Privacy & Safety
Community Trust & Human Safety
Our mission is reunification through transparency. We protect those who report while prioritising the recovery of the vulnerable.
Last Modified: August 2026
Data We Collect
We collect information you provide directly when you submit a missing person report, a lost or found object report, a sighting tip, or a safeguarding report. This includes names, physical descriptions, photographs, contact information, and location details. We also collect metadata associated with your submissions to ensure record accuracy.
Device & Technical Data
When you activate an emergency SOS signal, we collect device information including manufacturer, model, Android version, IMEI (on devices below Android 10) or Android ID (Android 10+), carrier name, network type, battery level, screen dimensions, available storage, device locale, and timezone. This data is collected solely to support emergency coordination and is not used for advertising or profiling.
Location Data
Location data is collected only when you explicitly activate an SOS distress signal. GPS coordinates are transmitted securely to our servers to enable emergency responders to reach you. We do not track your location in the background, and location data is never sold or used for advertising. For public-facing case maps, locations are fuzzed by approximately 500 metres to protect the safety of missing individuals.
Audio Recording
The SOS feature offers an optional audio recording capability. If you choose to enable it, your device microphone captures audio which is streamed in real time to our coordination hub via an encrypted WebSocket connection. A visible notification is always displayed while recording is active. Audio recordings are automatically deleted from our servers within 24 hours. You may also manually delete recordings at any time from the application settings.
How Tips & Reports Are Handled
All tips and reports are encrypted and transmitted to our coordination hub. They are reviewed by verified coordinators before being linked to active cases. Your identity as a reporter is kept confidential and is only shared with law enforcement when required for the safety of the missing person or as required by law. Reporter contact information is redacted from all public-facing API endpoints.
How Alerts Work
Push notifications are used to deliver safety alerts for missing persons in your selected geographic area. To enable this, your device token (FCM token), platform, OS version, app version, and selected region are registered with our servers. You can manage your notification preferences at any time in the application settings. Level 1 alerts are broadcast to users within a specific radius of a last-seen location.
Data Retention & Deletion
We retain your data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. Report drafts stored locally on your device are automatically deleted after 30 minutes. SOS audio recordings are automatically deleted within 24 hours. Submitted reports and tips are retained in our secure database for the duration of the active investigation and may be archived thereafter in accordance with our retention policy. You may request deletion of your data at any time.
Local Storage on Your Device
The application stores certain data locally on your device to provide core functionality. Authentication tokens and report drafts are stored in your device's encrypted Keychain. Language preferences and onboarding status are stored in AsyncStorage. Report submission history is stored locally to allow you to track your reports. This data never leaves your device unless you explicitly submit a report or tip.
Offline Functionality
If you submit a report while offline, the data is securely queued on your device and automatically submitted once a network connection is restored. Queued submissions are encrypted and stored in your device's Keychain until successfully transmitted.
Third-Party Services
We use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to deliver push notifications. Map views use Leaflet with OpenStreetMap and CARTO tile services. No analytics, crash reporting, or advertising SDKs are included in the application. We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.
Children's Privacy
Our platform handles reports involving missing children and minors. We apply heightened privacy protections to all cases involving individuals under the age of 18. Reports concerning minors are subject to mandatory verification and are only visible to authorised coordinators and investigators. If you believe a child's data has been collected inappropriately, please contact us immediately.
Your Rights
You have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data. You may request a copy of all data we hold about you, or request that we erase your data entirely. To exercise these rights, contact our team at the address below. We will respond to all requests within 30 days in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the GDPR.
Data Sharing & Law Enforcement
We may disclose your personal data if required by law, court order, or governmental request. Information from reports and tips may be shared with verified law enforcement agencies and coordination partners solely for the purpose of locating missing persons or investigating abuse. We will notify you of any such disclosure unless prohibited by law.
Data Controller
The data controller responsible for your personal data is WereUnite. For questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us at support@WEREUNITE-helper.org.
Permissions Justification
Every missing person case submitted by the community undergoes a mandatory manual verification process. Cases remain hidden from the public registry until a coordinator explicitly verifies the reporter's contact details and approves the submission. Malicious reports, harassment, or abuse of the registry will result in a permanent ban and referral to the appropriate authorities.