SafeTripAlert ("we", "us") is a personal-safety application that shares your live location with people you designate as trusted contacts through a shareable tracking link. Anyone holding a valid link may also view that journey. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights you have under the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the CPRA (CCPA/CPRA), the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA), and other applicable data-protection laws.

1. Data controller

The data controller for personal data processed through SafeTripAlert is the operator of this application. For any privacy request, contact privacy@safetripalert.com.

2. Personal data we collect

Account data: name, email address, phone number, hashed password.
Trusted-contact data: name and phone number of the people you invite. You confirm on signup that you have their permission to share these details with us for the purpose of contacting them in a safety event.
Location data: latitude, longitude, and timestamp recorded during a journey. Ending live tracking does not delete locations already stored or shared.
Safety events: SOS alerts, geofence arrivals, deadman-switch triggers, check-in responses.
Technical data: device type, browser, service-worker cache metadata, and error logs needed to keep the app secure and running.

3. Legal bases (GDPR Art. 6 & 9)

Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) — to provide the safety features you request.
Vital interests (Art. 6(1)(d) & 9(2)(c)) — location and SOS data are processed to protect your life and physical integrity in an emergency.
Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) — securing the service, preventing abuse.
Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) — non-essential cookies and browser notifications. You may withdraw at any time in Settings or your browser.

4. How we use the data

To share your live location with the trusted contact you selected, via a unique tokenised link.
To dispatch WhatsApp / SMS notifications when you start a journey, arrive safely, or trigger an SOS.
To operate account authentication, safe zones, journey history, and admin auditing.
To detect and prevent fraudulent signups (human-verification token).

We do not sell personal data. We do not use your data for advertising or profiling.

5. Sharing & subprocessors

Lovable Cloud infrastructure for account authentication, data storage and application operations.
Messaging providers used to deliver WhatsApp / SMS notifications you initiate.
Map tile providers used to render the live-tracking map.

Each subprocessor is bound by a Data Processing Agreement and, where required, EU Standard Contractual Clauses for international transfers.

6. Location access, sharing stops and retention

Who can view your journey

You can view your own journeys in your account. A tracking link allows its holder to view the linked journey and its recorded locations without signing in or proving they are your named trusted contact. Anyone who receives a forwarded link can use it while it remains valid. Keep links private. Our cloud infrastructure processes these records to operate the service; authorised administrative access may also be used for service operation and security.

Stopping updates is not the same as removing access

Live updates end when you confirm arrival and the journey is marked Completed. Automatic arrival detection can send a notice, but does not itself complete the journey or stop tracking. A duress PIN is an exception: it is designed to keep tracking running quietly rather than perform a normal stop. Losing connection or disabling location access interrupts updates but does not revoke the link. Locations already received can still be visible.

A completed journey’s saved route can remain accessible through a valid tracking link. An expiry time limits how long the link can retrieve journey data. Selecting “No expiry” removes that time limit; completion alone does not make the link invalid. Expiry does not erase stored records or recall data already viewed, saved or copied by a recipient.

How long records are kept

Completed journey and location history: in Settings, choose 7, 30, 90 or 365 days from confirmed completion, or “Until I delete it” (the default). Cleanup checks daily, so deletion processes up to 1,000 journeys per check, so deletion may occur up to a day after the chosen period, or later for a large backlog or if cleanup is interrupted. Manual deletion also uses batches of up to 1,000; repeat if more remain. Your choice applies to existing and future completed history. You can permanently delete completed history sooner in Settings. Deleted journey links stop opening that journey. Active journeys are excluded.
SOS records, reviews and check-in records: retained separately and not erased by completed-history deletion. SOS records may contain their own location. For wider deletion, use Data Rights.
Account and contact data: stored to provide your account and messaging features. Account deletion is available in Settings; you can also submit a request through Data Rights.
Security and delivery logs, and backup copies: may have separate retention from journey records. A fixed deletion period for these copies is not currently confirmed.
Offline locations on your phone: saved locations can remain in browser storage until uploaded or removed. They have no confirmed automatic age-based expiry, and signing out or requesting account deletion does not automatically clear this local queue. Manual completed-history deletion clears matching pending locations on the device you use; automatic cleanup and other devices may leave local copies.
Messages and recipient copies: messages, downloaded information and screenshots held by recipients or messaging providers are not recalled when a journey ends or your account is deleted.

The history-retention choice does not set a deletion period for SOS records, security logs or backup copies. Previously stated fixed periods for those separate records remain unconfirmed. For a deletion request or confirmation of what remains, use Data Rights or contact privacy@safetripalert.com.

7. Your rights

You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, port, and object to the processing of your personal data, and to lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority. See our Data Rights page to submit a request. We respond within 30 days.

8. Security

Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest. Access is protected by row-level security policies, role separation, and human-verification on sign-up. Tracking links use hard-to-guess tokens but are reusable while valid, not single-use or tied to the recipient’s identity.

9. Children

SafeTripAlert is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from a child without verifiable parental consent.

10. Emergency services disclaimer

SafeTripAlert is a personal-safety companion. It is not a replacement for the emergency services in your country (112, 911, 999, 122, etc.). Always contact the police, ambulance, or fire service first in a life-threatening situation.

11. Changes

We will notify registered users of material changes to this policy by email at least 14 days before they take effect.