Privacy Policy

1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We may collect the following categories of information:

• Account information, including your name, email address, optional profile picture, and gender.
• Activity data, including walk history, arrival status, and Safe Zone alerts.
• Location data, including precise GPS location. With your explicit consent, SafeWalks may collect location data in the foreground and, where required for safety features, in the background when the App is closed or not in use, in order to operate Emergency SOS, Safe Zone monitoring, and active walk tracking.
• Device information, including device type, operating system, App version, and push notification tokens.
• Usage analytics, including feature interactions and crash reports used to improve the service.
• Medical information that you choose to save in the App for emergency purposes.
• Trusted contact details that you provide so we can notify people you designate during safety events.

2. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We use personal information to:

• Provide and maintain personal safety features, including My Walk tracking, Safe Zone monitoring, journey monitoring, and SOS.
• Verify your identity and maintain account security.
• Send notifications about walks, safety alerts, check-ins, and account activity. You can manage non-emergency notification types in the App settings. Emergency SOS and safety alerts are always delivered.
• Contact your designated trusted contacts when SOS, Safe Zone escalation, or related safety features are activated.
• Enforce our Terms of Service and investigate reports of misuse.
• Improve the App through aggregated and anonymised analytics.

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third-party advertisers.

3. LOCATION DATA

Location is central to SafeWalks safety features. We collect and use location data only after you grant permission and accept our in-app location disclosure.

• Foreground location is used while the App is open for walk tracking, Safe Zone setup, and Emergency SOS.
• Background location, where permitted, is used so SOS detection and Safe Zone monitoring can continue when the App is closed or not in use. On Android, a persistent notification is shown while background location is active.
• You may limit location to "While using the app" or revoke access entirely in your device settings. Features that depend on background location may then be limited or disabled.
• Location is shared only with your trusted contacts and people with whom you share a private walk link, and only while a relevant safety feature is active.
• Location data from completed walks and SOS events is retained for thirty (30) days for safety review, then permanently deleted.
• We never sell or monetise your location data.

4. DATA SHARING

We do not sell your personal data. We may share limited information only in the following circumstances:

• With share-link viewers: live location and ETA during an active My Walk, only when you generate and share a private link.
• With trusted contacts: alerts and location information when SOS, Safe Zone escalation, or related features are activated according to your settings.
• With law enforcement: when required by law, court order, or to prevent imminent harm.
• With service providers: cloud hosting, push notification delivery, authentication, and crash reporting, under appropriate data processing arrangements.

5. DATA RETENTION

• Account data is retained for as long as your account is active, and for thirty (30) days after a deletion request.
• Walk history is retained for twelve (12) months, then anonymised for aggregate safety analytics.
• Location data is deleted thirty (30) days after walk completion.
• Safe Zone configuration and related alerts are retained while your account is active and deleted when the account is deleted.

6. DATA SECURITY

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including encryption in transit, encryption of sensitive data at rest where applicable, and access controls on a need-to-know basis.

In the event of a personal information breach affecting South African users, we will notify affected users and, where required, the Information Regulator in accordance with POPIA.

7. YOUR RIGHTS UNDER POPIA

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or object to processing of your personal information, and to request your data in a commonly used machine-readable format where applicable.

To exercise these rights, contact our Information Officer at [email protected] or use in-app Help & Support.

Account deletion: Delete Account · Data deletion: Request Data Deletion

8. CHILDREN

SafeWalks is intended for users aged eighteen (18) years and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from persons under eighteen. If we become aware that we have collected such information, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

9. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

The App may integrate or link to third-party services such as maps, authentication providers, and emergency information resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. You should review their policies separately.

10. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the App. Continued use of SafeWalks after an updated Policy is posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

11. CONTACT

For privacy-related enquiries: