Guardo — Privacy Policy

Effective Date: February 11, 2026 Last Updated: February 11, 2026 Company: Protejo Ltd.

1. Introduction

Guardo is a parental control application developed by Protejo Ltd. It is designed to be installed on a child's Android device by their parent or legal guardian. Guardo works together with the Protejo parent app to help families keep children safe in the digital world.

This Privacy Policy explains what data Guardo collects, how it is used, who can access it, and how it is protected. By installing and setting up Guardo on your child's device, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

Guardo is intended for use by parents and legal guardians only. The app must be set up by an adult (18+) and requires active parental consent before any monitoring begins.

2. Data We Collect

Guardo collects the following categories of data from the child's device:

Device Information Device model, Android version, Guardo app version, unique device identifier, battery level, and charging status.

Location Data GPS coordinates, movement speed, altitude, and accuracy. Location is tracked at regular intervals (every 5 minutes by default) or in real-time when requested by the parent. Geofence entry and exit events are also recorded.

Notification Content App name, sender name, and message text from incoming notifications on messaging apps including SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, Discord, and others. This data is collected via Android's NotificationListenerService.

App Usage Data Which applications are used, duration of use per app, app categories (social, games, education, etc.), and daily usage summaries.

Web Browsing Data Domain names of websites accessed or blocked. Guardo uses a local VPN for DNS-level filtering only. We do not decrypt, intercept, or read the content of web traffic. Only domain names are logged.

Screen Time Statistics Total daily device usage, per-app usage duration, and category breakdowns.

Tamper Detection Events Events such as attempts to disable monitoring services, revoke permissions, enable airplane mode, or uninstall the app.

Remote Support Sessions When a child initiates a screen sharing session with their parent, session metadata is recorded (start time, end time, duration). Screen content is streamed directly between devices and is not stored on our servers.

3. How We Collect Data

All data collection requires explicit parental consent granted during the device setup process. The following Android system services are used:

• NotificationListenerService — Reads incoming notification content from messaging apps.

• FusedLocationProvider — Provides GPS location data.

• UsageStatsManager — Tracks app usage duration and frequency.

• Local VPN Service — Filters web content at the DNS level. All filtering happens on-device. No traffic is routed through external servers.

• DeviceAdminReceiver — Prevents unauthorized removal of the app.

• MediaProjection — Used only during child-initiated screen sharing sessions, with the child's explicit consent each time.

The child is always aware that monitoring is active. A persistent notification is displayed on the child's device at all times while Guardo is running.

4. How We Use The Data

Data collected by Guardo is used solely for the following purposes:

• Providing parents with visibility into their child's device activity.

• Alerting parents to potentially dangerous communications using AI-powered threat detection.

• Enforcing parental controls such as app blocking, screen time limits, and web filtering.

• Detecting grooming patterns, cyberbullying, and other online threats.

• Sending geofence alerts when a child enters or leaves a designated safe zone.

• Detecting and alerting parents to tamper attempts.

• Enabling child-initiated remote support sessions.

We do not use collected data for advertising, marketing, profiling, or any purpose other than child safety.

5. Who Can Access The Data

Parents and Legal Guardians Only the parent or legal guardian who set up Guardo and linked it to their Protejo account can view the child's data. Data is accessible exclusively through the authenticated parent's Protejo app.

Protejo Ltd. Staff Our technical team may access data only when necessary for technical support, troubleshooting, or service reliability, and only with the parent's consent or as required to maintain the service.

Third Parties We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your child's data with any third party. We do not provide data to advertisers, data brokers, or analytics companies.

Law Enforcement We may disclose data if required by law, court order, or legal process, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of a child.

6. Data Storage and Security

Encryption All data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.3 and encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption.

Server Location Data is stored on secure cloud servers with SOC 2 compliance.

Data Retention

• Location data: retained for 30 days, then automatically deleted.

• Notification and message data: retained for 90 days, then automatically deleted.

• Screen time and app usage data: retained for 1 year, then automatically deleted.

• Tamper detection events: retained for 90 days.

• Remote support session metadata: retained for 30 days. Screen content is never stored.

Data Deletion Parents can request complete deletion of all their child's data at any time by contacting privacy@protejo.net. Upon receiving a verified request, all data will be permanently deleted within 30 days.

Uninstalling Guardo from the child's device stops all data collection immediately. Data previously collected on our servers will be deleted according to the retention periods above, or immediately upon request.

7. Children's Privacy (COPPA and GDPR-K Compliance)

Guardo is designed with children's privacy as a core principle:

• Guardo does not collect data directly from children. All data collection is authorized by and directed to the parent.

• Guardo does not require the child to create an account or provide any personal information.

• Guardo does not display advertisements to children.

• Guardo does not include in-app purchases on the child's device.

• The child is always informed that monitoring is active through a persistent, non-dismissible notification.

• The child can view what is being monitored on their Guardo dashboard.

• The child has an SOS button to request immediate help from their parent.

• The child controls screen sharing sessions and can disconnect at any time.

We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation provisions for children (GDPR-K / Article 8).

8. Parental Consent

Guardo requires active, informed parental consent before any monitoring begins:

1. The parent installs the Protejo app on their own device and creates an account.

2. The parent generates a unique pairing code within their Protejo app.

3. The parent installs Guardo on the child's device.

4. During setup, a Prominent Disclosure screen clearly explains all data collection practices.

5. The parent must acknowledge and accept the disclosure to proceed.

6. The parent physically completes the setup process, granting each required permission individually.

No data is collected until the parent completes all setup steps and grants consent.

9. Permissions Explained

Guardo requires the following Android permissions, each serving a specific child safety purpose:

Notification Listener Monitors incoming messages across messaging apps to detect threats such as grooming, cyberbullying, sextortion, and contact with dangerous individuals.

Location (Fine + Background) Tracks the child's location so parents can know where their child is. Enables geofence alerts for safe zones like home, school, and other designated areas.

Usage Stats Monitors which apps are used and for how long, enabling screen time reports and enforcing daily usage limits set by the parent.

VPN Service Filters inappropriate web content (adult, violence, gambling, malware) using local DNS-level filtering. All filtering happens on the device. No internet traffic is routed through external servers.

Device Administrator Prevents the child from uninstalling Guardo without the parent's knowledge. The parent is alerted if removal is attempted.

Display Over Other Apps Shows blocking screens when a child tries to open a restricted app or when a daily time limit has been reached.

Camera Used only during initial setup for scanning the QR pairing code. Not used for surveillance or photo capture at any time.

Boot Completed Allows Guardo to restart its protection services automatically after the device is restarted.

10. Data Subject Rights

Parents and legal guardians have the following rights regarding their child's data:

• Right of Access — Request a copy of all data collected about your child.

• Right to Rectification — Request correction of inaccurate data.

• Right to Erasure — Request deletion of all data collected about your child.

• Right to Restrict Processing — Disable specific monitoring features at any time through the Protejo parent app.

• Right to Data Portability — Request your data in a machine-readable format.

• Right to Object — Object to specific data processing activities.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@protejo.net. We will respond within 30 days.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make changes:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy.

• For material changes, we will notify parents via email and through a notification in the Protejo app.

• Continued use of Guardo after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

• If you do not agree with the changes, you may uninstall Guardo and request data deletion.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your child's data, please contact us:

Protejo Ltd. Email: privacy@protejo.net Website: https://protejo.net Support: support@protejo.net

For data protection inquiries or to exercise your rights under GDPR, COPPA, or other applicable data protection laws, please email privacy@protejo.net with the subject line "Data Protection Request."

© 2026 Protejo Ltd. All rights reserved.