Privacy Policy

1. Scope

Ara Connect is a business phone monitoring application. An authorized user signs in through an organization managed by Ara Research, binds the Android device to an eligible phone line, and receives alerts about connection incidents.

This policy applies to information processed by the Ara Connect application and the Ara Connect services operated for the application. An organization that provides your account may also have its own privacy notices and policies.

2. Information we process

3. How we use information

We use the information described above to:

• authenticate authorized users and maintain secure sessions;
• bind a device to an eligible business phone line;
• monitor device availability and phone-line connection status;
• deliver notifications and audible disconnect alarms;
• process incident acknowledgements, status checks, and alarm tests;
• protect the service, prevent unauthorized access, and investigate misuse; and
• diagnose crashes, measure app performance, and improve reliability.

We do not use Ara Connect data for third-party advertising. We do not sell personal data.

4. How we share information

We share information only as needed to operate and protect Ara Connect:

• Your organization. Authorized administrators may see the assigned line, device status, connection state, heartbeat status, and incident information.
• Google Firebase. We use Firebase Cloud Messaging to deliver device notifications, Firebase Crashlytics to diagnose crashes, and Firebase Performance Monitoring to measure reliability. Google processes related device, installation, diagnostic, performance, and network information under its terms. See Firebase privacy and security information.
• Infrastructure providers. Cloud hosting, networking, monitoring, and security providers process information for Ara Research under service agreements and access controls.
• Legal and safety reasons. We may disclose information when the law requires it or when disclosure is needed to protect users, Ara Research, or the public.
• Business changes. Information may transfer as part of a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or sale of business assets, subject to applicable law.

5. Device permissions and system access

Ara Connect uses Android permissions and settings only for its monitoring and alert functions:

• internet and network-state access to communicate with Ara Connect services and check connection availability;
• notification permission to show status and incident alerts;
• vibration, full-screen alert, foreground-service, and wake access to deliver an urgent disconnect alarm;
• audio-setting access to play an enabled alarm at the configured level; and
• notification-policy and battery-setting access, when you grant it, to help alarms operate reliably.

You can change notification, alarm, battery, and special-access settings through Android settings. Restricting access may stop some alert functions from working.

6. Storage, retention, and deletion

On your device

Ara Connect stores its installation identifier, bound-line state, incident state, settings, and session information in private app storage. The app encrypts session tokens with a key held by Android Keystore. Ara Connect disables Android cloud backup and device-transfer backup for its app data. Uninstalling the app removes its private local data from the device.

On our systems

We keep account, binding, heartbeat, usage, incident, and security records while they are needed to provide the service, support the organization, protect the service, and meet legal obligations. When information is no longer needed, we delete it or remove identifying details under our retention and backup procedures.

Service-provider records

Firebase retains diagnostic, performance, messaging, and installation data according to its published retention practices. See Firebase data processing information.

To request deletion of Ara Connect information associated with you, contact Ara Research using the details below. We may need to verify your identity and coordinate with the organization that administers your account. We may retain limited records when required by law, for security, or to document the request.

7. Security

Ara Research uses technical and organizational measures designed to protect information. These measures include encrypted network connections, encrypted session storage on the device, access controls, service monitoring, and restrictions on employee and provider access. No transmission or storage system can guarantee absolute security.

8. Your choices and requests

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or obtain a copy of personal data. You can also:

• change notification and special-access permissions in Android settings;
• ask your organization administrator to change or remove the phone-line assignment;
• uninstall Ara Connect to remove app data stored on your device; and
• contact Ara Research to make a privacy request or raise a concern.

Ara Connect does not let users create a new organization account inside the app. Accounts are provisioned and managed by Ara Research or the relevant organization.

9. Children

Ara Connect is a business application for authorized adult users. It is not directed to children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children through the app. Contact us if you believe that a child has provided personal data through Ara Connect.

10. International processing

Ara Research and its service providers may process information in Singapore and other countries where they operate. Data-protection laws may differ between countries. We use contractual, technical, and organizational safeguards required by applicable law for international processing.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when Ara Connect changes or when legal requirements change. We will post the revised policy at this URL and update the date at the top. When required, we will provide an additional notice in the app or through the relevant organization.