The short version
- Most of what the camera sees is analysed on your phone and never leaves it.
- Faces of passers-by are blurred before any image is sent to our servers.
- A clear picture is kept only when a threat is confirmed or you send an SOS, as evidence for you.
- Your data is never sold or used for advertising.
- You can see, correct or delete your data at any time by writing to surakshaforbusiness@gmail.com.
Who we are
Sakshi is a personal-safety app and website (sakshiai.tech) run by Sakshi Labs, Bengaluru, India ("Sakshi", "we", "us"). Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, we are the Data Fiduciary for the personal data described here: we decide why and how it is processed, and we are responsible for it.
What we collect
If you join the waitlist
Your name, email, and optionally your WhatsApp number; your city; whether you are a student, working, a parent or from an institution (and its name); the situations in which you feel least safe; optionally your phone model; whether you want to test the beta; and how you found us (for example a link you clicked). We use this only to invite you, understand who needs Sakshi, and plan the beta.
If you use the app
- Account
- Your phone number or email used to sign in.
- Emergency contacts
- The names and numbers you add, so we can alert them. Please add only people who are happy to be contacted.
- Location
- Your GPS location while protection is on, and with every SOS, so help knows where you are. We do not track you when the app is closed.
- Camera
- See the next section. In short: analysed on your phone, faces blurred before upload, clear images kept only for confirmed threats and SOS.
- Sound
- Short audio clips may be checked for screams or distress. They are analysed and discarded; we do not store recordings or transcripts.
- Safety events
- When the app raises an alert: the time, its level, the distance and movement cues that triggered it, your location, and your answer if you tell us it was a false alarm. This is how we make alerts more accurate.
- Device
- Phone model, operating system, battery level and crash reports, to keep the app running on your phone.
Camera, faces and bystanders
Sakshi watches the people around you, so it sees people who have not agreed to be filmed. We take that seriously:
- On your phone first. Body pose and movement are worked out on your device. No video is recorded or streamed for this.
- Faces blurred. When the app needs a second opinion on a situation, it sends a few still images to our server. Faces of people not involved are pixelated on your phone before they are sent.
- AI verification. Those images are checked by an AI model (Google's Gemini API) to confirm or clear the alert. We use it under paid terms, where Google does not use the images to train or improve its products, and keeps them only briefly to process the request.
- Evidence only when it matters. A clear snapshot of the person involved is stored only when a threat is confirmed or you send an SOS, because that image may help you and the police. You control who receives it.
We never use camera images for advertising, face recognition databases, or to identify people who are not part of a safety incident.
How we use your data
We process your data on the basis of your consent, which you give when you join the waitlist or turn on the app's permissions, and, during an emergency, to protect your life and safety. We use it to:
- detect possible threats and send SOS alerts with your location;
- contact you about early access, the beta and important changes;
- reduce false alarms and improve detection, using alert data with names removed;
- keep the service secure and fix problems.
You can withdraw consent at any time by switching off permissions, deleting the app, or writing to us. Withdrawal does not affect alerts already sent.
How long we keep it
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Waitlist details | Until launch plus 12 months, or until you ask us to delete them |
| Images used for verification (no alert confirmed) | Not stored; discarded after the check |
| Safety events without an SOS | 90 days, then names and location removed |
| SOS records and evidence snapshots | 1 year, or longer if you or the police ask us to keep them for a case |
| Account and emergency contacts | While your account exists; deleted within 30 days of account deletion |
Some records may be kept for one year after deletion where Indian law requires it, and are then erased.
Your rights
Under the DPDP Act you can:
- get a summary of the personal data we hold about you and who we have shared it with;
- correct, complete or update it;
- have it erased;
- nominate someone to exercise these rights if you die or cannot act yourself;
- raise a complaint with our grievance officer, and if you are not satisfied, with the Data Protection Board of India.
Write to surakshaforbusiness@gmail.com from the email or number linked to your account. We reply within 30 days.
How we protect it
Data is encrypted in transit, access to our database is restricted to the people who need it, and our website cannot read anyone's waitlist details. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects your data, we will tell you and the Data Protection Board as the law requires.
Age limit
Sakshi is for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has signed up, write to us and we will delete their data.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we use your data, we will update this page and the date at the top. For significant changes, we will tell you by email or in the app before they take effect.
Grievance officer and contact
Aayush Arora, Founder and Grievance Officer
Sakshi Labs, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Sakshi does not replace emergency services. In an emergency, always call 112.