This page is generated. It is published automatically from doc/wiki/telemetry-privacy.md in the BirdNET-Go repository. Do not edit it here; changes are overwritten on the next sync. To propose a change, open a pull request against the source file.

This document provides detailed information about BirdNET-Go's privacy-compliant telemetry system, explaining exactly what data is collected, how it's protected, and where it's sent.

BirdNET-Go's telemetry system is built on these core privacy principles:

• Data minimization: Only essential technical error data is collected
• Purpose limitation: Data is used solely for debugging and improving reliability
• Storage limitation: Error data is automatically purged after analysis
• Transparency: Complete disclosure of what data is collected and how it's used

• Lawful basis: Legitimate interest for software improvement, with clear opt-in consent
• Data subject rights: Users can enable/disable tracking at any time
• Data protection: All data is processed securely and anonymized before transmission
• Data minimization: Only the minimum necessary data for debugging is collected

The system meets privacy requirements for:

• GDPR (European Union)
• CCPA (California, USA)
• PIPEDA (Canada)
• Other regional privacy laws

What: Error messages, types, and debugging context Why: Essential for identifying and fixing software bugs Example: "Connection timeout after 30 seconds" Privacy protection: URLs and credentials are automatically anonymized

What: Component names where errors occur Why: Helps developers know which part of the system needs attention Example: "ffmpeg-process-start", "rtsp-connection", "audio-buffer" Privacy protection: No user-specific information in component names

What: Anonymous stream identifiers Why: Allows tracking of issues with the same stream without revealing private URLs Example: "url-abc123def456" (instead of actual RTSP URL) Privacy protection: Original URLs are never transmitted

What: Memory usage, disk space, CPU load errors Why: Helps identify hardware compatibility issues and resource optimization needs Example: "Insufficient memory for audio buffer allocation" Privacy protection: No file paths, user directories, or system-specific information

What: Connection attempt patterns, retry counts, timeout values Why: Helps improve connection reliability and retry logic Example: "Connection failed after 3 retries with 5-second intervals" Privacy protection: No actual network addresses or credentials

• Audio recordings or any sound files
• Bird detection results or species information
• RTSP URLs, IP addresses, hostnames (anonymized before transmission)
• Usernames, passwords or authentication credentials
• File paths or directory structures
• User preferences or configuration settings
• Location data or GPS coordinates
• Device identifiers or hardware serial numbers
• Network topology or internal IP ranges

BirdNET-Go uses a unique system ID for telemetry purposes:

What: A randomly generated identifier (format: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) Why: Allows tracking errors from the same system without revealing identity Example: "A1B2-C3D4-E5F6" Privacy protection:

• Generated locally using cryptographically secure random numbers
• No connection to hardware, network, or user information
• Stored only in your local configuration directory
• You control when and if to share this ID

BirdNET-Go uses a sophisticated anonymization process that protects privacy while preserving debugging value:

Pattern: \b(?:https?|rtsp|rtmp)://[^\s]+

Automatically finds URLs in error messages using regex patterns.

The URL is broken down into components:

• Scheme: rtsp, http, https (preserved for debugging)
• Credentials: username:password (completely removed)
• Host: IP address or hostname (categorized, not preserved)
• Port: port number (preserved if relevant for debugging)
• Path: stream path (structure preserved, content anonymized)

Instead of preserving actual hosts, they are categorized as:

• localhost for local connections
• private-ip for internal network addresses
• public-ip for internet addresses
• domain-com for .com domains (TLD only)

Stream paths are analyzed to preserve structure while anonymizing content:

• Common stream names (stream, live, cam) → preserved as categories
• Numeric identifiers → preserved as numeric
• Custom names → hashed to seg-abc123

The anonymized components are combined and hashed using SHA-256 to create a consistent identifier that:

• ✅ Always produces the same result for the same URL
• ✅ Cannot be reverse-engineered to reveal the original
• ✅ Maintains reasonable uniqueness for debugging
• ❌ Contains no recoverable sensitive information

Error reports are transmitted to:

• Service: Sentry (industry-standard error tracking)
• Region: Europe (Frankfurt, Germany data center)
• Operator: BirdNET-Go development team
• Purpose: Software debugging and improvement only

• Encryption: TLS 1.3 for all data in transit
• Authentication: Secure API keys for authorized transmission
• Rate limiting: Prevents excessive data transmission
• Filtering: All data passes through privacy filters before leaving your system

• Active errors: Kept for 90 days for debugging purposes
• Resolved errors: Automatically purged after 30 days
• Trend data: Anonymized statistics may be retained longer for development planning
• User control: Disabling telemetry stops all future data collection immediately

All telemetry data passes through multiple privacy filters before transmission:

// Automatic URL anonymization in all messages
scrubbedMessage := ScrubMessage(originalMessage)

// Error context filtering
filteredContext := FilterSensitiveContext(errorContext)

// Consistent anonymization
anonymizedID := anonymizeURL(originalURL)

1. Error occurs in BirdNET-Go
2. Privacy filters applied automatically
3. URLs anonymized using consistent hashing
4. Context sanitized to remove sensitive data
5. Telemetry transmitted (if enabled)
6. Data received by development team for debugging

Even before transmission, BirdNET-Go protects your privacy:

• No logging of sensitive URLs in local log files
• Memory safety: Credentials never stored in memory longer than necessary
• Configuration protection: Sensitive settings are not included in telemetry

• Right to consent: Explicit opt-in required for any data collection
• Right to withdraw: Can disable telemetry at any time in settings
• Right to information: This documentation provides complete transparency
• Right to erasure: Disabling telemetry stops collection; existing data is purged per retention policy
• Right to portability: Technical error data is not personal, but users can request information about their contributions

• Settings panel: Easy on/off toggle in web interface
• Immediate effect: Changes take effect without restart
• Visual indicators: Clear status display of telemetry state
• No hidden tracking: No telemetry occurs when disabled

Your unique System ID provides a privacy-preserving way to help developers debug issues:

1. Find your System ID: Go to Settings → Support → Your System ID
2. Copy it: Use the convenient copy button next to your ID
3. When reporting issues: Include your System ID in GitHub issues if you want developers to correlate your error reports
4. Privacy preserved: The System ID cannot be linked to you without your explicit action

Example GitHub issue:

I'm experiencing connection issues with my RTSP stream.
System ID: A1B2-C3D4-E5F6 (telemetry enabled)

This allows developers to:

• ✅ Find related error reports in telemetry data
• ✅ Better understand your specific issue
• ✅ Provide more targeted solutions
• ❌ Cannot identify you unless you share the ID

The BirdNET-Go development team regularly reviews:

• Data collection practices to ensure minimal necessary collection
• Privacy filter effectiveness to prevent sensitive data leakage
• Anonymization quality to maintain privacy while preserving debugging value
• Security measures to protect data in transit and at rest

• Sentry compliance: The error tracking service is SOC 2 Type II certified
• Data processing agreements: Formal agreements ensure GDPR compliance
• Regular security audits of the entire data pipeline

For questions about privacy and data collection:

• GitHub Issues: BirdNET-Go Privacy Issues
• Email: Include "Privacy" in the subject line for faster routing

For GDPR-related requests or concerns, contact the project maintainers through the official GitHub repository.

Last updated: June 2025