Seismology (Sismología) Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 26, 2026

The Seismology app (Sismología in Spanish; app identifier: cl.birdie.sismologia), formerly Earthquake Watch, respects the privacy of its users. This Privacy Policy describes what information is collected, how it is used and what rights users have. Versión en español.

1. Information we collect

The app may collect the following information:

• User location
  The device location is used to send location-based push notifications about nearby earthquakes and, if you use Family alerts, to estimate on our server the shaking intensity where you are (see section 3).
• Device notification identifier
  The token provided by the operating system so we can send you notifications.
• Account information (sign-in)
  Users can sign in with their Google, Apple or Microsoft accounts. Through these providers we obtain basic identification information (user identifier, name and profile picture, if any), only to allow users to:
  • Report whether they felt an earthquake.
  • Post comments about earthquakes.
  • Use Family alerts (section 3).

Beyond what is described in this policy, we do not collect any additional personal information.

2. How we use information

The information collected is used exclusively to:

• Send notifications about relevant earthquakes based on the user’s location.
• Enable user participation (“I felt it” reports and comments).
• Run Family alerts, if the user chooses to use them.
• Improve the basic operation of the app.

We do not use the information for commercial profiling, advanced analytics or any purpose other than those described.

3. Family alerts

What it is. An optional, free feature to let your family know you are OK after an earthquake. To use it you need to sign in with Google, Apple or Microsoft.

What data we use and why.

• Your account identifier and your name (the one you choose for the family) and your profile picture, if any: to show you in the group.
• Your answer (“I’m OK” or “I need help”), how strongly you felt the earthquake and, if you write one, a note: so your family can see it. The note is only sent if you ask for help. If you say how strongly you felt the earthquake, it also counts as your “Did you feel it?” vote for that earthquake, just as if you voted from its detail screen, with the location rounded to about 1 km.
• Your device location (the same one you already use to receive earthquake alerts): only to estimate on the server the shaking intensity where you are and decide whether to ask you. We never show your location or your distance to the earthquake to your family; at most, the estimated intensity level (for example, “strong”), and you can turn that off.
• Your device notification token: to send the alerts to you and to your family.

Who can see it. Only the people in the families you have joined. No one else: not other app users and not third parties. We do not sell or share this data for advertising.

Your consent. We ask for it explicitly when you create or join a family, and we keep the date and the version of the text you accepted.

How long we keep it. Answers and “Are you OK?” rounds, 90 days. Expired invitations and sessions, 30 days after they expire.

Your rights. You can leave a family at any time from the app, which deletes your answers in it. You can delete your account from the app, which deletes all your memberships, answers and sessions. You can also write to contacto@birdie.cl to access, correct or delete your data.

Minimum age. Family alerts are for people aged 14 and over. If you are younger, ask a parent or guardian to set them up with you.

Not an emergency service. Family alerts are for communicating with your family. If you need urgent help, call your country’s emergency number.

4. Advertising

The app includes advertising provided by Google AdMob.

• Ads are not personalized by us.
• Google may collect information under its own privacy policies to show ads and measure their performance.
• The Family alerts screen where you answer “Are you OK?” does not show ads.

You can review Google’s privacy policy here:
https://policies.google.com/privacy

5. Information sharing

We do not sell, rent or share users’ personal information with third parties, except:

• Service providers strictly necessary for the app to work, under their own privacy policies: Google, Apple and Microsoft for authentication; the notification services of Google, Apple, Microsoft and Huawei to deliver alerts; Microsoft Azure, which hosts our servers and database; and Google AdMob for advertising.
• The people in the families you join, as described in section 3.

6. Data retention

Information is kept only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy or while the user keeps their account active. Family alerts retention periods are in section 3.

7. User rights

Users can:

• Revoke location permissions from the device settings.
• Stop using the app at any time.
• Delete their account from the app, which deletes their comments, votes and photos, their sessions and their families (how to do it, also without the app).
• Request the deletion of the information associated with their account.

8. Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page.

9. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact us at:

Email: contacto@birdie.cl
Website: https://birdie.cl