Our Ethos
UrbanLens exists to help people explore responsibly. These are the values that shape every feature we build, and every decision we make along the way - for the people using the site, and for the people building it.
If you want to contribute code to this project, we expect that code to adhere to these principles, in addition to adhering to our contribution guidelines.
These principles are ranked by priority, not by chronology. When two of them pull in different directions, the higher priority wins; consent comes before privacy, privacy comes before convenience, and responsibility comes before growth.
This isn't just a promise to the people who use UrbanLens. It's also a checklist for anyone building it: if a new feature can't be squared with the principles above it, the feature changes - not the principle.
When something is unclear, we ask before we act.
Example: Importing pins is ambiguous by nature - a new user can't know in advance which pins will be imported or who will see them. So the import flow shows every pin for review before anything is saved, and never makes a pin public on its own. This results in an extra step for users, but it prioritizes consent over convenience.
We do not collect or store data a user doesn't want to share, without exception.
Example: By design, no user can discover other users on the site until they take an action to become visible. Even friend requests do not reveal whether a user exists until after they accept the friend request.
Users should know what data is shared and stored, so they can make informed decisions.
Example: Any data we store about a user is visible to that user on their own profile page. No other user data exists on our site that is not displayed.
We work to keep data from leaking, and design every feature to limit the harm a data breach could cause.
Example: We never store IP addresses, even though it's necessary for analytics. We opt out of analytics to ensure a future data breach can't possibly expose this information.
We encourage behavior that protects people, locations, and the community - even when another option would be more popular.
Example: We discourage large-scale pin sharing, even though it would help promote well-known locations that aren't vulnerable to harm. We encourage targetted information sharing, since it encourages responsible and safe exploring.
Research data should be trustworthy, because it shapes the decisions people make in the field.
Example: We prioritize up-to-date search results, so a user doesn't rely on stale information. We attempt to filter out unrelated information, and we attempt to provide information from as many sources as possible, so ommissions from one source aren't missed.
By including many tools in one place, we encourage good habits around research, exploration, and safety.
Example: A full set of research tools lives in one place, so researching a place before visiting it isn't a chore. Chores often get skipped, resulting in explorers making unsafe decisions.
As UrbanLens grows, we measure new features against these principles - not the other way around.
If you feel like a feature we offer doesn't align with these principles, let us know, and we'll change the feature.
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