Privacy
The short version
This project collects no personally identifiable data from walkers. The sensors on the boardwalk count pedestrian movements using infrared beams only — no cameras, no images, no names, no faces. If you submit a photo through this site, you control what happens to it and can request removal at any time.
The sensors
Two small sensor units are installed at the start and end of the 60-metre gallery section. Each unit uses an infrared beam — the same technology as an automatic door sensor — to detect when someone crosses the beam.
What the sensors record: a timestamp and the time elapsed between the two beam events (how long it took to walk from one end of the section to the other).
What the sensors do not record: images, video, faces, voices, device identifiers, Wi-Fi signals, Bluetooth signals, or any information that could identify an individual.
The data is stored locally on an SD card inside each sensor unit. It is not transmitted wirelessly. It is not connected to the internet. It is downloaded manually by the project lead during weekly site visits.
This is a Privacy by Design architecture — the system is physically incapable of collecting personally identifiable data, not merely configured to avoid it.
The full technical specification is available in the project repository.
Photographs of the chalk surface
The project lead photographs the chalk surface each morning as part of a daily site audit. These photographs are of the boardwalk surface — chalk marks, drawings, and text contributed by walkers.
If a person appears incidentally in a photograph, their face is blurred before the image is published to this site.
Project lead photographs do not capture people as their subject. If you are concerned that you may appear in a photograph, please contact us.
Photo submissions
If you submit a photo through the Participate page, the following applies:
- Your photo will be reviewed by the project lead before publication
- Your first name or nickname (if provided) may be displayed alongside your photo
- Your photo may be used in academic research related to this project
- You may request removal of your submission at any time by contacting us
- By submitting, you confirm that the photo does not contain images of identifiable individuals without their consent
We do not sell, share, or otherwise distribute submitted photos to third parties.
The QR code and this website
Scanning the QR code at the chalk station takes you to this website. No identifying information is collected when you scan the QR code or visit this site beyond standard web server logs (IP address, browser type, page visited, timestamp) that are retained by the hosting provider, Bluehost, under their standard privacy policy.
Implied consent and participation
By contributing to the chalk surface on the boardwalk, you are participating in a community art project. Your contribution may be photographed for a digital archive and used in academic research. No personal identifying information is collected in this process.
Participation is entirely voluntary. You may walk through the gallery section without contributing, without scanning the QR code, and without engaging with the chalk station. The sensor units record transit events from all walkers regardless of whether they engage with the chalk — this is necessary to establish a meaningful behavioural baseline.
If you would prefer not to pass through the sensor-equipped section at all, a parallel footpath running alongside the road is available for the full length of the boardwalk section. This path is clearly visible from both entry points and is already in regular use. You can opt out of presence in the sensor zone; you cannot opt out of engaging with chalk you choose to interact with — but that engagement is entirely your choice.
Contact and removal requests
For any privacy-related questions or to request removal of a submitted photo, please use the contact page or email the project lead directly.
Project Lead: Peter Shanks
Academic context: FXA301 Arts in the Community, University of Tasmania