Terms of Service

Please read these Terms carefully. They explain what the GeoKiks Services are, what they are not, and how you may use them.

If you use the GeoKiks Services on behalf of an organization, you confirm that you have authority to bind that organization.

You must be at least 13 years old to create a GeoKiks account. GeoKiks does not offer a child account, a parent-managed kids experience, or an under-13 product.

If the law where you live requires a higher minimum age to use online services, you must meet that age.

You must provide accurate age information when asked. GeoKiks may refuse, restrict, or close accounts that appear to evade the age gate.

You need an account for most GeoKiks Services. Keep your password and sign-in methods private. Tell us if you believe the account was used without permission.

On the website, a signed-in session is stored in your browser. On iOS, access tokens are stored in the device Keychain. Sign out on shared devices.

Do not create accounts to evade a block, ban, or investigation.

The GeoKiks Services help people share and find place-based information. Features include Emergencies, Local Issues, Echo, Civic Pulse, maps, notifications, and, if you choose, My People location sharing.

The GeoKiks Services are not police, fire, ambulance, or any official emergency dispatch. They are not 911, 112, 999, or any other local emergency number. They are not a government warning system. They do not guarantee that a person is safe, that a report is true, or that a notification will arrive.

Availability can differ by country, device, operating system, and account type. Some features exist only in the iOS or Android apps, not on the website.

Emergencies and Local Issues may include user reports, community posts, and some public-source alerts. A report can be incomplete, delayed, mistaken, or later updated. Status can change. GeoKiks cannot guarantee that every event is reported or that every report is correct.

An "Official Alert" label in a feed means the item came from a named public source, such as a weather or fire feed. It does not mean GeoKiks investigated the event, and it is not a government endorsement of GeoKiks.

Government Verified on a profile is a paid GeoKiks badge. It is not a government ID check and does not prove that a report is true.

If you are in danger, contact official emergency services for your location. Do not wait for GeoKiks.

My People lets you share location and related updates with people you invite or accept. Sharing can be one way. You can stop sharing, change permissions, remove a person, or block them.

Depending on settings, My People can include live location, Daily History, Trip History, Place Alerts, SOS, and Follow Live Directions.

My People is not public. It is not a surveillance product. Do not use it to watch someone without their proper authorization, to coerce them, or to expose a private location.

Location can be affected by GPS quality, network availability, device state, battery settings, operating-system limits, background permissions, weather and buildings, and third-party map or routing services. GeoKiks does not guarantee exact or continuous positioning.

Background location is collected only if you grant Always or background permission and keep a feature that needs it turned on, such as My People sharing. You can turn those permissions off in your device settings.

Location you attach to a public Emergency, Local Issue, or Echo post can be seen by other users. My People location is shared only with approved people. Those are different audiences.

SOS tells people who can already see your live My People location that you need help. It does not call police, fire, ambulance, or any local emergency number. It does not guarantee that anyone will see the alert, travel to you, or rescue you.

You can cancel SOS. An active SOS lasts a limited time (currently about six hours).

Follow Live Directions lets an approved My People connection open a map route toward you while sharing is active. Origin and destination may be sent to GeoKiks routing. Apple MapKit may be used as a fallback on some devices.

Routes can be wrong or unsafe for current conditions. Follow Live is not guaranteed tracking and does not replace official directions from emergency services.

Daily History and Trip History are built from My People location sharing when those features are on. They are for the people you have allowed, not for the public feeds.

Place and trip history is kept for a limited time. The current default is about 7 days, unless you pin a note. Some day-journal seals can last about 30 days. See the Privacy Policy for more detail.

Place Alerts use saved places and location processing to detect arrivals and departures. Notifications can be late, missed, or wrong. Battery and operating-system limits can stop them.

Echo is where people post and discuss local content. Depending on the product, that can include posts, questions, answers, comments, replies, polls, photos, video, chats, direct messages, Lost and Found, events, and local discussions.

