Security traffic monitoring

Security administrators can see server-observed IP addresses, UTC request time, normalized route categories, HTTP status, elapsed response time and security signals. Query strings, raw request bodies, passwords, emails and private-message contents are not recorded in this monitor. Its rotating logs are capped at 7 days or 2 MiB, whichever is shorter; cleanup runs during requests and maintenance. Request-rate counters retain at most one minute of active IP entries. Security rules and audit records have separate retention.

Approximate city, region and country lookup uses a local copy of DB-IP Lite data. Visitor IPs are not sent to a geolocation service. Security administrators may group recorded requests by these estimated locations and view aggregate counts on a self-hosted map; this does not identify a street address or device GPS position. VPNs, proxies and shared networks make location and visitor counts unreliable. Administrators may temporarily block or throttle exact addresses/ranges and designate dashboard alerts. Provider access logs and backups have separate policies.

Friends-only sharing and account controls

Accepted friends can see friends-only posts, pictures and map pins after signing in. Links do not grant access. Removing or blocking a friend revokes future access but cannot remove copies they already saved. New friends can see existing friends-only posts. Authorized administrators and Galaxy moderators retain moderation access. Matching alerts use public posts only. Account deactivation or suspension blocks access and hides posts; reactivation restores eligible posts, not individually held or trashed items. Administrators can permanently delete and anonymize an account, with limited records retained as described below.

Friend chat is available only between active, verified, accepted friends. It is stored on LostaFound, not end-to-end encrypted. Friend-request notifications are sent through Resend to eligible verified existing members when enabled; emails contain a sign-in link, not account addresses or an automatic acceptance action. Chat emails are not sent. Private delivery records retain account IDs and retry status for up to 30 days; hosting backups and provider logs have separate retention. Removing or blocking a friend stops access; if both people reconnect, previous messages become available again. Deleting an account removes that person’s message text.

Nearby landmarks

Only when you choose Find landmarks, LostaFound sends your selected center, rounded to three decimal places, and the landmark category to Private.coffee. Our server requests OpenStreetMap data and caches suggestions for up to seven days. No account details or typed search text are sent to the provider. Search coordinates can appear in hosting logs. Results within about 5 km are bounded suggestions, not a complete directory or proof of the exact item location. Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

City suggestions

City-name checks and nearest-city suggestions run on LostaFound using a local GeoNames directory, adapted under CC BY 4.0. We normalized names and selected city/region fields. Typed city queries and optional search-center coordinates go to our server, not a third-party geocoder, and may appear in hosting access logs. Nearby cities use only a center you have chosen; no automatic phone-location request occurs. The directory covers cities/towns over 1,000 people and selected administrative seats, not every village, landmark or address. A city match does not verify an exact street address or where an item was lost/found. Data can be incomplete or inaccurate; custom public places remain supported.

Remembered search filters

Apply filters remembers your selected dates, keywords, location text, map center, distance, types, categories and display options in an encrypted, authenticated cookie on this browser or app for up to 180 days. It is separate from your account and does not sync between devices. Someone using the same browser or app may see the saved filters. Reset filters deletes this cookie and restores the defaults, including today’s UTC date. Saved dates remain the dates you selected; they do not automatically advance each day. Search-center coordinates still appear in filter URLs and may remain in history or hosting logs.

Pictures, claims and private messages

Uploaded pictures are resized and re-encoded to remove embedded location metadata. Visible faces, labels and addresses are not removed automatically. Photos follow the report’s Public or Friends-only audience; hidden, pending and expired report photos are restricted to the author and authorized administrators.

Claim details, identifying references and private messages are stored on our hosting database. Conversation participants and authorized administrators can read messages; claimants cannot read the finder’s private ownership reference. This is not end-to-end encrypted messaging. Email matching alerts are off unless you choose them; you can unsubscribe or disable alerts.

Use Account to block users, close or renew reports, or delete your account. Account deletion removes active access, photos, your message text, subscriptions and personal report details. Minimal abuse, security and financial records may remain for safety, legal and accounting purposes; hosting backups have separate retention.