PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: March 31, 2026

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Welcome to the automatic emergency app "AIhelpApp" (hereinafter, the "App"). Your privacy and the security of your data are our highest priority. This policy describes how and for what purposes personal data is processed by the App and the Developer (Agostino Giorgio, agostino.giorgio@poliba.it).

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1. Data Controller

The data controller is:

Agostino Giorgio (hereinafter, the "Developer")

Contact Email: agostino.giorgio@poliba.it

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2. Data Processed and Collection Methods

The App is designed with a "data minimization" principle and does not collect or store users' personal data, including phone numbers or other identifiers.

If you use the Telegram messaging service through the "AIhelpApp" chatbot (username: @sincope_bot), the bot receives and processes messages sent by users in real time in order to provide the service, but does not store or retain such data.

Messages transit temporarily through Telegram's servers, subject to Telegram's privacy and security policies. By using the service, the user consents to the temporary processing of such data solely for the necessary bot functionalities.

Personal data or message contents are never retained by the Developer or connected systems, except as expressly described in this policy.

Any technical data collected by the App is anonymous and used solely to monitor and improve the service, without any possibility of identifying users.

The Developer is committed to ensuring that the user has full control over their own data and respects their privacy in accordance with the principles and provisions of the GDPR.

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2A. Sensitive Data Stored Locally Only (on your device)

The following data is collected, encrypted, and stored exclusively on your device (smartphone) and is never collected, transmitted, or shared with the Developer or third parties (except as specified in section 2.B for emergency dispatch):

• Emergency Contacts: One or two emergency phone numbers of your choice.

• Emergency Telegram Chat ID: One or two Telegram chat identifiers of your choice.

• Personal Keywords: One to three vocal keywords of your choice to trigger emergency procedures.

• Configuration State: Your preferences regarding the enabling/disabling of SMS, phone calls, and Telegram messages.

• Log/Technical Data: Temporary technical data necessary for the correct operation of the App (e.g. startup events, malfunctions).

 

2B. Sensitive Data Processed and Transferred Only During an Active Emergency

When the App recognises one of the vocal keywords or the user presses the emergency button, the App performs the following actions — selectable individually, in combination, or all together — from the app's settings panel:

• Sending an SMS with the instant geolocation at the time of the help request to one or two phone numbers configured in the app.

• Sending Telegram messages with instant geolocation, updated continuously in real time for a preset maximum of 30 minutes, or earlier if the user stops the app (via the "Stop" button where present — closing the app alone is not sufficient to stop real-time Telegram geolocation; a tap on "Stop" is required if present instead of "Ferma").

• Automatic initiation of phone calls to one or two phone numbers configured in the app. The second call, if two numbers are set, is placed by default 45 seconds after the first.

By default, the App always performs geolocalisation (location data acquired from the smartphone's GPS where available): the App acquires GPS coordinates at the moment of the emergency and updates them continuously for the following 30 minutes only when Telegram messages are being sent, transmitting them in real time to emergency contacts via Telegram's live location feature.

Purpose: This data is used exclusively to allow emergency contacts to follow the movements of the user in distress throughout the duration of the emergency.

Transfer: GPS coordinates are transmitted exclusively to the emergency contacts stored by the user, via Telegram (live location for 30 minutes) and via SMS (static initial position with a Google Maps link).

Retention: GPS coordinates are not stored or collected by the Developer or third parties. They are generated in real time and transmitted immediately without archiving.

The Developer has designed the App to protect users' privacy and does not collect any personal information or sensitive data. However, no data transmission is completely secure. You agree to use the App at your own risk. You further agree that the Developer shall not be liable to you or third parties in the event of security breaches, malfunctions, or improper or negligent handling of information by unauthorised third parties.

Health Data: The App is classifiable as a personal emergency application. We explicitly declare that the App does not collect, store, or transmit any health data of the user, including but not limited to: vital parameters, heart rate, blood pressure, medical conditions, diagnoses, medical records, pharmacological data, or any other information relating to the user's physical or mental health.

The microphone is used exclusively for the local detection of predefined emergency keywords (e.g. "help", "code red"). Analysis takes place entirely on the user's device in real time: no audio is ever recorded, stored, transmitted, or analysed for health or diagnostic purposes of any kind.

GPS location is acquired exclusively at the time of emergency activation and transmitted to the emergency contacts configured by the user. It is not used to infer, monitor, or analyse the user's health status. The App therefore collects location data (GPS coordinates) solely to dispatch coordinates for the purpose of providing assistance upon manual or vocal activation by the user.

No data collected by the App is used for health, diagnostic, insurance, or pharmaceutical purposes.

 

2C. Technical Data Processed (Non-Personal)

The App does not track user activity. Anonymous aggregated data may be collected through standard Google Play tools (such as Google Firebase Analytics or equivalent) regarding technical usage, crash reporting, and App performance, for the sole purpose of improving its reliability and stability.

 

3. Use of Smartphone Permissions

To ensure the high level of automation essential to the emergency service, the App requests the following authorisations, which the user is free to grant or deny at installation (denial may compromise the App's functionality):

Permission — Exact Purpose and Legal Basis

Microphone: Continuous detection of emergency keywords only, in background. Note: the App analyses the audio stream in real time on the device. No audio recordings are made and no voice traces are stored.

Precise Continuous Location (Always): Acquisition of GPS coordinates at any time (including when the App is not in the foreground) for immediate dispatch in an emergency. If Telegram messages are selected among the emergency actions, location is updated in real time for a maximum of 30 minutes. Real-time geolocation can be stopped before 30 minutes by tapping "Stop" (see section 2.B).

