Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 2026

BARZERO ("we", "our", or "the app") is built on a simple principle: your safety data belongs to you. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, and what we don't do with it.

1. What we collect

We collect only what is strictly necessary for the app to function:

• Display name — the name or handle you enter during onboarding (optional). Shared with nearby devices on the mesh so they know who you are.
• Emergency contact — a name and phone number you optionally provide. Stored on your device and synced to our Firebase backend (tied to an anonymous user ID) solely to send an SMS when you trigger an SOS.
• GPS location — only captured at the moment you tap the SOS button. Broadcast to nearby mesh devices and included in the emergency SMS. Never stored continuously or tracked in the background.
• Anonymous user ID — a random Firebase anonymous UID, generated automatically and never linked to your identity.
• SOS event record — when an SOS is sent and a nearby device has internet, a minimal record (location, timestamp, hop count) is written to Firebase Firestore to trigger the SMS and prevent duplicate alerts. This record is not accessible to other users.

2. What we do NOT collect

• We do not collect your name, email, or any account credentials.
• We do not track your location continuously or in the background.
• We do not record or store the content of mesh messages. Messages are relayed peer-to-peer and never touch our servers.
• We do not use advertising SDKs or sell data to third parties. Ever.
• We do not collect analytics about your usage patterns.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

3. Permissions we request and why

• Bluetooth & Nearby Wi-Fi — required to discover nearby devices and form the mesh network.
• Location (fine) — required by Android for Bluetooth scanning (system requirement), and used at SOS time to include your coordinates in the alert.
• Foreground service / run in background — required to monitor your signal and activate the mesh after 60 seconds of signal loss, even when the screen is off.
• Internet — used only to sync your emergency contact to Firebase and to bridge SOS events to the cloud when a nearby device has connectivity.
• Phone state (READ_PHONE_STATE) — required to detect cellular signal strength changes (the trigger for auto-activation).

4. How your data is stored

Your display name and emergency contact are stored locally on your device using Android SharedPreferences. Your emergency contact is also written to Google Firebase Firestore (under your anonymous UID) so our Cloud Function can look it up when an SOS event fires. Data in Firestore is protected by security rules — only your device (authenticated with your anonymous UID) can read or update your record.

We use Google Firebase (Firestore, Authentication) hosted in the us-central1 region. Firebase's data practices are governed by Google's privacy policy.

5. Third-party services

• Google Firebase — anonymous authentication and Firestore database for SOS event handling and emergency contact sync.
• SimpleTexting — used to send the emergency SMS when an SOS is triggered and a device with internet is in range. SimpleTexting receives the destination phone number and the SMS body (which includes your GPS coordinates). SimpleTexting's privacy policy applies to this data.
• Google Nearby Connections API — peer-to-peer discovery and communication. Data transmitted through Nearby Connections does not pass through Google's servers; it is device-to-device only.

6. Data retention

SOS event records in Firestore are retained for operational and safety audit purposes. Your emergency contact record remains in Firestore until you delete or update it. You can remove your local data at any time by clearing app data in Android Settings → Apps → BARZERO → Clear data.

7. Children's privacy

BARZERO is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

9. Contact

Questions about this policy? Reach us at support@barzero.io.