Privacy policy

Who we are

Ouananiche is a progressive web application (PWA) dedicated to sport anglers in Quebec. It is operated by:

In this document, "we," "our," and "Ouananiche" refer to the operator identified above. "You" refers to any person using the application.

Information collected

We only collect information necessary for the proper functioning of the application and to enhance your fishing experience.

When creating an account

• Email address — for authentication and essential communications
• Username — display name chosen by you
• Password — stored encrypted, never in plain text
• Account creation date

When using the app

• GPS location — only with your explicit consent; used for map display and identifying your fishing zone (27 regulated zones in Quebec)
• Fish catches — species, size, weight, date, lake, optional photo (if you choose to log catches)
• Fishing spots — coordinates and notes you save
• Community reports — if you post to the Ouananiche community
• Conversations with Cyril (AI assistant) — your questions and the responses provided, used solely to serve your personal history
• Photos sent to the species recognition module

Automatic technical data

• IP address — collected temporarily for security (abuse detection, rate limiting)
• Browser and OS type — for technical optimization
• Anonymized usage statistics — to improve the application

For PRO subscribers

• Payment information — processed directly by Stripe (see section 5); we never store your credit card numbers
• Billing history — retained for accounting and tax obligations

Purposes of collection

Each piece of information is collected for a specific purpose, in accordance with article 8 of Law 25:

• Provide the service — create your account, authenticate you, enable features
• Personalize your experience — show your zone's regulations, local weather, nearby spots
• Communicate with you — registration confirmation, important notifications, technical support
• Improve the application — anonymized statistical analysis, bug detection and fixing
• Manage PRO subscriptions — process payments, invoicing, cancellations on request
• Comply with legal obligations — accounting, taxation, requests from authorities
• Prevent abuse — fraud detection, community moderation

We never use your information for advertising profiling or resale to third parties.

Consent

By creating an account and using Ouananiche, you freely and knowingly consent to the collection and processing of your information as described in this policy.

Specific consents

Some features require separate consent:

• Geolocation — requested by the browser when first using the map
• Push notifications — if enabled in the application
• Community posting — each report you publish is a voluntary action

You can withdraw your consent at any time by updating your settings or deleting your account (see section 9).

Sharing with third parties (processors)

To provide the service, we use specialized processors. They have access only to the data strictly necessary for their role, and are bound by contractual agreements obliging them to protect your information.

We never sell your data. We do not share it for advertising, external marketing, or any other purpose not described above.

Transfers of information outside Quebec

Some of our processors (Supabase, Stripe, Anthropic) host their servers in the United States. Others (Hostinger, OpenStreetMap) are located in the European Union.

In accordance with article 17 of Law 25, we have assessed that these transfers provide adequate protection due to:

• Contractual obligations imposed on Stripe, Anthropic, and Supabase regarding data protection
• Recognized security practices of these providers (encryption, SOC 2, ISO 27001 certifications)
• GDPR compliance of European providers, a very high standard

By using Ouananiche, you consent to these transfers. A full Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) was conducted to frame these transfers.

Data retention

We retain your information only for the time necessary to fulfill the purposes:

• Active account — as long as you use the application
• After account deletion — 30 days (grace period for accidental recovery), then permanent deletion
• Payment data — retained for 7 years to comply with Canadian tax obligations
• Security logs — 90 days maximum
• Conversations with Cyril — kept as long as your account is active, for your personal history

After deletion, some anonymized data (aggregate statistics) may be kept with no possible link to your identity.

Security

We implement reasonable measures to protect your information:

• Encryption in transit — all communications use HTTPS / TLS 1.3
• Encryption at rest — Supabase databases are encrypted
• Hashed passwords — never stored in plain text (bcrypt via Supabase Auth)
• Restricted access — only authorized personnel can access data
• Rate limiting — protection against automated attacks
• Regular updates — security patches applied promptly

Your rights

Law 25 grants you several rights over your personal information. You can exercise them at any time, free of charge:

• Right of access — obtain a copy of all information we hold about you
• Right of rectification — correct inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information
• Right to de-indexation — request that your profile no longer be referenced in certain contexts
• Right to portability — receive your data in a structured reusable format (JSON)
• Right to withdraw consent — stop the processing of certain data
• Right to deletion — request erasure of your account and data

How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of these rights, email the privacy officer (see section 13). We will respond within a maximum of 30 days. If we refuse a request, we will explain the reason in writing.

To quickly delete your account, you can use the "Delete my account" option in the app's Settings.

Cookies and local storage

Ouananiche is a web application. For it to function, it uses local storage technologies:

• Local storage (localStorage / IndexedDB) — to keep your session, preferences, and offline data
• Supabase session cookies — to maintain your connection
• Stripe cookies — only on payment pages, to secure the transaction
• Service Worker — for offline functionality (PWA)

We do not use advertising cookies or third-party trackers (no Google Analytics, no Meta Pixel, no Hotjar, etc.). You can clear your local storage at any time via your browser settings, but this will log you out.

Minors

Ouananiche is available to persons 14 years of age and older. By creating an account, you confirm you are at least 14 years old.

If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 14, we will delete it as soon as possible. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child created an account without permission, contact us at privacy@ouananiche.ca.

Modifications to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices or in legislation. In the event of a significant modification, we will notify you:

• By email to the address associated with your account
• Via a notification in the app at your next login
• Via the "Last updated" notice at the top of this page

Your continued use of the application after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Privacy officer

In accordance with article 3.1 of Law 25, Ouananiche has designated a person responsible for the protection of personal information (privacy officer). You can contact this person regarding this policy or the exercise of your rights:

Complaint to the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec

If you believe your rights have not been respected and our response seems insufficient, you can file a complaint with the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec (CAI):

We invite you, however, to contact us first — we do our best to resolve concerns quickly and amicably.