Safely Track Me

Privacy Policy

Last updated on 11 May 2026

We know that in this digital age, your privacy is important. This Privacy Policy reflects our commitment to protecting personal information and the choices we offer you regarding how your information is used. We welcome you to read more about how we keep your information safe, as well as how you can exercise your rights. This Privacy Policy explains how Safely Track Me collects, uses, stores, shares and protects your personal information when you use our website at app.safelytrack.me and our Safely Track Me mobile application (together, the "Service").

We will review, update, and amend this Privacy Policy from time to time, consistent with our business needs, technology and changes in applicable law. We encourage you to check back periodically for updates. Your continued use of the Service after a change has been posted constitutes your acceptance of that change.
You may choose not to provide us with certain "discretionary" personal information; however, please note that without it we may not be able to provide you with the full functionality of the Service.
This Privacy Policy describes how Safely Track Me will gather, use, and maintain your personal information on app.safelytrack.me and the mobile application. It will also explain your legal rights with respect to that information.
By using the Service, you confirm that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and our Terms and Conditions (together, the "Agreement"). The Agreement governs your use of the Service. We will collect, use, and maintain information consistent with the Agreement.

Who we are

For the purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), Safely Track Me is the Responsible Party in respect of your personal information. For the purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK GDPR (where applicable), Safely Track Me is the Data Controller in respect of your personal information.

You can contact us about this Privacy Policy or any of your rights at support@safelytrack.me.

What personal information do we collect?

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with the Service, the choices you make, and the features you use. We collect the following categories of information:

Account Data: When you create or update your account, we collect and store the data you provide, including your email address, password (stored in hashed form), display name, and a unique identifying number we assign to you.
Contact and profile information: Information you choose to provide, such as your name, phone number, device name, and any other information you submit through settings or forms in the Service.
Precise location data (GPS): The core purpose of the Service is GPS tracking. When you use the tracking feature we collect your device's precise location (latitude, longitude, altitude, accuracy, speed, bearing) and timestamps. Location is collected in the foreground while you are using the app, and, with your permission, also in the background while a tracking session is in progress (including when the screen is off or the app is not in the foreground). You can stop collection at any time by ending the tracking session or by revoking the location permission in your device settings.
Track and route data: The series of GPS points making up a track, together with computed values such as total distance, accumulated distance, altitude profile, and battery level at the time of each point. Track data may be stored locally on your device and, where you choose to share a track, uploaded to our servers.
Shared tracks: If you choose to share a live tracking session, the share link is publicly accessible to anyone who has the link, and viewers of the link can see the route, current location, activity type and title of the track until you end the session.
SOS data: If you use the SOS feature, your device will send SMS messages to the emergency contacts you have configured. The SMS messages are sent from your device using your mobile carrier and contain your message and a link to your current location. We also upload a marker representing the SOS event to our servers. We do not store your emergency contacts on our servers; emergency contact details are stored locally on your device.
Aviation contributions: If you contribute airfield data, notes, or other aviation-related content to the Service, we store that contribution together with your user identifier. Verified contributions may be shown to other users of the Service. Notes you make on existing airfields are attributed to your account.
Log, device and usage data: When you use the Service, our servers automatically collect diagnostic, usage and performance information. This may include your IP address, device and application identifiers, device model, operating system and version, browser type and settings, language preferences, referring URLs, country, time zone, crash reports, and information about how and when you use features of the Service.

How we collect this information

We collect this information:

Directly from you, when you create an account, configure the app, or contribute content;
Automatically from your device, through the Service's GPS tracking and background geolocation features (these features require your explicit permission and can be revoked at any time);
Automatically from your interactions with the Service (log data, crash reports);
From third parties whose services are integrated into the Service (for example, map tile providers and weather providers, who may log your IP address and approximate location when serving content to your device).

How do we use your information?

We process personal information to operate, improve and personalise the Service. Specifically, we use personal information for the following purposes:

To provide and operate the Service, including recording your tracks, computing route metrics, sharing tracks, displaying airfield and airspace information and overlays, and storing your settings;
To enable the SOS feature, including dispatching SMS messages from your device to your designated contacts and recording the SOS event;
To create, maintain, customise, and secure your account;
To prevent fraudulent, abusive or unlawful activity on the Service;
To diagnose and fix bugs, monitor performance, and improve the Service (including via aggregated analytics and crash reporting);
To communicate with you about the Service, including service-related notices, support correspondence, and (with your consent) marketing communications;
To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from regulators, courts, or law enforcement.

We will not collect additional categories of personal information, or use personal information already collected for materially different, unrelated or incompatible purposes, without first notifying you.

Legal basis for processing (GDPR / UK GDPR / POPIA)

Where applicable law requires us to identify a legal basis or justification for processing your personal information, we rely on the following:

Performance of a contract — processing necessary to provide you with the Service under our Terms and Conditions (e.g. recording and storing your tracks, operating shared tracking links);
Consent — for location collection in the background, for sending marketing communications, and for any optional features that require it. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal;
Legitimate interests — for analytics, security, fraud prevention, and improving the Service, where these interests are not overridden by your rights;
Legal obligation — where processing is necessary to comply with a law to which we are subject;
Protection of vital interests — for example, in the context of an SOS event where processing is necessary to protect the life or safety of a person.

Third parties who process information on our behalf

We use a limited number of third-party service providers ("Operators" under POPIA, "Processors" under GDPR) to operate the Service. These providers process personal information on our behalf and under our instructions. They include:

Hosting and storage providers that host our servers and databases;
Map and tile providers (such as MapTiler, OpenStreetMap-based providers, and satellite imagery providers) which serve map tiles to your device and may log your IP address and approximate location as part of normal tile delivery;
Weather data providers (such as Windy) where you choose to use weather overlay features;
Crash reporting and diagnostics (such as Sentry) used to detect, diagnose and fix faults in the Service;
Push notification services provided by Apple and Google to deliver notifications to your device;
SMS delivery — SOS SMS messages are sent through your own mobile carrier from your device and not through our servers.

We require these providers to handle personal information only as needed to provide their service to us, to maintain appropriate security, and to comply with applicable data protection law. We do not sell your personal information to any third party.

Cross-border transfers

Safely Track Me is based in South Africa. Some of the service providers listed above are located outside South Africa, the European Union or the United Kingdom. Where we transfer your personal information to a country that does not provide a level of protection that is equivalent to that of your country of residence, we rely on appropriate safeguards, including (where applicable) the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, and the conditions set out in section 72 of POPIA.

Automatically collected information about your use of the Service

When you visit or use the Service, we may automatically collect certain information that does not necessarily identify you directly but which, alone or in combination, may constitute personal information. This includes IP address, browser characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, time zone, location (where you have granted permission), and information about how and when you use the Service. This information is used to maintain the security and operation of the Service and for internal analytics and reporting.

Log and Usage Data. Log and usage data are service-related, diagnostic, usage and performance information that our servers automatically collect when you access or use the Service. Depending on how you interact with us, this log data may include your IP address, device information, browser type, settings, and information about your activity on the Service (such as the date/time stamps associated with your usage, pages and files viewed, searches and other actions you take), and device event information (such as system activity, error reports and hardware settings).

Device Data. We collect device data such as information about the phone, tablet or other device you use to access the Service. This may include your IP address (or proxy server), device and application identification numbers, browser type, hardware model, internet service provider and/or mobile carrier, operating system, and system configuration information.

Location Data. The Service collects precise location data through your device's GPS and related sensors. The Service requires foreground location permission for any tracking, and (with your separate consent) background location permission for tracking to continue while the app is not in the foreground or the screen is off. You can withdraw either permission at any time through your device's system settings; if you do, the affected features of the Service will stop working.

How long do we keep your information?

We keep your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (for example, for tax, accounting, dispute resolution, or other legal requirements).

In general:

Account data is retained for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise your account data within a reasonable period thereafter.
Track and location data is retained for as long as you keep it in your account. You can delete individual tracks at any time. If you delete a track, the associated GPS points are deleted.
Shared track links become inactive when you end the tracking session, and the underlying track data is retained according to the rule above.
Aviation contributions (e.g. airfields and notes) you submit may be retained even after you delete your account, in anonymised form, where they have been verified and are valuable to other users. If you wish to have a specific contribution removed, please contact us.
Log and diagnostic data is retained for a short period (typically up to 90 days for crash reports and longer for aggregated analytics).

Where we have an ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymise it, or, where this is not immediately possible (for example, because the data has been stored in backup archives), we will securely store the information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.

Do we share your information with outside parties?

