Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Location Data (Core Feature)

The primary function of the App is navigation and social location sharing. We collect:

• Precise Real-Time Location: GPS, Wi‑Fi, and cellular triangulation data to determine your geographical position.
• Background Location: If you opt-in, we collect location data even when the App is closed or not in use to enable friend notifications and “always-on” finding features.

1.2 Device and Sensor Data

To provide high-precision “turn-by-turn” navigation and “directional finding” (pointing you toward a friend), we access data from your device’s internal sensors, including:

• Radios: Bluetooth, Ultra‑Wideband (UWB), and Wi‑Fi signals.
• Motion Sensors: Accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass data.
• Battery Status: To optimize how frequently we update your location based on your remaining power.

1.3 User-Provided Information

• Account Data: A changeable handle to identify yourself on the network to others.

2. The Community Signal Network (Mesh Technology)

A unique feature of the App is its ability to locate users and friends using a distributed device network.

2.1 Encrypted Data Relay

By using the App, your device acts as a node in a secure network. Your device may:

• Sense encrypted signals from other users’ devices nearby.
• Relay encrypted location packets through your device to our servers.
• Have its own location reported securely by other users’ devices if you have no cellular signal.

Important: All relayed data is End-to-End Encrypted. Your device acts only as a “blind relay.” You cannot see the locations of others whose data passes through your phone, nor can they see yours.

2.2 Precise Ranging

We utilize your device’s radios to measure the “Time of Flight” and signal strength (RSSI) between your phone and your friends’ phones. This data is processed to generate:

• Precise distance measurements (ranging).
• Directional arrows to guide you to your friend in crowded spaces.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected data to:

• Provide Navigation: Calculate routes, traffic, and travel times.
• Facilitate Friend Finding: Display your location to friends you have explicitly authorized.
• Improve Accuracy: We aggregate anonymous sensor data to refine our positioning algorithms and radio signal models.
• Safety & Security: Detect unusual account activity or potential misuse (e.g., stalking behavior).

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your location data to third-party brokers. We share data only in the following ways:

4.1 With Your Friends

Your location is shared only with users you have specifically added as “Friends” or explicitly allowed to view your location. You may revoke this access at any time in the App settings.

4.2 With Third-Party Service Providers

We may use trusted third-party services to render maps and route data.

• Apple Maps: Use of the App on iOS is subject to the Apple Privacy Policy (apple.com/legal/privacy).
• Google Maps: Use of the App relies on Google Maps APIs and is subject to the Google Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy).

4.3 Legal Compliance

We may disclose your information if required by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency).

5. Data Retention

We retain your last known location on our servers for a limited period to provide the service. Historical route data is anonymized, encrypted, and only stored on your device. You can request deletion of your data at any time.

6. Your Rights and Choices

• Location Permissions: You can disable location services at any time via your device settings. Note that this will disable the core functionality of the App.
• Background Processing: You may disable “Background App Refresh” or “Always” location permissions, but this will prevent friends from finding you when your phone is in your pocket.
• Account Deletion: You may delete your account from within the App settings, which will delete your handle and ID from our systems.

7. Children’s Privacy

The App is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected such data, we will take steps to delete it.

8. Security

We implement industry-standard encryption (TLS/SSL) for data in transit and AES encryption for data at rest. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date.

Privacy Policy Addendum: Location Technologies & Data Transmission

1. Encrypted Relay and Network Participation

To function effectively, the Application utilizes a secure, encrypted network architecture. You acknowledge and agree that your device may participate in this network by anonymously sharing encrypted location and identifier data through, or receiving such data from, other users’ devices nearby. This process allows the Application to maintain location awareness even in environments where direct cellular or GPS connection may be limited.

• Encryption: All data relayed through other devices is end-to-end encrypted. The intermediate devices (other users’ phones) cannot view or decrypt your personal location data; they act solely as blind relays to transmit the data to our servers.

2. Server Mediation

While peer-to-peer technologies are used for proximity detection, your encrypted location data is transmitted to and processed by our central servers. We use these servers to authenticate your account and route your location updates specifically to the friends or family members you have explicitly authorized to view your location.

3. Utilization of Device Radios and Sensors

The Application actively utilizes your device’s internal radios and sensors—including but not limited to Bluetooth, Wi‑Fi, GPS, and Ultra‑Wideband (UWB) chips—to sense signals from the environment and other nearby devices.

• Purpose of Sensing: This signal data is processed to calculate distance and spatial orientation. This enables features such as “Precision Finding,” which offers you and your friends more accurate ranging and directional arrows to locate one another in real-time (e.g., finding a friend in a crowded venue).
• Service Improvement: Aggregated signal data may be used to calibrate and improve the overall accuracy and responsiveness of the Application’s navigation and finding services.