PRIVACY POLICY

Safe Lanka ("we," "our," or "us") is a digital public safety application designed to strengthen communication between citizens and the Sri Lanka Police. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use the Safe Lanka mobile application.

By using Safe Lanka, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the application.

We may collect the following types of information:

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, National Identity Card (NIC) number, and profile details provided during registration.
• GPS Location Data: Real-time location coordinates used for SOS alerts, crime report mapping, and nearby police station identification.
• Photos and Camera Access: Images captured or uploaded as evidence when submitting crime reports.
• Crime Report Data: Details of incidents you report, including description, category, location, and any attached media.
• Traffic Fine Data: Information related to traffic violations, fine amounts, and payment status linked to your vehicle or NIC.
• Payment Information: Transaction data processed through PayHere payment gateway for fine payments. We do not store your credit/debit card details directly.
• AI Chat Data: Conversations with our AI legal assistant powered by Google Gemini, including your queries and the responses generated.
• Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers, and app version for diagnostics and compatibility.

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• SOS Alerts: To transmit your real-time location and emergency details to the nearest police station for rapid response.
• Crime Reports: To process, store, and forward citizen-submitted crime reports to the Sri Lanka Police for investigation.
• Fine Payments: To facilitate the viewing and payment of traffic fines through the integrated PayHere payment gateway.
• AI Legal Assistant: To provide legal guidance and information through our Google Gemini-powered chatbot.
• SMS Notifications: To send critical alerts including SOS confirmations, crime report status updates, and fine payment reminders.
• Authentication: To verify your identity using JSON Web Tokens (JWT) and maintain secure session management.

We may share your information with the following parties strictly for the purposes described above:

• Sri Lanka Police: Crime reports, SOS alerts, and related evidence are shared with law enforcement for investigation and emergency response.
• PayHere: Payment transaction data is processed by PayHere (https://www.payhere.lk), our third-party payment gateway, subject to their own privacy policy.
• Google Maps API: Location data is transmitted to Google Maps for map rendering, geocoding, and police station proximity services.
• Google Gemini: Chat queries are sent to Google Gemini API to generate AI-powered legal guidance responses.
• Railway Hosting: Our backend services are hosted on Railway (https://railway.app), where your data is stored and processed on their secure infrastructure.

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

Safe Lanka requests access to your device's GPS location to provide core safety features including SOS alerts, crime report geolocation, and nearby police station identification.

Important: Location data is collected only during active use of the application. We do not collect location data in the background when the app is closed or not actively in use. You may revoke location permissions at any time through your device settings.

The application may request access to your device's camera and photo gallery to allow you to capture or attach photographic evidence when submitting crime reports. This access is used solely for the purpose of crime reporting and is never activated without your explicit action. You may revoke camera and media permissions at any time through your device settings.

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. Crime report data and associated evidence may be retained for longer periods as required by Sri Lankan law enforcement procedures and legal obligations.

If you wish to delete your account and associated data, you may contact us at the email address provided below. We will process your request in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Deletion: You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw consent for data processing at any time by disabling permissions or deleting your account.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the Contact section below.

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:

• JWT Authentication: All user sessions are secured using JSON Web Tokens to prevent unauthorized access.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Data access is restricted based on user roles (citizen, police officer, admin) to ensure appropriate permissions.
• HTTPS Encryption: All data transmitted between the application and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS protocols.

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

Safe Lanka is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, we will take immediate steps to delete such information from our records.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. When we make changes, we will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy and notify users through the application.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: