Privacy Policy

Who We Are

Travel Safe ("the App", "we", "us", "our") is an independently developed mobile application operated by an individual developer based in the United States. Travel Safe is not a corporation, subsidiary, or affiliate of any other entity. All data practices described in this policy are carried out solely by the individual developer responsible for the App.

For all privacy-related enquiries, contact us at: travelsafesupport@gmail.com

Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to:

• The Travel Safe Android mobile application
• The Travel Safe website hosted at silentstep-productions.github.io/travelsafe
• Any communications between you and Travel Safe support

This policy does not apply to third-party services that Travel Safe integrates with. Each third-party service has its own privacy policy, which governs how that service handles your data independently of Travel Safe. Links to relevant third-party policies are provided in Section 7.

Information We Collect

We collect only the minimum data necessary to provide the App's functionality. The table below describes each category of data we collect, why we collect it, and whether collection is mandatory or optional.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect exclusively for the following purposes:

• Providing the App's core functionality — delivering emergency alerts, displaying zone maps, and enabling the I'm Safe feature
• Account authentication — verifying your identity via Google OAuth when you sign in
• Push notifications — sending real-time emergency alerts to your device for your monitored region
• Region personalisation — filtering alerts and content to the countries or regions you monitor
• Zone moderation — reviewing community-submitted zone data for accuracy before publication
• Support — responding to your enquiries and resolving issues
• App improvement — understanding how features are used, in aggregate and anonymised form, to improve the App
• Legal compliance — fulfilling our obligations under applicable law

Legal Basis for Processing

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, and other jurisdictions with data protection laws requiring a legal basis for processing, we process personal data on the following grounds:

• Performance of a contract — processing necessary to provide the App service you have requested (account creation, alert delivery, zone submissions)
• Consent — where you have explicitly granted permission, such as location access and push notification delivery. You may withdraw consent at any time through your device settings without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing
• Legitimate interests — improving the App, maintaining security, and preventing fraud, where such interests are not overridden by your rights
• Legal obligation — where we are required by law to retain or disclose information

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal information with any third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes.

We may share your information only in the following strictly limited circumstances:

• Service providers acting on our behalf: Supabase (database hosting) and Google Firebase (push notification delivery) process data on our behalf under appropriate data processing agreements. They are not permitted to use your data for any independent purpose.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, valid legal process, court order, or governmental authority. Where permitted, we will notify you before disclosing.
• Protection of rights and safety: We may disclose information in good faith where we believe it is necessary to protect the legal rights, property, or safety of Travel Safe, its users, or the public.
• Business transfer: In the unlikely event that Travel Safe is acquired or transferred to another operator, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction. You will be notified in advance of any such transfer and of any changes to this Privacy Policy.

Third-Party Services

Travel Safe integrates with the following third-party services. Your use of Travel Safe means your data may also be processed by these services under their respective privacy policies:

• Google OAuth — used for account sign-in. Governed by the Google Privacy Policy.
• Google Maps (react-native-maps) — used to render the map interface. Governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Google Maps Platform Terms.
• Google Firebase (FCM) — used to deliver push notifications to Android devices. Governed by the Firebase Privacy Policy.
• Supabase — used for database storage and real-time data. Governed by the Supabase Privacy Policy. Data is hosted on infrastructure provided by Amazon Web Services.
• Google Play — used for app distribution and in-app purchases. Governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Google Play Terms of Service.
• Expo (EAS) — used as the application framework for building and delivering the App. Governed by the Expo Privacy Policy.

We have no control over the data practices of these third-party services and are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to review their policies directly.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to provide the App's services or as required by law:

• Account data — retained for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will delete your account data within 30 days, subject to any legal retention obligations.
• Push tokens — retained until you uninstall the App, revoke notification permission, or request deletion. Tokens that have not been active for 12 months are periodically purged.
• Zone submissions — retained as part of the platform's community data. If you request deletion of your submissions, we will remove them within 30 days.
• Support communications — retained for up to 2 years after your enquiry is resolved, in case of follow-up or legal requirement.
• Anonymised usage data — may be retained indefinitely as it cannot be used to identify you.

Data Security

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction:

• All data transmitted between the App and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS
• Database access is restricted and governed by row-level security policies enforced by Supabase
• Authentication is handled via Google OAuth — we never store passwords
• Push tokens are stored with restricted access and are not exposed in client-facing queries

International Data Transfers

Travel Safe is operated from the United States and is available globally. Your data may be stored and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, data transfers to the United States and other third countries are made on the basis of standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission, or other appropriate safeguards as permitted under applicable law. Supabase and Google Firebase maintain GDPR-compliant data processing agreements.

By using Travel Safe, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States and other countries in accordance with this policy.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data. We honour all of the following rights regardless of your jurisdiction:

• Right to access — you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — you may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — you may request deletion of your personal data. We will fulfil this within 30 days subject to any legal retention requirements
• Right to restriction — you may request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances
• Right to data portability — you may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object — you may object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent (e.g. location, notifications), you may withdraw it at any time through your device settings. Withdrawal does not affect prior lawful processing.
• Right to lodge a complaint — if you are in the EEA or UK, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at travelsafesupport@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.

California residents: Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), you have the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. Travel Safe does not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact us at the address above.

Children's Privacy

Travel Safe is not directed at, and is not intended for use by, children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EEA where applicable). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these ages.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately at travelsafesupport@gmail.com and we will promptly delete such information from our systems.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under the applicable age threshold, we will take immediate steps to delete that information.

Emergency Data — Accuracy Disclaimer

Travel Safe provides emergency intelligence information aggregated from publicly available sources including, but not limited to:

• U.S. State Department travel advisories and embassy security alerts
• Government and national emergency management agency advisories
• Humanitarian organisation field reports
• Verified public news feeds and wire services
• Community-submitted zone reports (subject to moderation before publication)

Travel Safe does not generate, verify, or independently investigate emergency intelligence. All information is sourced from and attributed to external organisations. The accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of this information depends entirely on those source organisations and their own update cycles.

Emergency situations are dynamic and rapidly evolving. Information provided by the App may be:

• Delayed relative to real-time conditions on the ground
• Incomplete, reflecting only what has been officially reported
• Subject to revision as situations develop
• Unavailable in areas with limited reporting infrastructure

By using Travel Safe, you acknowledge and accept these limitations. Your use of information provided by the App is entirely at your own risk.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, TRAVEL SAFE AND ITS INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM:

• Your reliance on any emergency information, alert, zone, or advisory provided by the App
• Any failure, delay, inaccuracy, or omission in the delivery of emergency alerts or information
• Any decision made or action taken based on information provided by the App
• Unauthorised access to or alteration of your data as a result of events beyond our reasonable control
• Any interruption, suspension, or discontinuation of the App or its services

Our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising in connection with this Privacy Policy or your use of the App shall not exceed the greater of (a) the total amount you have paid to Travel Safe in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) USD $10.00.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain types of liability. In such jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the App's functionality, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the effective date at the top of this page
• Notify users via a prominent notice within the App
• Where required by law, seek your renewed consent

Your continued use of Travel Safe after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the updated policy, you must discontinue use of the App and may request deletion of your data as described in Section 11.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. The version history will be maintained below this policy once subsequent versions are published.

Contact Us

For any questions, concerns, requests, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us. We take all privacy enquiries seriously and will respond within 30 days.