Privacy Policy & Consent

Who we are

Beacon is a personal safety app operated from South Africa. We are the “responsible party” for your personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).

What we collect

• Account details: your email address, name and optional profile photo.
• Trusted contacts: the people you invite and whether they accepted.
• Location: your device's GPS position — only while you share your location, run a Safe Journey, or use Beacon Zones.
• Journeys, zones, check-ins, SOS alerts and their delivery status.
• Device notification token, if you turn on push notifications.
• Saved places (Home, Work, etc.) stay on your device and are not uploaded.

Why we use it

• To show your position to people you have chosen, and only while you choose.
• To tell your circle when you arrive, are running late, go off route, enter or leave a zone, or press SOS.
• To send account emails such as confirmation, password reset and a welcome message.
• We never sell your information and we do not use it for advertising.

Your consent

• Live location is never shared without your explicit action. You can stop sharing at any time.
• Location history is off by default. If you turn it on, it is deleted after 7 days.
• Being findable by phone number is off by default, and people still need your acceptance.
• You can withdraw consent at any time in Profile — turn settings off, delete journey history, or delete your account.

Who we share it with

• Only the trusted contacts you accept, and only the information you choose to share.
• Service providers that run Beacon for us: secure hosting and database, email delivery, Google (place search and travel times), OpenStreetMap (map display) and Firebase (push notifications). Some of these process data outside South Africa under appropriate safeguards.
• Emergency services or authorities only when required by law.

How we protect it

Data is encrypted in transit, access is restricted so each person can only see what has been shared with them, and alerts can only be sent between accepted trusted contacts.

How long we keep it

We keep your account data while your account exists. Deleting your account removes your profile, circle connections, zones and location data.

Your rights

• Under POPIA you may ask to access, correct or delete your information, object to processing, and withdraw consent.
• You may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa): inforeg.org.za.

Everyone is welcome

• Beacon is for everyone — people of any age who want to know their loved ones are okay. There is no age limit on having an account.
• Where a younger person uses Beacon, a parent or guardian should help them set up their account, agree to this policy on their behalf, and decide who they may share location with.

Contact us

Questions or requests about your information: admin@beacon-app.co.za.