Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Safe2Park? ("the App") is an iOS application developed and operated by Abdu-Mansur Hafiz, an independent developer based in the United States.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact us at itssafe2park@gmail.com or visit safe2park.org.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

• Account credentials: Your email address and password when you create an account. Passwords are never stored in plain text — they are handled by Firebase Authentication.
• Display name: An optional name you provide during sign-up.
• Parking sign photos: Photos you voluntarily submit to report parking signs. These are uploaded to Firebase Storage and reviewed by our team before being made public.
• Problem reports: Text and optional photos submitted via "Report a Problem" in the app.

2.1a Camera & Live Scan

• Live kiosk scanning: When you use the "Scan" camera to identify a parking kiosk, the camera image is analyzed entirely on your device using Apple's on-device text recognition (Vision framework) to read the zone number. These live camera frames are not recorded, stored, or uploaded — nothing leaves your phone.
• "Add Sign" photos: A photo is only saved or uploaded if you deliberately capture one and submit it (see "Parking sign photos" above). The live scanner viewfinder itself never saves images.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Location (GPS): Your device's location is used while the app is in use to show nearby parking zones, meters, and garages. We do not track your location in the background or when the app is closed.
• Parking sessions: When you start a parking timer, we store the session start time, duration, and location so you can view your parking history.
• App usage data: Basic crash reports and performance data may be collected through Firebase to help us identify and fix technical issues.
• Siri interactions: When you use Siri to check your parking time (e.g., "Hey Siri, check my parking in Safe2Park"), your voice request is processed by Apple's Siri service. We do not receive audio recordings — only the parsed intent (e.g., "get parking status").

2.3 Information stored only on your device

• Saved (favorite) locations: Locations you star are stored locally on your device using iOS UserDefaults. They are not uploaded to our servers.
• App preferences: Settings like dark mode, color blind mode, map layer visibility, and accessibility options are stored locally.
• Calendar events: If you choose to add parking expiry to your calendar, an event is created in your device's Calendar app. This is stored by Apple's Calendar app and governed by Apple's Privacy Policy. We do not access your calendar data or other calendar events.
• Offline session cache: Your active parking session is cached locally on your device so the timer works even without internet. This cache is automatically cleared when the session expires.
• Apple Watch sync: If you use Safe2Park on Apple Watch, your active parking session is synced to your watch via Apple's App Groups (shared container). This data stays on your devices and is not sent to external servers.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect only to operate and improve the App:

• To authenticate your account and keep it secure
• To display real-time parking zone status near your location
• To send local notifications for parking timer alerts and upcoming restrictions
• To store and display your parking session history
• To sync your active parking timer to Apple Watch for real-time countdown
• To enable Siri voice commands for checking parking time remaining
• To create calendar events when you choose to add parking expiry to your calendar
• To cache your active session locally so the timer works offline
• To review and approve user-submitted parking sign photos
• To respond to problem reports and support requests
• To identify bugs and improve app performance

We use the information we collect to operate and improve Safe2Park. As the app grows, our data practices may evolve — for example, to support the app through advertising or partnerships. If that happens, we will update this Privacy Policy before the change takes effect and provide any choices required by law, such as the right to opt out.

4. Third-Party Services

Safe2Park uses the following third-party services to operate. Each has its own privacy policy:

• Firebase (Google LLC) — Used for user authentication, cloud database (Firestore), and file storage. Firebase may collect usage and crash data subject to Google's Privacy Policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
• Apple MapKit — Used to render the in-app map and display parking locations. MapKit is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy at apple.com/legal/privacy.
• Apple EventKit — Used when you choose to add parking expiry to your calendar. Calendar events are stored by Apple's Calendar app and governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
• Apple Siri & App Intents — When you use Siri voice commands, your request is processed by Apple's Siri service. Safe2Park receives only the parsed intent (not audio recordings). Governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.

Parking regulation data displayed in the app is publicly available city data from the Philadelphia Parking Authority and does not involve the collection of personal information.

5. Data Storage & Security

Your account data and parking sessions are stored in Google Firebase, which is hosted on Google Cloud servers in the United States. Firebase applies industry-standard encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest.

We take reasonable technical measures to protect your information, but no system is completely secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately at itssafe2park@gmail.com.

6. Data Retention

We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete your personal information from our servers within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it by law.

Parking session history is retained for 12 months and then automatically deleted.

To request account deletion, email us at itssafe2park@gmail.com with the subject line "Account Deletion Request".

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate information.
• Deletion: Request that we delete your account and associated data.
• Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format.
• Opt-out of notifications: You can disable push notifications at any time in your iPhone Settings → Notifications → Safe2Park.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at itssafe2park@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children's Privacy

Safe2Park is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we will delete it promptly. If you believe we may have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us at itssafe2park@gmail.com.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please reach out:

• Email: itssafe2park@gmail.com
• Website: safe2park.org
• Developer: Abdu-Mansur Hafiz