PrepAlarmPrepAlarm Privacy Notice
- You don’t need an account. We don’t know your name, unless you yourself enter a first name for your family.
- The server only knows your location as an area of about 5 by 5 km, and does not keep a location history.
- No advertising, no trackers, no analysis of your usage.
- Your emergency plan, contacts and precise location stay on your phone.
- The server is located in the EU (Finland).
Who is responsible?
PrepAlarm is made by Esitec. Esitec is responsible for the processing of your data as described here. Send questions or requests about your data to support@prepalarm.com.
What PrepAlarm does
PrepAlarm warns you about major threats near your current location, your saved locations and your family members, such as severe weather, floods, major fires, hazardous substances and power or internet outages. To do this, the server reads public sources (for example NL-Alert, KNMI and Rijkswaterstaat) and compares them with the areas your app has provided. PrepAlarm is not an official government app and does not replace NL-Alert.
What data the server processes
| Data | What for | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Random device ID and a secret key (stored only as a hash) | So that your app can use the server securely without an account. | Until you delete your data, or until 90 days after Apple or Google reports that the app is no longer on your phone. |
| Push token from Apple (iPhone) or Google (Android) | To send warnings and alarms to your phone. | For as long as the app is installed. |
| Current area (about 5 × 5 km) and country | To determine whether a threat affects you. Only used if you grant location access. | Overwritten every time you move. No history is kept. |
| Saved locations (an area of about 5 × 5 km with the name you choose, such as "Home") | To also warn you about places where you are not. | Until you delete the location. |
| First name (optional) and family membership | So that family members can see who a warning applies to. | Until you leave the family or delete your data. |
| The language of your app (for example Dutch or German) | To send warnings and push notifications in your language. | For as long as the registration exists. |
| Your preferences per type of threat | To adjust the level of notifications. | Until you change them or delete your data. |
| Which warning you received, for which of your locations | To avoid warning you twice, and for the archive in the app. | 30 days after the warning has ended. |
| Time of the last contact with the server | To be able to clean up abandoned registrations. | For as long as the registration exists. |
Your precise location does not leave your phone. The app only uses it on the device, for example to check whether you are still in an alarm area. The area of about 5 km is calculated on your phone.
What stays only on your phone
Your emergency plan and checklists, your emergency contacts, notes, which alerts you have archived and your precise location. This data does not go to the server.
On what grounds
We process your data to provide the service you ask for: warning you about threats at your places (performance of a contract, Article 6(1)(b) GDPR). For your location, your phone first asks for your permission; you can withdraw it at any time in your phone’s settings (iOS or Android).
Who we share data with
- Hetzner Online GmbH (Germany) hosts the server in a data centre in Helsinki, Finland. Hetzner processes the data only on our instructions.
- Apple delivers push notifications on iPhones (Apple Push Notification service) and provides the maps in the iOS app. For this, Apple receives your push token and the content of the notification.
- Google delivers push notifications on Android phones (Firebase Cloud Messaging) and provides the maps in the Android app (Google Maps). For this, Google receives your push token and the content of the notification. For the map, Google receives the data that comes with showing a map, such as the map area you are viewing and your IP address.
- Anthropic (Claude) helps assess public alerts from various sources and translates them into the language of your app. Anthropic only receives those public alerts, never data about you or your location.
We do not sell data and do not share it for advertising. The public sources the server reads receive no data about you.
Security
All connections are encrypted (HTTPS). The server does not store IP addresses for requests from the app. Your app’s secret key is stored only as a hash.
Your rights
You can access your data, have it corrected or deleted, and object to its processing. The quickest way:
- Delete everything: in the app via Settings › Advanced › Delete My Data. This immediately erases your registration, locations, family membership and delivery history from the server.
- Individual data: you can delete saved locations and leave your family yourself in the app.
- For access or other requests, email support@prepalarm.com. We respond within one month.
If you disagree with how we handle your data, you can lodge a complaint with the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (the Dutch Data Protection Authority).
Changes
If this notice changes, the new version will be published on this page with a new date at the top.