These Terms of Use (“Terms”) apply to your access to and use of the SafeBlock SA mobile application, the SafeBlock Technologies website and related services operated by SafeBlock Technologies (Pty) Ltd (“SafeBlock”, “we”, “us” or “our”). By accessing or using SafeBlock, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy.
1. Eligibility and account responsibility
You must provide accurate information when creating or using a SafeBlock account and keep your login credentials secure. You are responsible for activity performed through your account unless you promptly report unauthorised use. Where use involves minors, guardians, schools or responsible organisations should ensure that participation is appropriate and lawful.
2. Purpose of SafeBlock
SafeBlock is a community-safety communication platform designed to help users send and receive safety alerts, communicate with trusted contacts and communities, access map and location-enabled features, and participate in community-safety networks. SafeBlock is not a substitute for the South African Police Service, emergency medical services, fire services, private security providers or any other official emergency-response service.
3. Emergency use and response limitations
SafeBlock does not guarantee that an alert will be received, seen or acted upon within any particular time, or that assistance will be available. Network connectivity, device settings, location services, third-party infrastructure and other factors may affect service availability. In a life-threatening or urgent emergency, users should contact the appropriate official emergency service directly where possible.
4. Alerts, community content and responsible use
You must use panic alerts, custom alerts, community chat and other communication features responsibly. You may not knowingly submit false, misleading, defamatory, unlawful, threatening, abusive or malicious content, impersonate another person, intentionally create false emergencies, or use SafeBlock to harass, intimidate or endanger others.
5. Location and trusted-contact features
Location information may be used for alerts, maps, navigation and nearby safety functionality where enabled by the user. You are responsible for deciding when to share your location and for ensuring that information supplied about trusted contacts is provided lawfully and with appropriate authority.
6. Communities and membership
SafeBlock may allow users to create, join and switch between communities, subject to the limits of the user’s active plan and any applicable community rules. Community creators or administrators are responsible for managing participation appropriately. SafeBlock may remove or restrict communities or users where reasonably necessary to protect users, comply with law or enforce these Terms.
7. Subscriptions and paid features
Some SafeBlock features may require a paid subscription. Prices, limits and benefits are displayed in the application or relevant store listing and may change from time to time. Android digital subscriptions may be processed through Google Play Billing and are also subject to Google Play’s applicable payment, renewal, cancellation and refund rules.
8. Acceptable use
You may not misuse SafeBlock, attempt unauthorised access, interfere with the operation of the service, reverse engineer protected components where prohibited by law, introduce malware, scrape or harvest user information without authority, exploit the service for fraud, or use the platform in a way that violates applicable law or the rights of others.
9. Service availability and changes
SafeBlock may update, improve, suspend or modify features as the platform develops. We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free availability. Maintenance, infrastructure changes, third-party outages, device compatibility and security requirements may affect access to some functionality.
10. Third-party services
SafeBlock may rely on third-party services including Google, Firebase, Google Maps Platform, Google Sign-In and Google Play Billing. Use of those services may also be subject to their own terms and policies. SafeBlock is not responsible for third-party services beyond the extent required by applicable law.
11. Intellectual property
SafeBlock’s software, branding, logos, graphics, interfaces, website content and related intellectual property are owned by or licensed to SafeBlock Technologies (Pty) Ltd and are protected by applicable law. No rights are granted except the limited right to use the service in accordance with these Terms.
12. Privacy and personal information
Your use of SafeBlock is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how personal information may be collected, used, shared, retained and protected. SafeBlock processes personal information in accordance with applicable South African privacy law, including POPIA.
13. Suspension and termination
SafeBlock may suspend, restrict or terminate access where reasonably necessary because of serious or repeated violations of these Terms, security risks, fraud, unlawful activity, abuse of the platform or legal obligations. Users may stop using SafeBlock at any time and may request account or data deletion subject to applicable retention requirements.
14. Disclaimers and limitation of liability
SafeBlock is provided as a technology platform to support communication and community-safety coordination. To the maximum extent permitted by law, SafeBlock does not guarantee prevention of crime, injury, loss, damage or emergencies, and does not guarantee the actions of community members, responders, security providers or public authorities.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under South African law.
15. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any dispute will be dealt with in accordance with applicable South African law and any mandatory consumer-protection rights.
16. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms when SafeBlock’s services, business model, legal requirements or platform rules change. The current version will be published on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use after an update may constitute acceptance where permitted by law.
17. Contact SafeBlock
Questions regarding these Terms may be submitted through SafeBlock Technologies’ official contact channels.