Rapidshield app Privacy Policy

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PRIVACY POLICY: RAPIDSHIELD

Last Updated: September 1st 2026

 Data Controller: Rapid Emergency System (“RES”, “we”, “us”)

At Rapid Emergency System, your safety is our primary mission. To provide the “Shield” level of protection, we collect and process certain personal information. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the rights you have over it, in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA).

 

  1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

To operate the Command Center and dispatch emergency services, we collect:

  • Identity Data: Name, phone number, email address, and profile photo.
  • Emergency Contact Data: Names and phone numbers of individuals you wish us to alert during an SOS event; hospital name and address.
  • Real Time Location Data (GPS): Precise location data to track security escorts and to locate you during an SOS or medical emergency. Active missions (Escorts/SOS) require “Always On” GPS permissions.
  • Audio Data (Guardian AI): If you enable Guardian AI, the App analyzes ambient sound on your device to detect indicators of an emergency, such as gunshots, screams, or panic sounds. Guardian AI is opt-in and can be switched off at any time in your settings. See Section 2.4 for how this audio is processed.
  • Medical Information: Voluntary data provided for ambulance dispatch (for example, blood type, allergies, or existing conditions).
  • Vehicle Data: Make, model, and plate number, for Towing and Recovery services.
  • Incident Data: Photos, videos, or text descriptions submitted via the “Report an Incident” function.
  • Dependent Profile Data: For Family and Student plans, the covered dependent’s name, profile photo, and medical history (for use in an ambulance emergency) are collected by default. A dependent’s location and audio are collected only if the dependent manually activates SOS or switches on Guardian Mode themselves, following the same processing described in Section 2.4. See Section 8.

 

  1. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We do not sell your data. We use it strictly for:

  1. Emergency Response: Coordinating with the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), hospitals, and security officers.
  2. The “Shield” Breadcrumb Trail: Monitoring your movement during armed escorts to detect deviations or threats.
  3. Abduction Recovery: Providing historical GPS logs to authorized state agencies during a rescue operation.
  4. Guardian AI Threat Detection: Analyzing ambient audio, only while Guardian AI is switched on, to detect sound patterns consistent with gunshots, screams, or panic. When such a pattern is detected, or when you manually activate SOS, the App switches from on-device to server-based processing. See Section 2.4.
  5. Billing & Verification: Processing payments for ambulance usage, logistics charges, and app subscription packages.

2.4 Guardian AI Audio Processing Detail.

  • While SOS is not active, Guardian AI processes ambient audio entirely on your device. This audio is analyzed locally to detect threat patterns and is not transmitted to RES’s servers, viewed by any person, or stored beyond the brief period needed for on-device analysis.
  • Nothing is transmitted before a threat is detected or you manually activate SOS. The App does not stream, buffer for later upload, or otherwise send Guardian AI audio to our servers while it is operating in on-device mode.
  • Once a threat is detected by Guardian AI, or you manually activate SOS, audio processing moves to our servers, and audio from that point forward is transmitted securely to the Command Center, treated as Incident Data, and subject to the retention rules in Section 6.
  • You may switch Guardian AI on or off at any time in the App’s settings. Guardian AI is off by default until you opt in during account setup.
  • Guardian AI’s threat detection is automated. See Section 2.5 on automated decision-making.

2.5 Automated Decision Making. Guardian AI’s detection of a threat and the resulting shift to server based processing, GPS sharing, and audio transmission is an automated process, undertaken without human review at the moment of activation, in order to respond quickly to a genuine emergency. You may disable this feature at any time; doing so will also disable the automatic emergency response it provides. A false positive (the App activating without a genuine threat) does not attract any penalty to you.

 

  1. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under the NDPA:

  • Consent: For Guardian AI audio monitoring, medical information, dependent profiles under Family and Student plans, and marketing communications, which you (or, for a dependent, their parent or guardian) may withdraw at any time.
  • Performance of a Contract: For identity, location, vehicle, and billing data, necessary to provide the escort, ambulance, towing, and SOS services you request.
  • Vital Interests: For location and medical data processed during an active emergency, where processing is necessary to protect your life or physical safety, or that of a covered dependent.
  • Legal Obligation: Where we are required to disclose data to law enforcement or under a valid court order.

