From our blog
 

Privacy Policy

Effective date: 12st September, 2015

Please read our Privacy Policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, disclose, protect and otherwise handle information about you.

What information does the App obtain and how is it used?

User Provided Information

The App obtains the information you provide when you download, register and use the App.

When you register with us and use the App, you generally provide
-your username, your real first and last name, email address, password, phone number, profile picture and other registration information;
-transaction-related information, such as when you invite or vet a friend, respond to any offers, or download or use Apps from us;
-information you provide us when you contact us for help;
-information you enter into our system when using the App, such as emergency event information, bug reports or feature suggestions.

We use the information to operate and improve the App, and may also use the information to contact you to provide you with important information, required notices, marketing promotions, and requests for user feedback.

Automatically Collected Information

In addition, the App may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device you use, your location, your mobile devices unique device ID, the IP address of your mobile device, your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browsers you use, how other users are vetting and rating you, and other information about the way you use the App. 

Does the App collect precise real time location information of the device?

Yes. We use GPS technology (or other technology) to determine your geographical location, to calculate your geographical proximity to other users, and to operate and improve the App. We only share your location information with third parties as described in this Privacy Policy.

If you do not want us to use your location for the purposes set forth above, you should either activate the App Stealth-Mode or you should turn off the location services for the mobile App located in your mobile phone settings.

Do third parties see and/or have access to information obtained by the App?

Generally, third parties will only see your fantasy user name. If you participate in an emergency event, the other participants and authorised partners may temporary see your current location and emergency event details. Other than that we will share your information with third parties only within the following exceptions:

We disclose a limited set of User Provided and Automatically Collected Information:
-if you invite a friend and ask for vetting: the friend(s) may be shown your username, real name, email address, phone number, and profile picture;
-if you affiliate with a community: the community ambassador may be shown your username, your real name, your phone number, your email address and profile picture;
-if you request emergency help and your mobile phone looses connection to the data network during the emergency event, we may display your mobile phone number to the other participants of the emergency event so they can contact you;
-if you have only one vetted friend in your network, this friend may be able to see the distance between you if this friend also has only one vetted friend (=you) and set the helper community slider on friends and family;

We may disclose User Provided and Automatically Collected Information:
-as required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, or similar legal process;
-when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request;
-with our trusted services providers who work on our behalf, do not have an independent use of the information we disclose to them, and have agreed to adhere to the rules set forth in this Privacy Policy.

If CrowdGuard decides to disclose your personal User Provided and Automatically Collected Information due to a request from law-enforcement agencies or affected users, you will be notified via email, unless an exemption in the Swiss Federal Law on Data Protection forbids us to do so. Every request for disclosure of User Provided and Automatically Collected Information is processed by the CrowdGuard Committee on Data Requests, and only granted if the request is found to be lawful, purposeful, and proportionate.

We believe that the general public benefits from transparency regarding the scale of law enforcement requests for data. We will therefore post aggregate reports online that detail the number of requests we have received, from whom, and how many users were affected. We will clearly post this information on our website.

If CrowdGuard is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, you will be notified via email and/or a prominent notice on our website of any change in ownership or uses of this information, as well as any choices you may have regarding this information.

What are my opt-out rights?

You can stop all collection of information by the App easily by uninstalling the App. You may use the standard uninstall processes as may be available as part of your mobile device or via the mobile App marketplace or network.

Data Retention Policy, Managing Your Information

We will retain User Provided data for as long as you use the App and for a reasonable time thereafter. We may retain Automatically Collected information for up to 24 months and thereafter may store it in aggregate. If you’d like us to delete User Provided Data that you have provided via the App, please contact us at privacy [at] crowdguard.org.  Please note that some or all of the User Provided Data may be required in order for the App to function properly.

Protection and Security

We are concerned about safeguarding the confidentiality of your information. We provide physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect information we process and maintain. For example, we limit access to this information to authorised employees, contractors, and partners who need to know that information in order to operate, develop or improve our App. Please be aware that, although we endeavour to provide reasonable security for information we process and maintain, no security system can prevent all potential security breaches.

Changes

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time for any reason. We will notify you of any changes to our Privacy Policy by posting the new Privacy Policy here and informing you via email or text message. You are advised to consult this Privacy Policy regularly for any changes, as continued use is deemed approval of all changes.

Your Consent

By using the App, you are consenting to our processing of your information as set forth in this Privacy Policy now and as amended by us. “Processing,” means using cookies on a computer/hand held device or using or touching information in any way, including, but not limited to, collecting, storing, deleting, using, combining and disclosing information, all of which activities will take place in Switzerland and other countries where under local laws you may have fewer legal rights. However, wherever we process your information we will treat it in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the Swiss Federal Law on Data Protection.

Contact us

If you have any questions regarding privacy while using the App, or have questions about our practices, please write us an email to privacy [at] crowdguard.org.