You are responsible for your content. Do not post anything illegal, exploitative, or otherwise barred by the Community Guidelines. GeoKiks may remove content and restrict accounts under those guidelines.

Public or locally visible content can include Echo posts, Emergencies, Local Issues, and similar feeds, including location you attach to that content.

Information shared with chosen people includes My People location, certain history, Place Alerts, SOS, and Follow Live Directions, according to your settings.

Private account information includes credentials, settings, and other information that is not shown on public feeds. Do not assume that every location GeoKiks processes is public. Do not assume that private messages or My People data are public.

Use the GeoKiks Services only in ways that are lawful where you are. Respect other people's privacy, safety, and property.

You are responsible for how you use location sharing. Do not share another person's sensitive location without permission. Do not pressure someone into sharing. Parents and guardians remain responsible for how they use My People with their own families, consistent with these Terms and applicable law.

Follow official instructions during emergencies. Do not approach danger because of a GeoKiks post, map, or route.

You may not use the GeoKiks Services to stalk, harass, threaten, or monitor someone without proper authorization. You may not expose another person's home, school, workplace, or other sensitive location without permission. You may not use My People as unauthorized surveillance.

You may not post fake or prank emergency reports, knowingly false Local Issues, or impersonate emergency authorities. You may not tell people to move toward danger or interfere with first responders.

You may not sexually exploit children, share child sexual abuse material, groom anyone, run scams, spam, impersonate others, traffic in illegal goods, attack the GeoKiks Services, or violate the Community Guidelines.

The Community Guidelines at https://geokiks.com/legal/community-guidelines explain what is allowed. A serious or repeated violation of those guidelines is a violation of these Terms.

You can report posts, comments, chats, direct messages, and profiles in the apps. You can block other users.

GeoKiks may review reports, remove or limit content, warn users, restrict features, suspend accounts, or terminate accounts, as permitted by law. Much enforcement is report-driven. GeoKiks does not promise that every violation will be found or that every report will be reviewed in a set time.

Where an appeal path is offered, it is described in the Content Moderation and Appeals Policy. There is no guaranteed timeline or outcome.

You retain ownership of original content you create. These Terms do not transfer that ownership to GeoKiks.

You grant GeoKiks a worldwide, non-exclusive license to host, store, display, reproduce, transmit, process, resize or transcode, moderate, and otherwise use your content as needed to operate the GeoKiks Services you used. For example, showing a public Echo post on a map, or showing live location to a person you approved.

This license lasts as long as needed to provide those GeoKiks Services, including backups and legal holds described in the Privacy Policy and Delete Account page. It is not a separate right for GeoKiks to sell your content as a standalone product.

The GeoKiks name, logos, apps, website, and software are owned by GeoKiks or its licensors. These Terms do not give you a right to copy, scrape, reverse engineer, or resell the GeoKiks Services except as allowed by law or a written license from GeoKiks.

If you believe content on GeoKiks infringes your copyright, follow the Copyright and DMCA Policy at https://geokiks.com/legal/copyright-dmca and email dmca@geokiks.com.

Maps, geocoding, and routing may use GeoKiks systems, Apple, Google, or other providers. They can be inaccurate. Do not enter danger based on a route.

Apple and Google also apply when you install the apps, pay through their stores, or sign in with Apple or Google. Their terms and privacy policies govern those parts.

GeoKiks may send push notifications, emails, or in-app notices. Delivery depends on your device, network, operating system, and notification settings. GeoKiks does not guarantee that a notice will arrive or be read.

GeoKiks may offer paid plans and badges, including Personal, Business, and Government Verified. Verified badges are commercial trust marks. They are not a government ID check, police verification, or proof that content is true.

If you buy through the App Store or Google Play, Apple or Google bills you under that store's terms. Charges may recur until you cancel in that store account. Taxes and price changes follow the store rules and applicable law. Restore Purchases, where shown in the app, restores store entitlements.

