What we collect
- The Place information, text, and photos a contributor chooses to submit.
- The area information and local knowledge a contributor provides when suggesting a Home Base.
- The contributor’s name and email address so a moderator can ask questions about the submission.
- Photo metadata that may include the date, camera details, and an exact GPS point.
- For a Safari inquiry, the selected Safari, Safari Finder choices when present, approximate travel timing, party details, departure country when provided, name, email, optional phone number, and optional note.
- A session challenge used to reduce automated submissions.
How we use it
Submitted material is reviewed before publication. A Home Base suggestion is kept separate from the public Home Base directory until a moderator decides to create a curated Home Base. Contact details are used only to discuss the contribution and are not displayed publicly or used for marketing.
Photos and location privacy
The original uploaded photo and its exact metadata remain private for moderation. If a photo is approved, Across Africa creates a separate public copy with embedded metadata removed. A moderator may use the lead photo’s location to place the discovery on the public map, but additional-photo locations do not determine the Place location.
When a lead photo contains GPS data, Across Africa may send a rounded version of that point to OpenStreetMap’s Nominatim service to suggest a locality, region, and country. This single lookup occurs only after the contributor selects the lead photo. The suggested names remain editable, and no lookup is performed for additional photos.
Permission to contribute
Contributors must submit only text and photos they created or have permission to share. Contributors keep ownership of their work. By submitting, they give Across Africa non-exclusive permission to store and review the material, edit it for clarity or presentation, and publicly display accepted portions as part of the site.
Safari planning requests
Across Africa uses the information you provide to respond to your Safari inquiry. Your request is not published on the website. With your consent, Across Africa may share relevant trip and contact details with suitable Safari operators.
Retention, corrections, and removal
Submitted records and private originals may be retained for moderation and site administration. Safari inquiry details are kept while they are needed to respond to the traveler, manage a consented referral, and maintain necessary administrative records. Staff can remove the lead’s contact details, departure country, free-text note, and private staff or assignment notes while retaining non-identifying status and aggregate outcome information. A contributor or traveler may request a correction or removal of their contribution or private contact information.
Referral measurement
Across Africa may show links to useful travel resources and businesses. A viewable impression is recorded only after at least half of a recommendation is visible for one continuous second. A click is recorded when the site's redirect sends a visitor to the selected external website.
These records contain the campaign, placement, page path, destination category, and time. They do not store an IP address, referrer, query string, browser fingerprint, or persistent visitor identifier. A random page-view value is used only to avoid counting the same placement twice on one rendered page. Google Analytics may also receive corresponding operator-interaction events when analytics is enabled and not blocked by the visitor's browser.
Safari Finder activity
Across Africa records completed Safari Finder choices, recommended Safaris opened, planning actions, and Safari Operator clicks to learn whether the Finder is useful. These records may trigger an immediate staff email. They contain the selected Finder criteria, page and Safari context, time, and a one-way anonymous session reference. They do not contain an IP address, precise location, browser fingerprint, advertising identifier, or contact details.
Analytics on this browser
You can exclude this browser from Google Analytics and Across Africa's first-party Safari activity and referral measurement on this website. The preference stays in this browser and does not change the site's forms or other functions.
Checking this browser's analytics preference…
Questions and requests can be sent to hello@theacrossproject.com.
Changes to this page
This notice may be updated as Across Africa adds features or changes how contributions are handled. The latest revision date will appear above.