Privacy Policy
Last Updated: October 8, 2026
1. Introduction
Purple Pulse ("we," "us," or "our") is a campus safety platform that provides real-time emergency assistance, incident reporting, and privacy-first location sharing. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information when you use the Purple Pulse mobile application and related services (the "Service").
We are committed to being transparent about our data practices and to giving you control over your personal information.
2. Scope
This Privacy Policy applies to all users of Purple Pulse, including students, public users, security personnel, dispatch operators, administrators, and counselling support staff. It covers the Purple Pulse mobile application (iOS and Android) and the web application.
3. Information We Collect
3.1 Account and Profile Information
When you create an account, we collect:
- Your email address
- Your full name
- A password (stored securely as a hash, not in plain text)
- Your assigned role (e.g., student, public, security, dispatch, admin, or counselling support)
- Optional profile information including your student number, campus, residence, and phone number
3.2 Location Information
We collect and process your device's GPS coordinates when you:
- Trigger an SOS alert
- Start a Safe Walk session
- Set up a Check-In timer
- Share your location with trusted contacts
Location data is shared with your designated trusted contacts and, where applicable, with campus security and dispatch personnel for the purpose of providing assistance. Location data is only collected while a safety session is active.
3.3 Contact Information (Trusted Contacts)
You may add trusted contacts by providing their name, phone number, email address, and relationship. This information is used to notify your contacts during emergencies. If your contacts are registered Purple Pulse users, they may receive in-app alerts and live location updates. If they are not registered, they may receive alerts via SMS or WhatsApp.
3.4 Photos and Media
We may collect and store photos and media when you:
- Upload a companion photo during Check-In setup
- Attach media to an incident report
- Attach files to chat messages
These files are stored in private storage and are accessible only to authorized users.
3.5 Audio Recordings
We may collect and store audio recordings when you:
- Trigger an SOS alert with audio recording enabled
- Start a Safe Walk session with audio monitoring enabled
- Set up a Check-In timer with audio monitoring enabled
- Record a voice note during Check-In setup
- Train the voice-activated safe-word detection feature
Audio recordings are stored privately and may be reviewed by authorized security personnel for incident response purposes. Safe-word training samples are used to improve detection accuracy for your account.
3.6 Incident Report Data
When you report an incident, we collect:
- The type and description of the incident
- Your location at the time of the report
- Your name, email, and phone number (unless you choose to report anonymously)
- Any media or audio attachments
- The severity and status of the incident
3.7 Chat Messages
When you use the in-app chat features (security chat, counselling chat, or contact chat), we collect and store the content of your messages, sender information, file attachments, and timestamps.
3.8 Notifications
We send and store notifications related to SOS alerts, Safe Walk sessions, Check-In timers, and other app events. These notifications may include your location, audio recordings, and companion photos.
3.9 Device and Technical Information
We may collect:
- Device identifiers for push notification delivery
- IP addresses (recorded in audit logs)
- Operating system and app version information
3.10 Usage and Diagnostic Information
We maintain audit logs that record actions taken within the app, including incident views, status updates, and settings changes, along with the user who performed each action and the timestamp.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- Provide emergency assistance and SOS alerting
- Share your location with trusted contacts and security personnel during emergencies
- Notify your trusted contacts via in-app alerts, WhatsApp, or SMS
- Facilitate incident reporting and response
- Provide in-app chat support (security, counselling, and contact chats)
- Enable voice-activated safe-word detection for hands-free SOS triggering
- Maintain security and audit trails
- Improve and maintain the Service
5. How We Store Your Information
Your information is stored on secure cloud infrastructure provided by our platform provider, Base44. Files containing sensitive data (photos, audio recordings, documents) are stored in private storage with access controls. Location data is retained during active sessions and for a limited period afterward.
6. Data Security
We implement the following security measures:
- Role-based access control to restrict data access based on user roles
- Row-level security to ensure users can only access their own data where appropriate
- Private file storage for sensitive data (photos, audio, documents) with signed access URLs
- Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS) for all network communication
- Audit logging of sensitive actions for accountability
While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. [OWNER TO CONFIRM: Specific encryption standards, security certifications, or compliance frameworks.]
8. Data Retention
We retain your information for as long as your account is active. Specific retention periods:
- Check-in history: retained for approximately 48 hours after the session ends
- Session audio recordings: retained for security review purposes
- Incident records: retained for the duration of the incident lifecycle and thereafter for records purposes
- Audit logs: retained for [OWNER TO CONFIRM]
When you delete your account, your data is removed as described in Section 9. Certain records may be retained where legally required.
9. Your Rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Access: You can access your profile and incident history within the app
- Correction: You can update your profile information in Settings
- Deletion: You can delete your account and associated data at any time
9.1 Account Deletion
You can delete your account at any time within the app:
- Open the app and sign in
- Go to Settings
- Scroll to the "Danger Zone" section
- Tap "Delete Account" and confirm
This will permanently delete your trusted contacts, check-in timers, safe walk sessions, incidents, chat sessions, and notifications. If you cannot access the app, you can request account deletion by contacting support. See our Account Deletion page for more information.
10. Children's Privacy
Purple Pulse is intended for university students and adult community members. The Service is not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you believe a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can remove it.
11. International Data Transfers
Your information may be processed and stored on servers located in countries other than your own. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to these countries.
[OWNER TO CONFIRM: Specific data transfer arrangements and safeguards.]
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page when we make changes. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
14. Contact Information
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
[OWNER TO CONFIRM: Support email address, physical address, or other contact information.]
You can also visit our Support page for additional ways to get help.