Privacy Policy for Parka Ranger

This Privacy Policy describes how Parka Ranger ("we", "our", or "the app") collects, uses, and shares information when you use our mobile application for parking enforcement.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide

• Account Information: When you log in as a parking ranger, we collect your username and authentication credentials provided by your employer.
• Parking Violation Reports: License plate numbers, violation descriptions, and any notes you add when reporting parking violations.

Information Collected Automatically

• Camera Data: Photos taken within the app for parking violation documentation. These images are processed for license plate recognition but are not stored on your device after submission.
• Location Information: We collect precise location data to associate parking violations with specific parking lots and zones. This helps ensure accurate violation reporting.
• Device Information: Basic device information including device type, operating system version, and app version for compatibility and troubleshooting purposes.
• Crash Reports: Anonymous crash reports and performance data through Sentry to help us improve app stability.

How We Use Information

We use the collected information to:

• Enable parking rangers to report and document parking violations
• Process license plate recognition through our ALPR (Automatic License Plate Recognition) service
• Associate violations with correct parking locations
• Authenticate users and maintain account security
• Improve app performance and fix bugs
• Communicate with parking lot operators about violations

Information Sharing

We share information in the following circumstances:

• With Parking Lot Operators: Violation reports, including photos and license plate information, are shared with the relevant parking lot operators for enforcement purposes.
• With Service Providers: We use third-party services for license plate recognition (OpenALPR) and error tracking (Sentry). These providers process data on our behalf under strict confidentiality agreements.
• For Legal Compliance: We may disclose information if required by law or in response to valid legal requests.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes:

• Encrypted data transmission using HTTPS
• Secure authentication tokens
• Regular security assessments
• Limited access to personal information by authorized personnel only

Data Retention

We retain parking violation data as required for legal and business purposes, typically for the duration required by local parking enforcement regulations. Photos taken within the app are not stored locally on your device after successful submission to our servers.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your information, including:

• Access to your personal information
• Correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion of your data (subject to legal requirements)
• Objection to certain data processing

To exercise these rights, please contact your employer or parking lot operator who manages your ranger account.

Location Services

Parka Ranger requires access to your device's location services to function properly. Location data is used solely for associating parking violations with the correct parking facilities and is not used for tracking ranger movements or any other purpose.

Camera and Photo Access

The app requires camera access to capture photos of vehicles for violation documentation. Photos are processed for license plate recognition and submitted with violation reports. We do not access or use photos from your device's photo library.

Children's Privacy

Parka Ranger is not intended for use by children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

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Data Processing Details

TensorFlow Lite Processing

Vehicle detection is performed locally on your device using TensorFlow Lite. No images are sent to external servers for this initial detection process.

OpenALPR Integration

When a vehicle is detected, the cropped image containing the license plate area is sent to OpenALPR's secure servers for plate recognition. OpenALPR processes this data under their privacy policy and does not retain images after processing.

Backend Communication

All communication with Parka's backend servers (https://parka.is) is encrypted using HTTPS. Your authentication token is securely stored on your device and used for all API requests.