Privacy, stated plainly.

WhiskerMatch is operated by Veldarium Technology Systems LLC. Privacy questions and requests can be sent to support@whiskermatch.com.

The consumer discovery, matching, saved, lost-and-found, and care prototypes use localStorage when available and fall back to sessionStorage when persistent storage is unavailable. That data is not encrypted, does not sync across devices, and may be visible to other people who can use the same browser profile. Removing an item in the product or clearing site data removes the active local copy. In the browser-only lost-or-found draft, a selected image is not uploaded and only its file name is stored.

On deployments where reports are switched on, a report is stored on WhiskerMatch's database and is visible to anyone. It shows the text, photos, date, and an approximate area, never an address, phone number, or email. Messages go to a private page reached through a link shown once when the report is posted; the link is stored only as a one-way hash. To limit abuse we keep a monthly one-way hash of the poster's network address for up to 30 days. Reports expire after 60 days unless extended and are deleted 30 days after being closed. The poster can edit, close, or delete a report at any time with that link. Anyone can send a sighting on a lost-pet report: the public page shows only its area and day, and the note and any contact go to the poster's private page. WhiskerMatch does not notify shelters or other sites automatically.

A community-cat report goes only to the organization you choose, and only organizations that opted in for your postal area are offered. It is never posted, listed or shown on a map. The organization's staff who manage TNR read it, including your description of where and your email if you gave one. You get a private receipt link, stored only as a one-way hash, that shows whether they read it; it never shows where a colony is. The same 30-day network-address hash limits abuse. Closed reports are deleted about six months after the organization closes them, and unread ones after a year. The field journal is a list of your receipt links kept in your own browser.

When RescueGroups discovery is configured, WhiskerMatch sends a server-side search containing species, radius, and either the submitted postal code or an approximate coordinate to RescueGroups.org. WhiskerMatch displays a minimized projection of the response: public animal details, source organization, source link, freshness timestamps, source-hosted media, and an approximate location. It does not expose source street addresses, email addresses, or phone numbers. Opening source-hosted images or the required animal tracker may also send ordinary request data, such as IP address and browser headers, to RescueGroups or its media host.

Organization-scoped adoption applications and the Discovery Questionnaire validate and store submitted information in the configured WhiskerMatch database before a success state is shown. Adoption applications are stored for the organization responsible for the listing. The public pilot-request form has been retired: shelter and rescue inquiries now go to support@whiskermatch.com by direct email, which the website does not receive or store.

Provisioned users sign in to an organization-scoped application. Account, session, animal, applicant, foster, task, note, status, upload, and audit information may be processed and stored so the requested workflow can operate. Roles and server-side organization checks are used to limit access.

• Vercel hosts and delivers the application and may process standard request and diagnostic information.
• Supabase provides Postgres database and private object storage when those backend services are configured for a deployment.
• RescueGroups.org supplies temporary public adoption-listing data, source media, and required tracker images only when the deployment is placed in RescueGroups discovery mode.
• Anthropic may receive an animal name, species, and public-safe source lines a reviewer types for one organization-owned profile draft when the optional AI key is configured. The action does not automatically load applicant, upload, document, or external provider records.
• Automated transactional email is optional. Core workflows do not depend on email delivery: invitations and password resets can be completed with manually copied links.

The full list, with what each provider touches, is on the subprocessors page.

• Provide, secure, maintain, and troubleshoot WhiskerMatch.
• Authenticate users and enforce organization and role boundaries.
• Store and display records entered by authorized users.
• Review questionnaire submissions and email inquiries and respond to them.
• Improve workflows using operational feedback and non-identifying patterns.
• Investigate abuse, reliability problems, and security incidents.

• We do not sell or rent organization, applicant, adopter, foster, or animal data.
• We do not use operational data for ad targeting.
• We do not guarantee adoption, foster, placement, medical, or behavioral outcomes.
• We do not make veterinary, legal, emergency, or final placement decisions for organizations.
• We do not claim absolute security or a certification we have not earned.

Shelters and rescues remain responsible for the records they enter, the permissions they grant, the people they invite, the decisions they make, and whether information is appropriate to collect, retain, share, or publish. WhiskerMatch supports those workflows; it does not replace organizational judgment or professional advice.

Browser-local prototype data remains until it is removed in the interface, the browser session ends for session-only storage, or site data is cleared. Backend retention depends on the type of record, the organization's active use of the service, operational requirements, and applicable obligations. Authorized organizations can manage many records in the application and may request export, correction, or deletion by contacting us. Public submitters may also ask what information we hold about them and request correction or deletion where appropriate.

WhiskerMatch is not directed to children under 13. If you believe a child submitted personal information without appropriate authorization, contact us so we can review and address it.

We use technical and organizational safeguards appropriate to the current pilot stage, including HTTPS, server-side authentication, role checks, organization-scoped access, private storage, and security testing. No internet service is perfectly secure, and we do not promise absolute security.

We may update this policy as WhiskerMatch changes. Material updates will be reflected on this page with a revised effective date.