 

  1. DATA SHARING & DISCLOSURE

We share your information only when necessary to save life or property, or to operate the service:

  • With Network Partners: Hospitals receive your medical and location data; towing partners receive your vehicle and location data; security officers receive your itinerary.
  • With Law Enforcement: In cases of kidnapping or abduction, we share live tracking, identity, and, where applicable, Guardian AI audio data with the NPF and relevant security agencies.
  • With Service Providers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), for hosting and server-side processing, Twillo for SMS notification when you do not have signal in times of Emergency, Paystack for payment collection and Google, for the Google Maps API used to provide location services.
  • Legal Compliance: We may disclose data if required by Nigerian law or a valid court order.

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

 

  1. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

We use Amazon Web Services (AWS) for hosting and Google’s Maps API for location services. Depending on the specific regions used by these providers, your data may be processed or stored outside Nigeria. Where this occurs, we take steps to ensure an adequate level of protection, including relying on the data protection safeguards each provider maintains under its own compliance programs (for example, AWS’s and Google’s respective data processing terms).

 

  1. DATA STORAGE & SECURITY
  • Retention: We retain mission data (GPS logs, transmitted audio recordings, and incident reports) for 7 years for security auditing, legal defense, and evidence purposes. On-device Guardian AI audio that does not trigger a threat detection or SOS activation is not transmitted to or retained by RES.
  • Encryption: All data transmitted between the App and our Command Center is encrypted using industry standard SSL/TLS protocols.
  • Access Control: Access to your live location and transmitted Guardian AI audio is restricted to authorized Command Center operators, and only during active emergencies or verified incident review.
  • Data Breach Notification: In the event of a data breach likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and affected Users without undue delay, in accordance with NDPA requirements.

 

  1. YOUR RIGHTS

Under the NDPA, you have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of the data we hold about you or, where you are a parent or guardian, your dependent.
  • Correction: Update inaccurate profile information.
  • Erasure: Request deletion of your account. Historical mission logs, including transmitted Guardian AI audio tied to a triggered incident, may be retained for legal, security, or evidentiary reasons as described in Section 6.
  • Withdrawal of Consent: You may turn off GPS tracking or Guardian AI in your settings at any time. Turning off GPS tracking will immediately disable the SOS and Escort functions of the App. Turning off Guardian AI will disable automatic threat detection, but you may still trigger SOS manually.
  • Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest, where applicable.
  • Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) if you believe your data has been processed unlawfully.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Data Protection Officer using the details in Section 11.

 

  1. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY AND DEPENDENT PROFILES

8.1 RapidShield’s Family and Student plans allow a parent or guardian to set up a profile for a dependent minor and issue the dependent their login credentials. The parent or guardian is responsible for instructing the dependent on how to use the App’s emergency features, including SOS and Guardian Mode.

8.2 By default, we collect only the child’s name, profile photo, and medical history (for use by responders in an ambulance emergency). If the dependent manually activates SOS or switches on Guardian Mode themselves, the dependent’s location is shared and, in the case of Guardian Mode, audio is processed in the same way described for adult Users in Section 2.4, in order to respond to the emergency the dependent has triggered.

8.3 We process this data on the basis of consent given by the parent or guardian who sets up the account, in accordance with the NDPA’s requirements for processing a child’s personal data. Whenever a dependent’s SOS or Guardian Mode is activated, the parent or guardian is notified.

8.4 The parent or guardian who creates a dependent’s profile is responsible for the accuracy of the information provided and may access, correct, or request erasure of the dependent’s data by contacting our Data Protection Officer.

8.5 We do not knowingly collect data directly from a minor outside the context of a Family or Student plan set up by their parent or guardian, and we do not collect a minor’s location or audio data except where the minor has themselves triggered SOS or Guardian Mode as described in 8.2.

 

  1. THIRD PARTY SERVICES

The App uses the following third party services, which have their own privacy policies:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS): for hosting and server side processing of Guardian AI and mission data once transmitted.
  • Google Maps API: for location and mapping services.
  • Paystack API: for payment services.
  • Twillo API: for sms services.

 

  1. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of material changes via  in-app notification, email, or sms before they take effect. Continued use of the App after such changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

 

  1. CONTACT US

For privacy related inquiries or to report a data concern, please contact our Data Protection Officer:

Email: support@rapidemergencysystem.com Address: Suite 1C, 3rd Floor, Oshopey Plaza, Allen, Ikeja 101233, Lagos, Nigeria

You may also lodge a complaint directly with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)