Privacy Policy

Introduction

Ping Safety (“Ping,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the Ping mobile application (the “App”), a personal safety timer and check-in service. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our App.

By using Ping, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the App.

Contact Information

For any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at:

Ping Safety
Email: [email protected]

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

Account Information:

• Email address
• Password (securely hashed; we never store or access your plaintext password)
• Display name

Phone Number (Optional):

• Your personal phone number, if provided

Emergency Contact Information:

• Names of your designated safety contacts
• Phone numbers of your safety contacts (stored in E.164 international format)
• Email addresses of your safety contacts (if provided)
• Notification preferences for each contact (push, SMS, email)

Timer and Check-In Data:

• Timer durations and schedules
• Daily check-in frequency and preferred check-in times
• Check-in history (whether you checked in on time or missed a deadline)
• Streak counts and check-in statistics
• Timezone information

Alert Preferences:

• Push notification preferences
• SMS alert preferences
• Email alert preferences

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

Location Data:

• Precise GPS location (latitude and longitude) is collected when you have an active safety timer or daily check-in running
• Location is collected in the foreground (while using the App) and in the background (while the App is not actively in use) when a timer or check-in is active
• Background location is collected at intervals that vary based on your timer or check-in frequency:
  • Active timer: approximately every 10 minutes
  • Daily check-in (1x daily): approximately every 5 hours
  • Daily check-in (every 2 days): approximately every 10 hours
  • Daily check-in (every 3+ days): proportionally longer intervals
• Location data is only collected while a timer or check-in is active. When no timer or check-in is running, location tracking stops entirely
• Your most recent location is stored as “last known location” and is cleared when you check in, cancel a timer, or when no active timer or check-in exists

Device Information:

• Expo push notification token (a unique identifier for delivering push notifications to your device)
• Basic device and operating system information as collected by Firebase (device type, OS version)

Device Contact List Access (Optional):

• If you choose “Choose from Contacts” when adding an emergency contact, the App requests permission to access your device's contact list
• This access opens a system contact picker, allowing you to select a single contact. We only receive the name and phone number of the contact you select
• We do not read, upload, or store your full contact list. Only the specific contact you pick is used
• You can always choose “Enter Manually” instead, which does not require contact list access

1.3 Information We Do NOT Collect

• We do not bulk-read, upload, or store your device's address book — we only receive the single contact you select via the system picker (if you choose that option)
• We do not collect photos, videos, or media
• We do not collect biometric data
• We do not collect financial or payment card information directly (all payment processing is handled by Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and RevenueCat)
• We do not use cookies or web tracking technologies

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

We do not use your information for advertising, marketing to third parties, user profiling, or behavioral tracking.

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 With Your Emergency Contacts

When a safety timer expires or a daily check-in is missed, we share the following with your designated emergency contacts:

• Your display name
• A safety alert message
• Your last known location (as a map link), if available

This information is shared only when an alert is triggered and only with the specific contacts you have chosen.

3.2 With Service Providers

We use the following third-party service providers to operate the App. These providers process data on our behalf and are contractually obligated to use your data only for the purposes we specify:

3.3 No Sale or Marketing Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing or promotional purposes. No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

3.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

• Comply with a legal obligation or valid legal process
• Protect and defend our rights or property
• Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the App
• Protect the personal safety of users or the public

4. Location Data

4.1 How Location Data Works

Location data is central to Ping's safety functionality. Here is exactly how it works:

1. When collected: Only while you have an active safety timer or daily check-in. If no timer or check-in is active, no location data is collected.
2. Foreground and background: When a timer or check-in is active, location is collected both while you are using the App and while it runs in the background.
3. What is stored: Only your single most recent location (latitude, longitude, and timestamp). We do not maintain a location history or track your movements over time.
4. When shared: Your location is included in safety alerts sent to your emergency contacts only when a timer expires or a check-in is missed.
5. When deleted: Your stored location is cleared when you check in, cancel a timer, or when all active timers and check-ins end.

4.2 Your Control Over Location Data

• You can deny or revoke location permissions at any time through your device's settings
• Revoking location permission means your safety alerts will not include location information, but the App will still send alerts to your contacts
• You can stop all location tracking by canceling all active timers and check-ins

4.3 Android Background Location

On Android, a persistent notification is displayed while background location tracking is active, stating: “Safety in Progress — Ping is monitoring your safety.” This notification cannot be hidden while tracking is active, as required by the Android operating system.

5. Data Retention

An automated cleanup process runs daily to enforce these retention periods.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption in transit: All data transmitted between the App and our servers uses HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Encryption at rest: Data stored in Firebase Firestore is encrypted at rest using Google Cloud's encryption
• Authentication: All API requests require valid Firebase Authentication tokens
• Access control: Firestore security rules ensure users can only access their own data
• Server-side validation: All critical operations are validated server-side to prevent tampering
• Input sanitization: User inputs are sanitized to prevent injection attacks
• Rate limiting: Invite creation and acceptance are rate-limited to prevent abuse
• Phone number validation: Emergency contact phone numbers are validated against E.164 format to prevent misuse

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights and Choices

7.1 All Users

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data within the App
• Update your account information, display name, and preferences at any time
• Delete emergency contacts at any time
• Cancel active timers and daily check-ins at any time
• Disable push notifications through your device settings
• Revoke location permissions through your device settings
• Delete your account through the App's Settings screen

To exercise any right not available directly through the App, please contact us at [email protected].

7.2 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Right to Know: You may request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Correct: You may request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. No opt-out is necessary.
• Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: Precise geolocation is classified as sensitive personal information. You may limit its use by revoking location permissions.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

Categories of Personal Information Collected:

• Identifiers (name, email, phone number, user ID)
• Geolocation data (precise location)
• Electronic network activity (push notification tokens)
• Inferences (check-in patterns, streak data)

To submit a CCPA/CPRA request, contact us at [email protected].

7.3 European Economic Area Residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Legal Bases for Processing:

Your GDPR Rights:

• Right of Access (Article 15): Request a copy of your personal data
• Right to Rectification (Article 16): Request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to Erasure (Article 17): Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Restriction (Article 18): Request restriction of processing
• Right to Data Portability (Article 20): Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Object (Article 21): Object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Right to Withdraw Consent (Article 7(3)): Withdraw consent at any time

International Data Transfers: Your data is processed by service providers based in the United States. These transfers are protected by Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).

Supervisory Authority: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

To exercise your GDPR rights, contact us at [email protected].

8. Emergency Contact Recipients

If you receive an SMS or email alert from Ping, it means someone added you as their emergency safety contact. Here is what you should know:

• What we have: Your name and phone number and/or email address, as provided by the Ping user who added you
• How it is used: Solely to send you safety alerts if that person's timer expires or they miss a check-in
• Opt-out: You can stop receiving SMS alerts at any time by replying STOP to any message from Ping
• Help: Reply HELP to any Ping SMS for support information
• No marketing: We will never use your contact information for marketing, promotions, or any purpose other than safety alerts
• Deletion: If you want your information removed from our system entirely, contact us at [email protected]

9. Children's Privacy

Ping is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 13 (or the minimum age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child under the applicable minimum age, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected].

10. Third-Party Links and Services

The App may contain links to third-party websites or services (such as map links in safety alerts). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party services you access.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated Privacy Policy within the App
• Updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this document
• Sending a push notification or email for significant changes, where appropriate

Your continued use of the App after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

12. Data Controller

Ping Safety is the data controller responsible for your personal information processed through the App.

Ping Safety
Email: [email protected]