Privacy Policy

Pocket Watchdog is provided by Watchdog Security Group Limited ("Watchdog", "we", "our", or "us"). This policy explains how we handle personal information when you use the Pocket Watchdog website or mobile app.

• Account and contact information, such as your name, email address, phone number, role, and encrypted sign-in credentials.
• Location information when you grant permission and activate a panic alert, including latitude, longitude, and reported accuracy.
• Alarm, site, activity, patrol, and monitoring information associated with the services you are authorised to access.
• Technical and security information, including IP address, browser or device details, sign-in activity, audit events, and app presence.
• A device notification token if you choose to enable push notifications.

We use personal information to:

• authenticate users and provide authorised account access;
• deliver alarm monitoring, site, patrol, and account services;
• send panic alerts and location details to our monitoring systems and operators when you activate that feature;
• send service and security notifications you have enabled;
• protect the service, investigate faults, maintain audit records, and prevent misuse; and
• meet our contractual and legal obligations.

We share information only where needed to provide or protect the service, comply with law, or respond to an emergency. This may include Watchdog monitoring personnel, authorised security partners, emergency responders, and service providers supporting alarm data, patrols, mapping, device connectivity, hosting, and push notifications.

Our integrations may include Patriot, GDS, Permaconn, mapping providers, and Google Firebase. These providers process only the information needed for their relevant service.

Pocket Watchdog requests location access for panic alerts. Location is obtained only when permitted by your device settings. A panic alert can still be submitted if location is unavailable, but our operators may have less information to assist you. You can change location permission at any time in your device settings.

We use necessary session cookies and local device storage to keep you signed in, remember optional preferences, select the correct site, and support security and app permissions. We do not use advertising cookies in Pocket Watchdog.

We retain information for as long as reasonably required to provide the service, maintain security and audit records, resolve disputes, and meet legal or contractual obligations. Retention varies according to the type of information and the relevant monitoring service.

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards, including access controls, encrypted connections, password hashing, and encryption for stored integration credentials. No system can guarantee absolute security.

You may ask to access or correct personal information we hold about you. You may also ask questions about our handling of your information or request account deactivation. Some records may need to be retained for security, monitoring, contractual, or legal reasons.

We handle personal information in accordance with applicable New Zealand privacy law, including the Privacy Act 2020.

For privacy questions or requests, email admin@watchdog.co.nz or call 0800 928 243.