Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Ahtiyaat is a community-powered public safety reporting platform. Throughout this policy, "we", "us", and "our" refer to Ahtiyaat. Our service allows users to report, view, and verify safety incidents in real time.

Ahtiyaat is currently operated and maintained by Syed Ali Hasnain Rizvi, based in Karachi, Pakistan ("Data Controller"), who is legally responsible for the data collected through this platform.

If you have any questions about this policy, contact us at contact@ahtiyaat.com.

2. What We Collect

We collect the following information when you use Ahtiyaat:

• Account information — your name, email address, and password (stored encrypted via Firebase Authentication)
• Location data — your real-time GPS coordinates when you open the map or file a report. This is required for the app to function. Location is only accessed while the app is in use.
• Incident reports — the type, location, description, and timestamp of any report you file
• Device information — device type, operating system, and app version for debugging purposes
• Voting activity — which incidents you have verified or dismissed

For student verification only, we additionally collect:

• Student ID card (front and back)
• Latest fee challan or academic transcript
• CNIC (national identity card) for name cross-verification

These documents are used solely to verify student status and are reviewed manually by the Ahtiyaat team. They are stored securely and never shared with third parties.

3. How We Use Your Data

• To create and manage your account
• To display incident pins on the live map
• To enable geo-fenced voting (verifying you are physically near an incident)
• To calculate your impact score and rank
• To send your anonymous User ID (e.g. ALI-2847) — your real name is never shown publicly
• To verify student status for the free student tier
• To respond to support requests sent to contact@ahtiyaat.com
• To improve the app through aggregate, anonymised usage data

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose beyond operating the Ahtiyaat platform.

4. Your Anonymous Identity

Ahtiyaat is designed so that your real name is never visible to other users. When you sign up, you are assigned a unique anonymous ID (for example, ALI-2847). This is the only identifier visible to other users on the platform.

Your email address, full name, and CNIC (if submitted for student verification) are stored privately and are only accessible to the Ahtiyaat team.

5. Location Data

Location access is required for Ahtiyaat to work. We use your location to:

• Centre the map on your area
• Pin your incident reports accurately
• Verify you are within 1km of an incident before allowing you to vote on it

We do not track your location in the background. Location is only accessed when you have the app open or are actively filing a report.

Your precise location coordinates are stored as part of your incident reports in Firestore. This is necessary so other users can see the incident on the map.

6. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on Google Firebase (Firestore and Firebase Authentication), hosted on Google's servers. Firebase is compliant with major international data protection standards.

Student verification documents are stored on Cloudinary, a secure cloud media platform, with access restricted to the Ahtiyaat team only.

We take reasonable technical precautions to protect your data. However, no method of internet transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers — Google Firebase and Cloudinary process data on our behalf to operate the platform
• Legal requirements — if required by Pakistani law or a valid court order
• Safety — if we believe disclosure is necessary to prevent serious harm

Incident report data (type, location, timestamp) is publicly visible on the Ahtiyaat map by design — this is the core function of the platform. Your name and account details are never attached to public reports.

8. Data Retention

• Incident reports — remain on the map for 7 days, then archived. Archived reports are used to generate anonymised safety summaries for Karachi every 6 months.
• Account data — retained as long as your account is active
• Student documents — retained until your graduation date, then deleted
• Deleted accounts — all personal data removed within 30 days of account deletion

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Withdraw consent for location access at any time through your device settings

To exercise any of these rights, email us at contact@ahtiyaat.com.

10. Children

Ahtiyaat is not intended for users under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has created an account, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as the platform evolves. When we make significant changes, we will notify users via the app or email. Continued use of Ahtiyaat after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact

Questions, concerns, or data requests: