NightKept Privacy Policy
Effective date: 10 October 2026
About this policy
NightKept records security guards' patrol routes so employers can check that patrols happened. Guards use the NightKept Guard app on Android. Employers review patrols on the website at nightkept.ke. This policy explains what data we collect, why, who sees it, how long we keep it and what rights you have.
In short:
- The guard app records location only during an active patrol. It keeps recording when the phone is locked or the app is closed, until the patrol ends.
- Employers see only their own guards' patrols. NightKept staff access data only to run, support and secure the service.
- We do not sell personal data or use it for advertising.
- Patrol location data is deleted 12 months after the patrol ends.
- You can ask for a copy of your data, or for it to be deleted, at nightkept.ke/delete-account or by emailing privacy@nightkept.ke.
Muhtasari kwa Kiswahili: nightkept.ke/walinzi
NightKept is run by NightKept Limited, a company registered in Scotland (company number SC901130). Registered address: 2 Jubilee Gardens, G61 2RT, United Kingdom. ICO registration number: ZC266811.
Who is responsible for your data
Guard patrol data: your employer decides, we process it for them. The homeowner or security company that set up your guard account decides why guards are tracked and how the records are used. They are the "controller" of that data. NightKept is their "processor": we store and display it on their instructions.
If you are a guard and have questions about why you are tracked, ask your employer first. You can also contact us, and we will help or pass your request to them.
Data we use for our own purposes: NightKept is responsible. This covers employer accounts, billing and payments, support requests and Flo chats, app crash reports, and security logs.
Because NightKept Limited is a UK company serving customers in Kenya, we follow both the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, and Kenya's Data Protection Act 2019.
What we collect
| Type | What it includes | Whose |
|---|---|---|
| Patrol location | GPS coordinates, accuracy, time, and battery level at each point; start and end location of each patrol; checkpoint visits worked out by our server | Guards |
| Guard account | Name, phone number or email, guard ID, PIN (stored only in scrambled, hashed form), assigned sites | Guards |
| Employer account | Name, email, phone, password (hashed), company name, billing contacts | Employers |
| Sites and checkpoints | Site addresses, site contact name and phone, map coordinates of checkpoints | Employers |
| Payments | M-Pesa phone number, amount, receipt and transaction references, Safaricom's payment confirmation. We never see or store card details. | Employers |
| Support | Support tickets, feature suggestions, and messages sent to our Flo support chat | Employers and visitors |
| App crash reports | Error details, app version, phone model and Android version, approximate location (rounded to about 1 km), guard and patrol IDs, battery level. No IP addresses. | Guards |
| Technical | A login cookie; server logs of requests and errors; a record of NightKept staff actions on customer accounts | Everyone |
The guard app does not access contacts, camera, microphone or photos. It does not use advertising IDs. It does not collect location outside an active patrol.
If the phone is offline, patrol points are stored on the phone and uploaded when it reconnects. They are deleted from the phone once uploaded.
Background location in the guard app
The NightKept Guard app collects location data in the background, even when the app is closed or not in use, but only during an active patrol.
- When it starts: when the guard taps Start Patrol.
- How often: about every 5 seconds or every 5 metres of movement.
- When it keeps going: while the phone is locked, the app is minimised or closed, after the phone restarts, and if the guard is signed out mid-patrol.
- When it stops: when the patrol is ended. No location is collected outside a patrol.
- How you know: a notification, "NightKept — Patrol Active", shows for as long as recording is on.
Why: to create a record of the patrol route and checkpoint visits for the guard's employer. This is the app's core purpose.
Who sees it: the guard's employer, and NightKept staff when needed to support or secure the service. It is never used for advertising and never sold.
Android asks the guard to allow location "all the time". The guard can turn this off in Android settings at any time, but patrols cannot then be recorded.
How we use data and why we are allowed to
| Purpose | Data used | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Record patrols and show them to the employer | Patrol location, guard account | The employer's legitimate interest in checking that patrols happen. We act on the employer's instructions. |
| Provide accounts and logins | Account data | Contract with the employer |
| Bill and take payments | Payment data | Contract; legal obligation to keep tax records |
| Send service emails (password resets, renewal notices) | Name, email | Contract |
| Answer support requests and Flo chats | Support data | Our legitimate interest in helping customers |
| Fix crashes and keep the service reliable | Crash reports, logs | Our legitimate interest in a working service |
| Keep the service secure and check staff access | Logs, staff action records | Our legitimate interest; legal obligation |
| Respond to lawful requests from authorities | Whatever the request lawfully covers | Legal obligation |
We do not rely on guards' consent as the legal basis for patrol tracking. The Android location permission is a technical setting, not consent under data protection law.
We make no automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on anyone. We only send marketing messages to people who have agreed to receive them, and they can opt out at any time.
Who we share data with
We use these service providers to run NightKept. Each receives only what it needs for its task.
| Provider | What for | What it receives | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replit | Hosts our app servers | All data passing through the service | United States |
| Neon | Database | All stored data | Germany |
| Sentry | Crash reports from the guard app | Crash report data (see above) | Germany |
| Mapbox | Maps, route images and address search | Patrol route and checkpoint coordinates when an employer views patrol evidence; address searches | United States |
| Google (Map Tiles) | Satellite map imagery | Only the map area being viewed, no guard data | United States |
| Postmark | Sending emails | Recipient details and email content | United States |
| Anthropic | Powers the Flo support chat | Chat messages | United States |
| Safaricom (M-Pesa) | Payments | Phone number, amount, payment reference | Kenya |
We may also share data:
- with the authorities, when the law requires it;
- to protect people's safety or our legal rights;
- with a buyer if NightKept is sold or merged, under the same protections as this policy.
Each employer sees only its own data. We never sell personal data.
International transfers
Data collected in Kenya is transferred to NightKept Limited in the UK, and to our providers in the United States and Germany.
- Kenya to other countries: we transfer data under the safeguards required by sections 48 to 50 of Kenya's Data Protection Act 2019.
- Germany: the UK recognises the EU as giving adequate protection.
- United States: each provider is covered either by the UK–US data bridge (the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework) or by standard contractual clauses with the UK's International Data Transfer Addendum, set out in its data processing terms.
You can ask us for details of the safeguards used for any transfer.
How long we keep data
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Patrol routes, GPS points, battery readings and checkpoint visits | 12 months after the patrol ends, then deleted within 7 days |
| Guard and employer accounts, sites and checkpoints | While the account is active; deleted within 30 days of account closure, or within 14 days of a deletion request |
| Support tickets and feature suggestions | While the account is active; deleted within 30 days of closure |
| Payment records | 6 years from the end of the financial year they relate to, as UK and Kenyan tax law require |
| App crash reports (Sentry) | Up to 30 days |
| Server logs | Up to 14 days (application logs) and 30 days (error logs) |
| Database backups | Overwritten within 7 days |
| Login sessions | Expire after 7 days without use |
| Unsent patrol points on a guard's phone | Until uploaded, then deleted from the phone |
Deactivating a guard stops their access. Their patrol history stays available to the employer, within the limits above.
We may keep specific data longer if the law requires it or it is needed for a legal claim. If that applies to a deletion request, we will tell you.
Security and staff access
- All connections to NightKept are encrypted (HTTPS), and browsers are told to use only encrypted connections.
- Passwords and PINs are stored only in scrambled (hashed) form. We cannot read them.
- Each employer can see only its own data.
- Crash reports are scrubbed: location is rounded to about 1 km, IP addresses are not stored, and login tokens are removed.
- The guard app stores login details and unsent patrol points on the phone. Guards should protect their phone with a screen lock.
Staff access. A small number of NightKept staff with administrator accounts can view customer data, including patrol routes. They do so only to provide support, investigate problems, and keep the service secure. Staff access to customer company records is logged.
If something goes wrong. If a security breach affects personal data, we will tell affected employers without undue delay. Where the law requires, we will report it to the UK Information Commissioner's Office and Kenya's Office of the Data Protection Commissioner within 72 hours.
Your rights and deleting your account
You have the right to:
- get a copy of your personal data;
- have it corrected if it is wrong;
- have it deleted;
- object to, or ask us to limit, how it is used;
- receive it in a machine-readable format;
- withdraw consent where we rely on it;
- complain to a regulator (see below).
How to ask:
- Use the deletion and data request form at nightkept.ke/delete-account.
- Or, in the NightKept Guard app, open the Account screen and tap "Request account deletion".
- Or email privacy@nightkept.ke.
- Or write to us at the postal address below.
It is free. We may ask you to confirm your identity. We will respond within 7 days to a request for a copy of your data; within 14 days to a request to correct, delete, limit or object to its use; and within 30 days to a request for your data in a machine-readable format.
What deletion means. We delete your account and personal data within 14 days of your request.
For guards, patrol records belong to the employer's records. We will tell your employer about your request and handle it with them. Patrol data is always deleted under the 12-month rule above.
Cookies, age limit, changes and contact
Cookies. We use one essential cookie to keep you logged in. It lasts up to 7 days. We do not use analytics or advertising cookies.
Age limit. NightKept is a business service for adults. Guard accounts must only be created for people aged 18 or over. If we learn that data about someone under 18 has been collected, we will delete it.
Changes to this policy. We will update the effective date at the top whenever this policy changes. For significant changes, we will email employers before the change takes effect and, where we can, show a notice in the guard app.
Contact us:
- Privacy questions and requests: privacy@nightkept.ke
- General support: support@nightkept.ke
- Post: NightKept Limited, 2 Jubilee Gardens, G61 2RT, United Kingdom
Complaints. Please contact us first so we can try to put things right. You can also complain to either regulator:
- UK: Information Commissioner's Office, ico.org.uk
- Kenya: Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, odpc.go.ke