We Are United

Community Safety Application
Open App

User Privacy Choices

Last Updated: July 2025

YOUR PRIVACY CONTROLS

At We Are United, we believe you should have complete control over your privacy and data. This page explains all the privacy choices and controls available to you.

πŸ”’ PRIVACY-FIRST DESIGN

Our app is built with privacy as a core principle. Most of your data stays on your device, and we collect minimal information to provide our services.

DATA COLLECTION CONTROLS

πŸ“± Location Services

What we collect: Fuzzed location data (100-200m radius) for community alerts

Your control:

  • Device Settings: Disable location services entirely through your device settings
  • App Permissions: Grant or revoke location permission for the app
  • Selective Use: Only enable location when you want to submit or view alerts
  • Emergency Only: Use emergency location sharing only when necessary

Impact: Disabling location services will prevent you from submitting or viewing location-based alerts, but you can still access other app features.

πŸ“Š Analytics and Performance Data

What we collect: Anonymous usage statistics and crash reports

Your control:

  • Analytics Toggle: Disable analytics through app settings
  • Crash Reports: Choose whether to send crash reports
  • Performance Data: Control collection of performance metrics

Impact: Disabling analytics helps us improve the app less effectively, but won't affect core functionality.

DATA STORAGE AND RETENTION

πŸ’Ύ Local Data Management

What's stored locally: Emergency contacts, documents, settings, encryption keys

Your control:

  • Emergency Wipe: Instantly delete all local data through app settings
  • Selective Deletion: Remove specific data types (contacts, documents, etc.)
  • Export Data: Export your data before deletion (where technically possible)
  • Device Storage: Manage through your device's storage settings

Impact: Local data deletion is permanent and cannot be recovered.

⏰ Dead Man's Switch

What it does: Automatically deletes data after periods of inactivity

Your control:

  • Enable/Disable: Turn the feature on or off
  • Timing: Set intervals: 6, 12, 24, 48, or 72 hours
  • Emergency Contacts: Choose whether to notify contacts when activated
  • Selective Wipe: Choose which data types to auto-delete

Impact: This feature provides automatic data protection but may delete data if you forget to use the app.

EMERGENCY FEATURES

⚠️ EMERGENCY FEATURES PRIVACY RISKS

Important considerations:

  • Enhanced Location Sharing: Emergency features may share more precise location data
  • Temporary Access: Emergency location data expires after 2 hours
  • Contact Notifications: Emergency contacts may receive your location
  • Reduced Fuzzing: Emergency locations use 50m fuzzing instead of 100-200m

Use emergency features only when absolutely necessary for your safety.

🚨 Emergency Location Sharing

Your control:

  • Manual Activation: Choose when to share emergency location
  • Contact Selection: Choose which contacts to notify
  • Duration Control: Emergency data auto-expires after 2 hours
  • Revoke Access: Manually revoke emergency location access

πŸ—‚οΈ Document Vault

Your control:

  • Auto-Lock Timing: Set vault auto-lock interval (1-30 minutes)
  • Document Sharing: Control QR code sharing and access limits
  • Password Protection: Add passwords to shared documents
  • Expiration Times: Set expiration times for shared documents

COMMUNITY ALERTS AND CONTENT

πŸ“’ Alert Participation

Your control:

  • Submit Alerts: Choose whether to submit community alerts
  • View Alerts: Choose whether to view community alerts
  • Alert Types: Filter which types of alerts to see
  • Location Range: Control the geographic range for alert visibility

Impact: You can use the app without participating in community alerts.

⚠️ USER-GENERATED CONTENT

Important understanding:

  • No Verification: We do not verify the accuracy of community alerts
  • User Responsibility: You are responsible for evaluating information
  • False Information: Community alerts may contain inaccurate information
  • No Liability: We are not responsible for user-generated content

THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

πŸ”— External Services

Firebase (Google):

  • Purpose: Anonymous data storage and app functionality
  • Your Control: Cannot be disabled as it's required for app functionality
  • Data Shared: Only anonymous, fuzzed alert data

Google Maps:

  • Purpose: Display community alerts on maps
  • Your Control: Can be disabled through app settings
  • Data Shared: General geographic area for map loading
  • Purpose: Local device authentication
  • Your Control: Can be disabled through app settings
  • Data Shared: None - all processing is local

YOUR RIGHTS UNDER PRIVACY LAWS

🌍 International Privacy Rights

European Union (GDPR):

  • Right to Access: Request information about data we process
  • Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate data (for non-anonymous data)
  • Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data
  • Right to Portability: Request data in a portable format
  • Right to Object: Object to data processing

California (CCPA):

  • Right to Know: Know what personal information we collect
  • Right to Delete: Request deletion of personal information
  • Right to Opt-Out: Opt out of data sales (we don't sell data)
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: Not be discriminated against for exercising rights

πŸ“ EXERCISING YOUR RIGHTS

Contact us:

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Response Time: We will respond within 30 days
  • Verification: We may need to verify your identity
  • No Fee: We do not charge for privacy requests

PRIVACY BEST PRACTICES

βœ… RECOMMENDED PRIVACY PRACTICES

  • Regular Reviews: Periodically review your privacy settings
  • Emergency Planning: Set up emergency contacts and features in advance
  • Data Cleanup: Regularly delete unnecessary local data
  • Device Security: Keep your device secure with strong passwords
  • Network Awareness: Be cautious when using public Wi-Fi networks
  • App Updates: Keep the app updated for security improvements

PRIVACY RISKS AND LIMITATIONS

⚠️ UNDERSTANDING PRIVACY LIMITATIONS

No digital tool can guarantee complete anonymity:

  • Device Tracking: Your device manufacturer may track your activity
  • Network Monitoring: Your internet service provider can monitor network traffic
  • Government Surveillance: Government agencies may have surveillance capabilities
  • Device Seizure: Physical access to your device could expose data
  • Social Correlation: Information may be correlated across different sources

Use this app responsibly and in accordance with local laws.

CONTACT AND SUPPORT

If you have questions about your privacy choices or need help with privacy controls:

πŸ“‹ PRIVACY CHOICES SUMMARY

  • Location Services: Control through device and app settings
  • Analytics: Disable through app settings
  • Local Data: Delete through app settings or emergency wipe
  • Emergency Features: Configure timing and contacts
  • Community Alerts: Choose participation level
  • Document Vault: Control access and sharing settings