Deleting your GeoKiks account does not always cancel a store subscription by itself. Cancel in Apple or Google as well. Refunds, where available, follow the store and mandatory consumer law. GeoKiks does not process your card number.

The iOS and Android apps may show third-party ads (currently Google AdMob) in some feeds. The website does not currently run those ads.

Ads may use advertising identifiers and approximate area such as city, state, or country. GeoKiks does not use My People live location, Daily History, Trip History, SOS, Follow Live Directions, or private messages to show ads.

On iOS, personalized ads depend on your App Tracking Transparency choice. On Android, advertising ID settings in the device can limit ads. See the Privacy Policy.

The Privacy Policy at https://geokiks.com/legal/privacy describes how GeoKiks collects, uses, shares, and retains information, including location. The Cookie Policy at https://geokiks.com/legal/cookies describes website storage.

You can request deletion from Settings in the iOS or Android app. After you confirm, the account is deactivated and hidden from ordinary use. There is a 30-day period during which the request is pending. Some stored content, backups, and records needed for law, security, fraud, or disputes may remain. Deletion is not an instant wipe of every system. See https://geokiks.com/legal/delete-account.

Subject to applicable law, GeoKiks may restrict, suspend, remove content, or terminate accounts for serious or repeated violations, legal risk, security incidents, or fraud.

Features can change. The GeoKiks Services can be interrupted by maintenance, networks, devices, or outages outside GeoKiks control. GeoKiks does not guarantee continuous or error-free operation.

Read the Safety information at https://geokiks.com/legal/safety. In an emergency, contact official emergency services for your location. In some countries that number is 911, 112, or 999. Use the number that works where you are.

SOS, Place Alerts, Follow Live Directions, maps, and reports can fail. Background activity can be limited by the device. Do not rely on GeoKiks as your only safety plan.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the GeoKiks Services are provided as is and as available, without warranties of any kind, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement.

GeoKiks does not warrant that alerts, maps, directions, location estimates, SOS, or user reports are accurate, complete, or timely. You assume the risk of relying on that information.

Some places do not allow certain disclaimers. In those places, the disclaimers apply only as far as the law allows. Nothing here takes away rights you cannot waive.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, GeoKiks is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenue, goodwill, data, or opportunity, even if GeoKiks was told those damages were possible.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, GeoKiks's total liability for any claim relating to the GeoKiks Services or these Terms will not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts you paid GeoKiks for the GeoKiks Services in the twelve months before the claim, if any, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars (USD 100) if you paid no fees, subject to local consumer rules.

These limits apply to missed alerts, inaccurate location, routing errors, user content, downtime, data loss, and third-party services. They do not limit liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, such as liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud, where that cannot be limited.

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless GeoKiks and its directors, employees, and agents from claims, damages, losses, and reasonable legal costs arising from your content, your use of the GeoKiks Services, your violation of these Terms or law, or your violation of someone else's rights.

This does not apply where the law does not allow it, including where the claim is caused by GeoKiks's own misconduct to the extent the law requires.

These Terms do not currently include an arbitration agreement, a chosen court, or a class-action waiver. If a dispute arises, the laws that apply to you and to GeoKiks will determine how it may be resolved.

Nothing in these Terms limits non-waivable consumer rights where you live. GeoKiks may update this section with notice if a specific dispute process is adopted.

GeoKiks is used in many countries. Privacy, speech, emergency, mapping, and children's rules differ. You are responsible for using the GeoKiks Services lawfully where you live or travel.

If local consumer law gives you rights that these Terms cannot change, those rights remain. These Terms are not written as if only one country's law applies.

GeoKiks may update these Terms. The Last updated date on this page will change when we do. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, stop using the GeoKiks Services and, where available, delete your account.

Legal questions: legal@geokiks.com. Account help: support@geokiks.com. Privacy: privacy@geokiks.com. Safety: safety@geokiks.com.