This Privacy Policy explains what information PhireAso collects through its Android app and its website, why we collect it, what is shown publicly, who it is shared with, how it is protected and how long it is kept, and the choices you have. PhireAso has no accounts and no login — you can use it without giving us your name or email address.
1. Who we are
PhireAso is a free community emergency-alert service for Bangladesh. People use it to post notices about missing persons and lost or found items; after an admin approves a notice, it is shown on the website and in the app, and app users receive an alert.
The Android app and the website PhireAso are operated by the PhireAso team, which is responsible for the information described here. You can reach us at support@phireaso.com.
2. Summary
- No account, no login, no password — we never ask for your name, email address or phone number to use the service.
- The app automatically sends us your device's Android ID, its manufacturer and model, the Android version, the app version and a push-notification token. We use these only to run the service, send alerts and stop abuse.
- We do not collect your location, contacts, call logs, SMS, microphone, files or advertising ID.
- Everything you put in a notice — the name, age, photos, description, place, the contact name and phone number, and a GD number if you add one — becomes public once an admin approves it. That is how a notice helps find someone.
- The phone number you may add to a tip ("I saw this person") is never public — only our admins see it.
- We do not sell your data and do not share it with anyone for advertising or marketing.
- All data is stored in our own database, protected and accessible only to authorised admins.
3. Information collected automatically — Android app
When the app opens for the first time it registers your phone with our server. It sends:
- Android ID — an identifier that Android creates for this app on your phone. It is not your IMEI, serial number, SIM or phone number, and it changes after a factory reset.
- Device manufacturer and model (for example "Samsung Galaxy A54") and the Android version.
- The app's version.
- A Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) token — a random address Google uses to deliver notifications to this app on your phone.
- The time the device was first and last seen.
Why: to deliver emergency alerts to you, to connect your notices, tips, reactions and reports to your phone (so you can edit or delete your own notices without an account), to prevent spam and abuse (an admin can block a device that posts false notices), and to tell you when an app update is required.
For security, our server also keeps a technical log of each request the app makes: the time, the address called, the result, and the IP address. These logs are deleted automatically after 30 days.
Now and then we send the app a silent message (no notification, nothing on screen) to count how many installed copies are still in use. The app answers once with its device identifier and app version. We use this only to know how many people the alerts reach.
4. Information collected automatically — website
- A random browser identifier, stored in an encrypted cookie. It is created only when you post a notice, leave a tip, react or report something — never just for reading — and it lets you see and manage your own posts under "My posts".
- Your preferences (language, light or dark theme, dismissed banners), stored only in your own browser.
- If you switch on alerts in your browser: a web push token, used only to deliver alerts.
- Standard server logs (IP address, browser type, page requested, time), used for security.
- If the site owner enables Google Analytics, anonymous visit statistics (pages viewed, device type, approximate country). No personal information is sent to it.
5. Information you choose to give us
When you post a notice:
- The type and category (for example missing child, lost document).
- The name, age, gender and description of the person or item, clothing, and the date, time and place as you type it.
- Photos you choose from your gallery or take with the camera.
- A contact name and phone number, and optionally a GD (police General Diary) number.
All of this is shown publicly once the notice is approved — see section 9.
When you leave a tip ("I saw this person"): your message and, optionally, your own phone number so the family can reach you. The message is public; your number is seen only by our admins.
When you comment, react or report a notice: the comment text, the reaction or the reason you give.
Please share only what is needed to find the person or item. Do not post other people's private information.
6. What we do NOT collect
- No precise or approximate GPS location — places are only what you type.
- No contacts, call logs, SMS or messages.
- No microphone, no files except the photos you pick.
- No advertising ID and no tracking across other apps or websites.
- No name, email address, date of birth or password — there is no account.
- No payment information — the service is free.
7. App permissions
- Internet — to load notices and send what you post.
- Notifications (Android 13 and newer asks you) — to show emergency alerts. You can turn them off at any time in Android settings.
- Photos and camera are opened through Android's own picker only when you choose to add a photo. The app does not read your gallery by itself and does not request storage access.
8. How we use the information
- To publish approved notices on the website and in the app, to send alerts to app users, and — when the site's operators have switched it on — to post them to our Telegram channel and Facebook Page.
- To let you edit, delete or mark your own notices as found.
- To pass tips, and the number you add to a tip, to the person who posted the notice, through our admins.
- To review every notice before it goes public and to keep out false, harmful or spam posts — including blocking a device or a phone number.
- To keep the service secure and working, and to count views and reactions.
We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not make automated decisions about you.
9. What is public and what is not
When an admin approves a notice, everything in it becomes public, so that people can recognise the person or item and call the family:
- the type and category, the name, age, gender, description and clothing, and the date, time and place;
- the photos;
- the contact name and phone number given in the notice;
- the GD number, if one was given;
- the notice's share picture and printable poster, which show the name, a photo, the place and the contact number.
Where it appears: on the website and in the app; in the alert sent to app users; on our Telegram channel and Facebook Page when auto-posting is switched on; in search engines such as Google; and wherever people share, forward or print it.
Tips and comments are public too — the message only, never who sent it. The number of reactions is public.
Never public: the phone number you add to a tip (only our admins see it), your Android ID, device model, push token, IP address, browser identifier, the reports (flags) you send, and notices that are waiting for approval, rejected or deleted.
Before you post: the contact number you give will be seen by everyone. Use a number you are willing to share, and post a person's photo and details only if you are their parent, guardian or family, or have their permission.
10. Blood donation
PhireAso also lets people ask for blood and register as blood donors.
When you register as a donor we keep: your name, blood group, gender (for the rest period after giving), phone number, district, thana / police station, area and address, other districts where you can give, the date you last gave, an optional photo, and the phone or browser you registered from. A donor is identified by their phone number together with that device.
Public: your name, photo, blood group, district, thana and area, whether you are available, and how many times you have given — so people can find a donor nearby. Your phone number and address are NEVER shown publicly. Your number is given to someone who needs blood only after YOU accept their request, and you can see their number when you choose "I can give".
When you ask for blood: the blood group and number of bags, hospital, place, date and time, the patient's name, age and reason if you give them, your name, your relation to the patient and your phone number are shown on the request, its share picture and its poster. If you choose to keep the number private, it is shown only to people who press "I can give" (with a daily limit per device, to stop number harvesting), to donors who accept your request, and to our admins.
Notifications about a new request go to app users and browsers that registered for that district (and, if an admin chooses, that division); donors of a matching group are told so. Your phone number is never in a notification.
We store donor numbers encrypted. Requests close by themselves after their date has passed; you can mark them as fulfilled or delete them, and you can edit or delete your donor profile at any time from "My blood". Blood donation through PhireAso is always free — we never charge for it, and you should never pay anyone for blood.
11. Sharing of information
We do not sell, rent or trade your information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own use, advertising or marketing.
Apart from publishing approved notices as described in section 9, we only use these services:
- Google Firebase Cloud Messaging — receives the push token of your device (or browser) and the text of an alert (a notice's category and title), to deliver notifications. It does not receive the contact name or phone number.
- Telegram and Facebook — when the site's operators switch on auto-posting, each approved notice (the same public details, a photo or its share picture, the contact name and number, and its link) is posted to our Telegram channel and our Facebook Page. There it is also covered by Telegram's and Meta's own privacy policies. No device information and no tip numbers are ever sent to them.
- Our hosting provider — the server where our database and photos are stored.
- Google Analytics, only on the website and only if enabled — anonymous visit statistics.
We may disclose information if the law requires it (for example a valid request from the police or a court), or when it is necessary to protect someone's life or safety.
12. How we protect your data
- All connections between the app, the website and our server are encrypted (HTTPS).
- Information is stored in our own database, which only authorised admins can access, each with their own login and permissions; admin actions are logged.
- Device access keys are stored only in hashed form.
- Photos are checked, resized and re-encoded before they are stored — this also removes hidden details inside a photo, such as the place where it was taken.
No system is completely secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access.
13. How long we keep data
- Notices: while they are live and useful. A notice marked as found stays online with a "found" note so shared links keep working. When you or an admin delete a notice, it is removed from the website and the app immediately.
- Copies outside our service — posts on our Telegram channel or Facebook Page, screenshots, printed posters and shares by other people — may remain after a notice is deleted. We remove our own Telegram and Facebook posts on request; write to support@phireaso.com with the notice code.
- Tips (and the number added to a tip), comments, reactions and reports: as long as the notice they belong to.
- Device information: while the app is in use. It is removed on request.
- Technical request logs: 30 days.
We may keep a record longer only when needed to prevent abuse or when the law requires it.
14. Your choices and rights
- Edit, delete or mark as found your own notices at any time from "My posts" in the app or on the website.
- Turn off notifications in Android settings, or switch off browser alerts on the website.
- Uninstalling the app stops all collection from your phone. Clearing your browser's cookies removes the website identifier.
- You can ask us for a copy of the information linked to your device or notices, or to correct or delete it. Write to support@phireaso.com and include the notice code (for example AB12CD34) if you have one. We reply within 30 days.
15. Children
PhireAso is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. Notices about missing children are meant to be posted by parents, guardians or responsible adults. Please share only what is needed to find the child. A parent or guardian can ask us at support@phireaso.com to remove any notice about their child, and we will do so promptly.
16. Where data is processed
Our server and the services listed above (such as Google Firebase) may store or process data in countries other than Bangladesh. We only use providers that protect data to a comparable standard.
17. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when the service changes. The date at the top of this page shows the latest version. If a change is significant, we will say so in the app or on the website. Continuing to use PhireAso after a change means you accept the updated policy.
18. Contact us
Questions, requests or complaints about privacy: support@phireaso.com
PhireAso — community emergency alerts for missing persons and lost items.