Send SMS and Manage Phone Calls: Autonomous and automatic sending of SMS and/or initiation of calls to the emergency contacts you have configured at the time of emergency activation. Includes reading SIM and network status, necessary to verify service availability before dispatch.

Display Over Other Apps: Allows continuous 24/7 maintenance of vocal detection and keyword listening, and management of emergency interfaces.

Notifications (Android 13 and later): Allows the App to show you operational and status notifications while running in the background and during emergency procedures.

Background Usage Permission ("Allow Always"): This permission allows emergency procedures to be activated even when the App is not in the foreground and the screen is off. It also excludes the App from Android's battery optimisation: without this permission, the App may be abruptly terminated by the Android operating system if it has been running for a long time. This is Android's smart mode for managing background apps, as an alternative to "Allow Always".

Disable Automatic Removal of Unused Apps (Android 11 and later): Android includes a feature that automatically revokes permissions from apps that have not been used for an extended period. Since AIhelpApp operates continuously in the background without requiring direct user interaction, it is necessary to disable this feature to ensure continuity of the emergency service. No additional data is collected as a result of this setting.

Do Not Disturb Access: Allows the App to function correctly even when the phone is in Do Not Disturb mode, ensuring immediate handling of emergencies.

 

4. Legal Basis for Processing (Art. 6 GDPR)

The processing of personal data is based on the following legal grounds:

• Performance of a Contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR): Processing is necessary to provide the service requested by the user (operation of the emergency App).

• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR): The user provides explicit and informed consent to the use of sensitive data (such as location and audio) for the specific emergency purpose, through acceptance of the Terms and Conditions and the granting of operating system permissions.

• Legitimate Interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR): Ensuring user safety and technical improvement of the App (via anonymous aggregated data).

 

5. Sharing Data with Third Parties

Personal data (emergency contacts, keywords) is not shared or sold for marketing or analytical purposes.

Data is shared with the following parties solely and exclusively at the moment of emergency activation and for the strict purpose of the service:

• Telecommunications Operators: For sending emergency SMS and initiating calls to your contacts.

• Telegram Service: For sending emergency messages via the Telegram bot made available by the Developer (who acts as a mere technical intermediary for dispatch).

The Developer has no access to, does not store, and is not responsible for the processing of data by these third-party services (telecommunications operator, Telegram) once the message leaves your device.

 

6. Data Retention

Local data (emergency contacts, Telegram Chat IDs, personal keywords, preferences): stored exclusively on the user's device for the entire duration of the App's installation. Never transmitted to the Developer. Retention is indefinite until the App is uninstalled or the data is manually deleted by the user through device settings.

GPS geolocation data: GPS coordinates are generated in real time exclusively at the moment of an emergency and immediately transmitted to the emergency contacts configured by the user (via SMS and/or Telegram). They are not stored by the Developer or connected systems. The Developer's retention period is therefore zero: no GPS data is ever archived.

Audio data (voice recognition): The audio stream is analysed in real time directly on the device solely for emergency keyword detection. It is never recorded, stored, or transmitted. Retention period is zero.

Anonymous technical data (Google Play / Firebase): Any anonymous aggregated usage and crash reporting data collected through standard Google Play tools is subject to Google's retention policies, available at https://policies.google.com.

 

7. Rights of the Data Subject

As a user (data subject), you have the right to exercise the rights provided under Arts. 15–22 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, objection, and data portability, to the extent that such data is being processed.

Since most personal and sensitive data is stored exclusively locally on your device and is not collected or stored by the Developer, your rights in relation to data processed directly by us are limited.

However, you always have the right to:

• Request confirmation of whether personal data is actually being processed by us;

• Object to any future unplanned processing;

• Restrict processing where doubts arise about the accuracy of the data or the lawfulness of the processing.

You may exercise these rights by sending a request to the Data Controller's email address: agostino.giorgio@poliba.it.

Since most sensitive data is stored locally on your device, deletion can be achieved by uninstalling the App and cancelling the subscription/account via Google Play. No automatic backup of data is provided. You can therefore manage and delete data stored locally on your device by uninstalling the App or manually removing the data, while data transmitted via third-party services (e.g. Telegram) is subject to the privacy policies of those services.

Data deletion procedure: Since all personal data is stored exclusively locally on the device, the user can completely delete all their data in one of the following ways:

• Uninstalling the App from the device: all local data (contacts, Chat IDs, keywords, preferences) is automatically deleted by the Android operating system.

• Manual data deletion: via Android Settings → Apps → AIhelpApp → Storage → "Clear data".

• Subscription cancellation: via Google Play → Subscriptions → AIhelpApp → Cancel subscription.

To request confirmation of deletion or for any other data-related request, contact: agostino.giorgio@poliba.it. A response will be provided within 30 days of receipt.

Finally, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority for personal data protection if you believe your rights have not been respected.

 

8. Minors

The App is not intended for children under the age of 14. Use is permitted only to users who are of legal age (18+) or, for minors over the age of 14, under the explicit supervision and responsibility of a parent or legal guardian.

 

9. Policy Updates

This Privacy Policy may be updated. The latest version will always be available within the App and at this URL. Continued use of the App after such changes constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: These terms confirm that sensitive data (keywords, contacts) is processed exclusively on the device, and that location and audio data is used only for the critical emergency function and is neither collected nor stored.