Privacy Policy for Suraksha Kavach

In-App Location & Maps:

Location access is used to display the user's current position on in-app maps and related navigation views.

SOS Emergency Location Sharing:

When a user manually triggers an SOS using the in-app SOS button or the home screen widget, the app starts a foreground service to support emergency assistance. At the time of activation, a safety ticket is created containing the user's current location.

While the SOS remains active, the foreground service periodically updates the user's current location at regular intervals to enable real-time safety tracking. These updates are securely transmitted to the backend and made available through a protected web dashboard accessible only to the user's selected emergency contacts and affiliated responders.

Location sharing during an active SOS continues only until the user explicitly disables the SOS or marks themselves safe, at which point all location updates and sharing immediately stop.

Driving & Safety Monitoring:

When a user enables driving detection within the app, Suraksha Kavach may automatically detect driving activity using supported device capabilities. During a detected driving session, location data is used to record the route of the drive for safety analysis and trip history purposes.

Driving session data is associated with the user's account and is securely transmitted to the backend when the driving session ends. If network connectivity is unavailable, the data may be temporarily stored locally on the device and synchronized securely once connectivity is restored.

Background Location Usage:

Background location access is used only to support user-enabled safety features such as driving detection and SOS functionality when the app is not actively open. Location data is not collected for advertising, analytics, behavioral profiling, or unrelated tracking.

Location collection occurs only in connection with enabled features and user-initiated actions and is not performed continuously without a clear safety-related purpose.

Audio Information:

Audio access is used only when the user has explicitly enabled voice-command SOS or when an SOS is actively triggered. The app does not continuously listen to or record audio in the background outside of these situations.

During an active SOS, if video recording is enabled, audio may also be captured as part of the video recording to provide contextual information for emergency response.

Photos & Video Information:

Camera access is used only during an active SOS to capture photos or video of the user's surroundings. Captured media, including accompanying audio where applicable, is associated with the active SOS event and transmitted securely to the backend to support emergency response and evidence sharing.

Audio and media capture continues only for the duration of the active SOS and stops immediately once the user disables the SOS or marks themselves safe.

Captured audio, photos, and videos are shared exclusively with the user's selected emergency contacts and authorized responders through secure channels and are not used for advertising, analytics, behavioral profiling, or unrelated purposes.

Motion & Activity Sensors:

Suraksha Kavach uses device motion sensors, such as the accelerometer and gyroscope, to detect sudden movements or impacts that may indicate a crash or unsafe event. These sensors are also used in combination with supported activity recognition capabilities to identify driving activity and manage safety-related features such as driving detection and emergency monitoring.

Motion and activity sensor data is used solely to support safety automation and does not involve health analysis, biometric identification, or behavioral profiling.

Device Status Information:

The app may access device status information, such as battery level, to support safety-related alerts. For example, if the device battery is critically low during an active SOS, the app may notify the user's emergency contacts to ensure continued awareness.

Sensor and device status data are used only for safety and emergency purposes and is not used for advertising, analytics, or unrelated tracking.

Data Storage:

Suraksha Kavach stores information both locally on the user's device and on secure backend servers, depending on the feature being used. Local storage may be used temporarily to support offline functionality or when network connectivity is unavailable.

Emergency contact information selected by the user may be stored locally on the device and securely stored on backend servers to enable synchronization, backup, and reliable emergency communication.

Retention of Safety Data:

Information related to SOS events, including location updates and associated media, is retained only for as long as necessary to support emergency response, safety review, and user access to incident details.

Driving session information, such as route data and trip history, is retained to allow users to view past driving sessions within the app.

Offline Handling & Synchronization:

If data transmission to the backend fails due to connectivity issues, relevant information—including emergency contacts or session data—may be temporarily stored locally on the device. This data is synchronized securely once connectivity is restored.

Data Deletion:

Users may delete their account and associated data at any time through the app's settings. Upon account deletion, personal data stored on backend systems, including emergency contact information, is removed in accordance with applicable retention requirements, and locally stored data is cleared from the device.

Data is not retained longer than necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and is not used for advertising, analytics, or unrelated purposes.

Permissions Management:

Users can grant or revoke app permissions, such as location, microphone, and camera access, at any time through their device settings. Disabling certain permissions may limit the functionality of related safety features.

Feature Controls:

Safety features such as driving detection, voice-command SOS, and emergency sharing are user-enabled and can be turned on or off within the app. SOS location sharing, audio capture, and media recording occur only while an SOS is actively enabled and stop immediately when the user disables the SOS or marks themselves safe.

Protection Against Unauthorized Actions:

To prevent accidental or unauthorized deactivation of an active SOS, the app may require system-level authentication before allowing an SOS to be stopped. Authentication is handled entirely by the device operating system, and the app does not access or store authentication credentials.

Account & Data Deletion:

Users may delete their account and associated data at any time through the app's settings.