Privacy Policy

Last updated: 6 September 2026

Inocreal is a public lost-and-found board. This page describes exactly what we collect and what we do with it. It is written to match how the service actually works — if you spot a discrepancy, email us and we will fix the page or the product.

The short version: we do not have user accounts, we never sell your data, and your phone number and email address are never shown on the site or sent to anyone else's browser.

1. What we collect

Information you give us

• Item details — the name, description, photo, date, time and location of the item you report. All of this is public.
• Your contact details — the email address or phone number you enter when reporting or claiming an item. This is private. It is stored so we can pass messages between you and the other party. It is never included in our public API responses and never sent to another visitor's browser.
• Claim messages — the text you write when claiming an item. We forward it by email to the person who reported that item, along with your contact details, so they can reply to you directly.

Information we collect automatically

• A one-way hash of your IP address, stored against claims only. It is salted and truncated, which is enough to spot a pattern of abuse but not enough to identify you or recover the original address.
• Server logs from our hosting provider, containing request paths and error details. These are used for debugging and are not linked to your reports.
• Approximate location, but only if you press "Use my location". We never ask for it on page load, and declining costs you nothing — you can place a pin on the map by hand instead.

We do not use analytics, advertising trackers, or third-party cookies. The site stores one item in your browser's local storage: your light or dark theme preference. That never leaves your device.

2. How we use it

• To publish the item listings people browse.
• To email you a confirmation, and a private link that lets you close your own report.
• To forward a claimant's message to the person who reported the item.
• To rate-limit and investigate abuse.

3. What we share

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it for advertising.

• With the other party in a claim: when you claim an item, we give the reporter your message and your contact details so they can reply. We do not give you theirs. When you report an item and someone claims it, you receive their details, not the reverse.
• With our service providers: Vercel (hosting), TiDB Cloud (database), Cloudinary (image storage) and Google (email delivery via Gmail). Each processes data only to run the service.
• When the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety.

4. What is public

Anything you type into the item name, description, or location fields is visible to everyone, including search engines. Uploaded photos are stored on Cloudinary and served from a public URL. Do not include anything in a listing you would not want a stranger to read — a photo of a lost wallet is useful; a photo of the ID inside it is not.

5. Your choices

• Close a report: use the private link in your confirmation email. The item disappears from the public feed immediately.
• Delete a report entirely: email us from the address you used and we will remove the record and its photo.
• Location: optional, and only ever on an explicit press.

6. Retention

Closed reports stay in the database so we can investigate disputes, but leave the public feed at once. Ask us and we will delete yours.

7. Children

Inocreal is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their data.

8. Contact

Questions, deletion requests, or corrections to this page: Inocreal.web@gmail.com.