appropriate measures should be implemented.

LiberPixels may provide links or references to third-party media providers.

When users access an external website or service, that provider's own privacy policy and terms apply.

LiberPixels is not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites or services.

Users may contact LiberPixels regarding questions or concerns about their personal information.

Requests may relate to:

• Account information.
• Profile information.
• Collections.
• Follow relationships.
• Notifications.
• Privacy concerns.
• Removal or correction of personal information.

Requests will be handled subject to the capabilities of the implemented system and applicable law.

This Privacy Policy may be updated when:

• LiberPixels introduces new functionality.
• The way information is processed changes.
• Third-party services change.
• Security practices are updated.
• Applicable legal requirements change.

The latest version of the Privacy Policy will be made available through the platform.

This Privacy Policy is intended to operate in accordance with the applicable laws of the Republic of South Africa, including applicable data-protection requirements.

LiberPixels is a student-developed academic project/prototype.

This Privacy Policy describes the intended privacy practices and implemented security approach of the platform. It is not intended to constitute professional legal advice or a guarantee of compliance with every legal requirement.

If LiberPixels is developed into a production service, this Privacy Policy should be reviewed and updated by an appropriately qualified legal or privacy professional before public deployment.

By using LiberPixels, users acknowledge that they have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to the processing of information as described above, subject to applicable law.