Did you know?
iNaturalist collects location data from users when observations are created and uploaded to the app. Location data is used in the categorization and identification organisms. For personal privacy protection, users also have the ability to manage geoprivacy settings for each observation.
Three Geo Privacy Settings on iNaturalist
Coordinates visible to other users. Good for public spaces.
Public coordinates are shown as a random point within a 0.2 by 0.2 degree area that contains the true coordinates. The area forms a quadrilateral with exact dimensions dependent on the geographic location.
Coordinates are completely hidden from public maps. Good for private property, BUT it means that the observation can be from anywhere on planet earth.
To change your settings
*Geoprivacy settings can be changed before or after an observation has been added. It needs to be set for each observation individually.
Open the iNaturalist app on your device
Tap “Location visibility”
Select “Obscured” or “Private”
Tap the green check mark at the bottom of the screen
Log in to your iNaturalist account
Click your observations
Select an observation
Click "edit"
From the edit screen, click on the change geoprivacy caret
Change to “Obscured” or “Private” in drop down menu
For more detailed instructions on how to change iNaturalist geoprivacy settings, download this presentation prepared by Minnesota Sea Grant or read the iNaturalist geoprivacy settings help page.