LEGAL DOCUMENT ¡ EFFECTIVE 1 MARCH 2025

Privacy Policy

How we collect, use, and protect your personal information under POPIA.

📅Last updated: 1 March 2025
📄Version 1.0

1. Who We Are

Emergen24 (Pty) Ltd ("Emergen24", "we", "us", or "our") operates an emergency response platform and mental health companion service accessible via WhatsApp and our web applications at emergen24.co.za, admin.emergen24.co.za, and luna.emergen24.co.za.

Registered Address:
Emergen24 (Pty) Ltd
37 Magwa Crescent, Waterfall City, Midrand
Gauteng, 2090, South Africa

Information Officer:
Email: privacy@emergen24.co.za
Phone: +27 64 611 5037

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of our services including emergency users, Luna users, registered responders, company administrators, and website visitors.

2. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

We are committed to complying with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA), and all applicable South African law. We process personal information only because doing so is necessary to operate a life-saving emergency response service.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Emergency Users (WhatsApp)

When you contact us in an emergency, we collect: your WhatsApp phone number (your primary identifier), your name, your location (GPS coordinates or text address), medical information you voluntarily provide, your emergency contact's name and phone number, your preferred language, all WhatsApp messages and voice notes exchanged with our service, and session activity timestamps.

3.2 Luna Users

In addition to the above: full session content including emotional disclosures and mental health information, mood ratings you provide, automated emotion classification on your messages (using our AI classifier), session history, subscription and billing records (processed by Paystack), and web session data on luna.emergen24.co.za.

3.3 Responders

Name, phone number, specialisation, company affiliation, home base location, real-time GPS location during active emergencies, and performance data (response times, acceptance rates, ratings).

3.4 Company Administrators

Account information, company registration details, dashboard activity (fully audit-logged), and subscription and billing information.

3.5 Automatically Collected

IP addresses, browser and device type, pages visited, referring URLs, cookies, and session identifiers.

4. How We Use Your Information

PurposeLawful Basis
Dispatching emergency responders to your locationVital interest — necessary to protect life
Providing AI first-aid guidance during emergenciesVital interest — necessary to protect life
Operating the Luna mental health companion serviceConsent and/or contractual necessity
Notifying your emergency contact when you go silentVital interest and legitimate interest
Verifying your identity via WhatsApp OTPContractual necessity
Processing subscription payments via PaystackContractual necessity
Improving our AI models and platform safetyLegitimate interest
Generating anonymised incident reportsLegitimate interest
Detecting and preventing fraud and abuseLegitimate interest and legal obligation
Complying with legal obligationsLegal obligation

We will never sell your data to third parties, use it for targeted advertising, or profile you for commercial marketing without explicit consent.

5. Sharing Your Information

5.1 With Responders

When you trigger an emergency, dispatched responders receive: your first name, your location, the nature of your emergency, medical information (if provided), and an AI-generated briefing. Your surname, full phone number, and financial information are never shared with responders.

5.2 With Your Emergency Contact

If you go silent during an emergency, your emergency contact receives: your name, that you triggered an alert, your last known location, and emergency service numbers.

5.3 With Service Providers

ProviderPurposeLocation
Google FirebaseDatabase, auth, file storageUSA (SCCs in place)
Meta (WhatsApp API)Message deliveryUSA (SCCs in place)
Google GeminiVoice analysis, AI guidanceUSA (SCCs in place)
GroqAI text generation for LunaUSA (SCCs in place)
Hugging FaceEmotion classificationUSA/EU (SCCs in place)
ElevenLabsText-to-speech (Luna voice)USA (SCCs in place)
PaystackPayment processingNigeria/SA
RailwayServer infrastructureUSA (SCCs in place)
VercelWeb hostingUSA (SCCs in place)

All cross-border transfers are subject to appropriate safeguards under Section 72 of POPIA.

5.4 With Authorities

We may disclose information to law enforcement or emergency services where required by law or necessary to protect life.

6. Special Categories

â„šī¸ Protected Information
Health and medical information, mental health information (Luna conversations), and location data receive heightened protection. Luna session content is never shared with employers, insurers, or other third parties without explicit consent. It is never used to make automated decisions affecting your rights.

7. Data Security

We implement: TLS 1.2+ encryption in transit, encryption at rest for all sensitive Firestore and Storage data, role-based access controls, full audit logging of all administrative access, and breach notification procedures compliant with POPIA.

8. Your Rights Under POPIA

â„šī¸ Your Data Subject Rights
You have the right to: access your personal information, request correction or deletion, object to processing, withdraw consent, and lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

Information Regulator: inforeg@justice.gov.za | www.inforegulator.org.za | JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

To exercise your rights: privacy@emergen24.co.za. We respond within 30 days.

9. Data Retention

Data CategoryRetention PeriodReason
Emergency records (messages, location, AI guidance)7 yearsLegal and insurance purposes
Incident reports7 yearsLegal/regulatory compliance
Luna session content and transcripts3 years from last sessionService continuity and safety review
Responder performance records5 years after deregistrationLegal claims period
Billing and payment records5 yearsTax and financial compliance
Audit logs3 yearsSecurity and compliance
User onboarding data2 years of inactivityService provision
OTP codes10 minutesSecurity

10. Cookies

We use strictly necessary cookies (authentication, session management) and functional cookies (preferences). We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under 18. In emergency situations involving a minor, a parent or guardian should initiate contact. Contact privacy@emergen24.co.za if a minor has registered without parental knowledge.

12. Luna — Additional Privacy

âš ī¸ IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
Luna conversations do not constitute clinical health records. Luna is not bound by therapist-client confidentiality. If Luna detects imminent risk to life (suicidal ideation, self-harm), your session may be reviewed by our safety team. In extreme circumstances, information may be shared with emergency services where we reasonably believe there is an imminent risk to your or another person's life.

Emotion classification is used only to improve Luna's in-session responses and flag high-severity sessions for safety review. It is never used to make automated decisions affecting your rights.

13. Changes to This Policy

We will notify you via WhatsApp or in-app notice for material changes, with at least 14 days' notice before they take effect.

14. Contact

Information Officer, Emergen24 (Pty) Ltd
Email: privacy@emergen24.co.za
WhatsApp: +27 64 611 5037

Contact Us

For any questions about this policy, please contact our Information Officer:

Email: privacy@emergen24.co.za

WhatsApp: +27 64 611 5037

Registered Address:
Emergen24 (Pty) Ltd
37 Magwa Crescent, Waterfall City
Midrand, Gauteng, 2090
South Africa