Who is responsible

The website and the citizen-science platform are part of the CubanWaterLab project, “In situ monitoring of water quality in Cuban bays”, carried out by the University of Havana (UH) and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) with the support of ARES.

For any question about your data, write to the project coordinators: Dr. C. Ernesto Altshuler Álvarez (ealtshuler@fisica.uh.cu) or Dr. Denis Terwagne (denis.terwagne@ulb.be).

What data we collect

• Visiting the website. Only if you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics measures visits in aggregate (page views, approximate country, device type). If you decline, it is not loaded.
• Citizen reports (no account needed). Location (your GPS or the point you mark on the map), date and time, your answers (water colour, surface, smell, anomalies, fishing details), and optionally a comment, a photo, your name and a contact. The language of the page is also saved.
• Optional account. Username (public), email address (private) and password. The password is stored encrypted by the authentication service and the team cannot see it. The account is linked to the reports you send while signed in.

What is published and what is not

A report is only published once the team reviews and approves it. The public map and list show the date, the location point, the answers, the comment, the photo and, if you have an account, your username. The contributors ranking shows only usernames and the number of published reports.

Never published: the name and contact you type in the form, and your email address. Only authorized team members can see them.

Two recommendations: if you mark your exact location (for example, your home), that point will appear on the map; mark a nearby one if you prefer more privacy. And do not include other people’s data in comments or photos (faces, licence plates, names); we will remove anything that identifies third parties. Photos are resized and re-encoded on your device before being sent, which removes any metadata the file carries, such as its geolocation.

What we use the data for

• Scientific research on the water quality of Havana Bay and other Cuban bays.
• Reviewing and moderating reports, and contacting you if one needs clarification (only if you left a contact).
• Maintaining accounts and the contributors ranking.
• Understanding how the website is used, if you accept analytics cookies.

Scientific results are published in aggregate or anonymous form. We do not sell data or use it for advertising.

Legal basis

We process data with your consent (analytics cookies, reports and account), which you can withdraw at any time, and on the legitimate interest of keeping the website secure. For people in the European Union the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies; for people in Cuba, the applicable Cuban personal-data protection rules.

Services we use

To work, the website relies on external providers that may receive your IP address and process data on servers outside Cuba and the European Union:

• GitHub Pages: website hosting.
• Supabase: database, photo storage and the accounts system.
• Google: Analytics (only if you accept it), Google Fonts (typefaces) and Gmail (sending account confirmation emails).
• OpenStreetMap and cdnjs (Cloudflare): maps and the library that draws them.

How long we keep it

Reports and photos, for as long as the project’s research lasts (2024–2029) and the time needed to publish its results; afterwards they are anonymized or the contact data is deleted. Accounts, until you ask for them to be deleted. Google Analytics data, according to that service’s settings.

Your rights

You can ask to access your data, correct it, have a report or your account deleted, object to a use, or withdraw your consent. Write to the coordinators giving your username or describing the report. If you are in the European Union you can also complain to your data protection authority (in Belgium, the Autorité de protection des données).

What we store on your device

Your browser stores, with no tracking purpose: your cookie choice, your session if you sign in, and reports waiting to be sent when you have no connection. You can delete them by clearing the site’s data in your browser. If you accept analytics, Google Analytics may also create its own cookies.

Minors and security

Participation by minors must have the authorization of a parent or guardian. Communications are encrypted (HTTPS), access to the database is restricted by permissions and reports are moderated before being published. No system is completely secure, but we work to reduce the risks.

Changes to this notice

If we change how we handle data, we will update this page and the date above.