Last updated: September 10, 2026.
This policy explains how The Bug Identifier (thebugidentifier.com) handles information when you use the bug identifier or read the guides. We wrote it in plain English rather than legal boilerplate. A privacy policy you cannot understand is not much use to you.
The short version
- We do not ask you to create an account, and we do not want your name or address.
- Photos you upload are used to produce one identification, then discarded. We do not keep them.
- We store your IP address briefly to stop abuse of the free tool.
- We show ads through Google AdSense, which uses cookies.
- We use Microsoft Clarity to see how pages are used. It records how you move, click and scroll on the page, so please treat your visit as observed.
- We do not sell your personal information to anyone.
What we collect
Photos you upload
When you use the identifier, we send your image to our AI identification provider so it can return a result. Producing that result is the only thing the photo is used for, and we do not store it on our servers afterwards. We never attach photos to a profile, because we do not build profiles.
Please avoid uploading images that contain people, documents, screens, or anything else you would not want processed by a third party. The tool is for photographs of insects and spiders.
Technical information
- Server logs. Standard web logs recording IP address, time of request, page requested, and browser user agent. These exist for security and troubleshooting.
- Usage counts for rate limiting. The free identifier allows a limited number of scans per day. To enforce that fairly we keep a short-lived count keyed to your IP address. It records how many identifications that address has made today and nothing else. It resets daily.
Session recording and heatmaps
We use Microsoft Clarity to understand how people actually use these pages. Clarity records your visit as a session replay. That includes the pages you open, where you move your pointer, what you click and tap, how far you scroll, and how long you stay. It also builds heatmaps, which combine many visits into one picture of where people click and read.
Clarity is run by Microsoft Corporation, and the recordings are stored by Microsoft rather than by us. It also collects standard device details such as your browser, screen size, country and IP address. We use it to find pages that confuse people or break on a phone. We do not use it to work out who you are, and we never combine it with the photos you upload.
Clarity is designed to hide the content you type, and we do not ask you for personal details anywhere on this site. Even so, please treat your visit as observed. You can read how Microsoft handles this data in the Microsoft Privacy Statement. Blocking the _clck and _clsk cookies stops the recording, and our cookie policy explains how.
What we do not collect
No accounts, no passwords, no names, no postal addresses, no payment details. We do not ask for any of them, so we never hold them.
Who else receives data
| Who | What they receive | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Google AdSense | Cookie and device data for ad serving | To display advertising that funds the site |
| Microsoft Clarity | Session recordings, clicks, scrolling, and device and browser details | To see which pages confuse people or break on a phone |
| Our AI identification provider | The photo you upload | To generate the identification result |
| Our hosting provider | Standard server log data | To serve the website |
These providers process data on our behalf under their own terms. We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising beyond the standard AdSense mechanism described below.
Cookies and advertising
We use a small number of first-party cookies to make the site work. Our cookie policy lists them and explains how to control them.
We use Google AdSense to display ads. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this and other sites on the internet.
You can opt out of personalised advertising in Google Ads Settings. You can opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info, and in Europe at youronlinechoices.eu. Opting out does not remove ads, it makes them less relevant.
How long we keep things
- Uploaded photos: not retained after the identification is returned.
- Rate-limit counts: reset every day.
- Server logs: kept only as long as needed for security and troubleshooting.
- Clarity session recordings: held by Microsoft under their retention rules, not by us. The
_clckcookie can last up to a year, while_clskis short lived and covers a single visit.
Your rights
Where you live decides which rights you have. Most people can ask us to show the personal data we hold, correct it, delete it, object to how we use it, or send a portable copy. Those rights come from the GDPR in the UK and the European Economic Area. California readers get similar rights under the CCPA and CPRA, including the right not to be treated worse for using them.
We hold very little that identifies you, so most requests are quick to answer. Email thebugidentifier@gmail.com and we will reply within 30 days. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
Children
The Bug Identifier is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, email us and we will delete it. Where required, we instruct Google to serve non-personalised ads to users who may be children.
International transfers
Our providers may handle data in countries outside your own, including the United States. Each one relies on its own safeguards and contracts to cover those transfers.
Security
We serve the site over HTTPS, cap upload size, and rate-limit the tool. We also keep the amount of data we hold deliberately small. No system is perfectly secure. The best protection is simply not collecting things in the first place, and that is the approach we took.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle data, we will update this page and the date at the top. Any material change appears here before it takes effect.
Contact
Questions, data requests, or corrections: email thebugidentifier@gmail.com, or use the contact page.