We do not share your personal information with third parties other than:

With the third-party Operators / Processors listed above, who process information on our behalf;
With anyone with whom you choose to share a tracking link (the contents of which are accessible to anyone with the link);
With the recipients of an SOS SMS that you send through the Service;
With the relevant authorities or third parties where we are required to do so by law or legal process, or to protect the rights, property or safety of any person;
In connection with a corporate transaction such as a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, in which case the acquiring entity will be bound by this Privacy Policy or one substantially similar.

We do not sell your personal information.

Your Legal Rights

Depending on the data protection law that applies to you, you may have the following rights in respect of your personal information:

Right of access — to obtain confirmation that we are processing your personal information and a copy of the information we hold about you.
Right to rectification — to have inaccurate personal information corrected or incomplete information completed.
Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — to have your personal information deleted where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it. We may not always be able to comply with a request for erasure for specific legal reasons, which we will explain to you at the time of your request.
Right to object to processing of your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest, or to processing for direct marketing purposes.
Right to restriction of processing, in certain circumstances, such as where you contest the accuracy of the information or where processing is unlawful but you do not want it erased.
Right to data portability — to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to withdraw consent — at any time, where we are relying on consent to process your personal information. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
Right to lodge a complaint — with the supervisory authority in your country of residence. In South Africa, this is the Information Regulator (inforegulator.org.za). In the EU or UK, it is the data protection authority in your country of residence.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@safelytrack.me. We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. We will respond within the time periods required by applicable law.

How do we protect your information?

We implement administrative, physical and technology-based security measures designed to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration and disclosure. These measures include encryption of data in transit using TLS, restricted access to production systems, and authentication for access to account data.
Access to personal information within our organisation is limited to individuals who need such access for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and who are subject to confidentiality obligations.
While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security.
Safely Track Me prohibits unauthorised access to or use of personal information stored on our servers. Such access is a violation of law, and we will investigate and pursue appropriate remedies against any party that has illegally accessed information within our systems.
If we become aware of a security compromise that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the relevant regulator(s) where required by applicable law (including section 22 of POPIA).

Children

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 13. The Service includes aviation features intended for licensed pilots and adults. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@safelytrack.me and we will take steps to delete that information.

How we use cookies and similar technologies

On our website we may use cookies and similar technologies (such as web beacons and pixels) to access or store information for purposes including:

Recognising you when you sign in;
Remembering your preferences (such as language and configuration);
Detecting and preventing fraudulent activity and improving security;
Conducting diagnostics and improving the Service;
Measuring and analysing the performance of the Service.

Categories of cookies

Strictly necessary cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are typically set in response to actions you take, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms.
Functional cookies: These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages.
Performance cookies: These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve performance. They help us know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.

The mobile application itself does not rely on cookies in the same sense as a browser, but it does store similar information locally on your device (such as authentication tokens and preferences) to enable the Service to function.

Marketing communications and opt-out

If you have given us your email address, we may, where permitted by applicable law, send you service-related notices and (with your consent where required) information about new features or offerings. You can opt out of marketing emails at any time by following the unsubscribe link in any such email, or by contacting us at support@safelytrack.me. Opting out of marketing communications will not affect service-related notices necessary for the operation of your account.

Do Not Track

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" or "DNT" signal. Because there is no common industry standard for DNT and no consistent interpretation of user intent, Safely Track Me does not currently respond to DNT signals. We continue to monitor developments in this area.

Limitation of liability

Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so some of the limitations in our Terms and Conditions may not apply to you.

We make no representation that the Service is appropriate or available in locations outside South Africa. If you access the Service from outside South Africa, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws.

Governing law and jurisdiction

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without regard to its conflict of law principles. You agree that any disputes arising out of or in connection with this Privacy Policy shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa, subject to the dispute resolution provisions set out in our Terms and Conditions and to any mandatory rights of consumers in their country of residence.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this Policy and, where the change is material, we will use reasonable efforts to notify you (for example through an in-app notification, on the Safely Track Me website, or by email). If you continue to use the Service after a change has taken effect, you will be deemed to have accepted the change. Your use of the Service will be governed by the Privacy Policy in effect at the time the relevant information was collected.

Contacting us

If you would like to contact us about this Privacy Policy, exercise any of your rights, or contact us on any matter relating to your personal information, you may do so via the contact form on our website or by email at support@safelytrack.me.

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