Soofa’s mission is to help our public spaces to live up to their full potential.
A fundamental aspect of that goal is cultivating strong relationships with the public. The foundation of any relationship is trust.
Everything we do is to bolster that trust and adhere to best practices.
PRIVACY POLICY
Our products provide a variety of services all geared to improving public life. This includes but is not limited to providing power, wifi, and information to the public. All of our products have the option to include sensors to measure the usage of our products and the places they are in. Because we do that, we have developed a Privacy Policy that covers how we collect, use, disclose, transfer, and store information to be transparent. We build privacy controls directly into our platform, and guide our customers to make smart privacy choices.
How Our Sensors Work and What Information We Collect
Product Health: Soofa products are solar-powered and have a backup battery. In order to measure the performance of our products, we monitor the energy input and output. This helps us understand when we need to replace a battery or change the location for increased sunlight exposure. It also supports determining which and how many sensors can be added depending on excess capacity.
Product Usage Charging: Soofa products deliver services to the public like providing power. When using our products to power mobile devices, we do not gather any information about the devices nor do we establish a communication with the devices. To know if our charging service is used, we monitor the voltage on our internal battery to calculate if and how long people are using our service.
Activity Measurement: Soofa products measure activity scores for the locations they are placed at. The activity score is calculated based on the number of mobile devices within a limited range of Soofa products. Mobile devices with Wi-Fi enabled send out signals to nearby Wi-Fi networks. Soofa observes the information being sent by mobile devices, including the device’s MAC address, manufacturer, and signal strength. After receiving the non-identifiable data sent by mobile devices, Soofa applies a cryptographic function to the MAC addresses to further anonymize them. Soofa analyzes the data it observes and provides aggregate anonymous information to our customers, such as cities. For example, we may share information such as how many people visit a park, how long people stay, the retention rate, what sections of the park are popular. This non-identifiable information allows cities to improve experiences in public space, including managing maintenance and employee staffing to improve customer service, and measure the effectiveness of programming efforts, campaigns or public displays.
Environment Measurement: Soofa may add environmental sensor(s) to all products. These sensors measure conditions like temperature and humidity, NO2 or CO levels. All environmental sensors added to our platform are used for R&D projects.
Who gets to see our data
At Soofa, we have dedicated researchers from Harvard and MIT who analyze data we collect. The analysis of this data is presented in an aggregated form on our custom dashboard Atlas which can only be accesses with two-way authentication login. Logins are granted to organizations who purchased the device. Organizations can only access aggregated data analysis based on data sensed by devices purchased directly by them.
On request our clients may get direct access via API to data gathered from devices they purchased and installed. The data will never contain any personally identifiable information. Since our clients are often public entities they may choose to share the data on Open Data Portals in compliance with our privacy policies.
To advance our research platform we share data with research organizations both for and not for profit. All principal and secondary investigators who request access to our data execute a Confidential Data Agreement. The agreement regulates data storage, usage and disposal. At no point in time does any entity or person receive data with personally identifiable information.
Your privacy on our website
Information Collected and Used on Soofa's Website: We collect certain anonymous and personally identifiable information from you when you use our website. We only collect personally identifiable contact information from you when you explicitly provide it to us, such as through a request to receive more information about our products and services. We also collect certain anonymous and aggregate information about visitors to our website to better improve our services. We may use third parties to collect this anonymous and aggregate information, such as Google Analytics.
How we update our Privacy Policy
Soofa may update its Privacy Policy from time to time. When we change the policy in a material way, a notice will be posted on our website along with the updated Privacy Policy here. As used in this Privacy Policy, the terms "Soofa", and “We” include Changing Environments Inc., and its affiliates and member companies. These terms also include our suppliers and contractors, except as otherwise stated in this Privacy Policy.
Questions, comments and requests regarding this Privacy Policy are welcomed and should be addressed to Changing Environments Inc. at info@soofa.co
WiFi
Terms and Conditions
By using our internet service, you hereby expressly acknowledge and agree that there are significant security, privacy and confidentiality risks inherent in accessing or transmitting information through the internet, whether the connection is facilitated through wired or wireless technology. Security issues include, without limitation, interception of transmissions, loss of data, and the introduction or viruses and other programs that can corrupt or damage your computer.
Accordingly, you agree that the owner and/or provider of this network is NOT liable for any interception or transmissions, computer worms or viruses, loss of data, file corruption, hacking or damage to your computer or other devices that result from the transmission or download of information or materials through the internet service provided.
We collect certain information to help us operate and provide Wi-Fi services. When you use or visit our Services, some information is collected automatically. For example, when you access our Wi-Fi Services, we automatically collect your browser’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, your browser type, the nature of the device from which you are visiting the Services (e.g., a personal computer or a mobile device), identifiers for any handheld or mobile device that you may be using, the Web site that you visited immediately prior to accessing any Web-based Services, the actions you take on our Services, and the content, features, and activities that you access and engage with on our Services. We may collect this information passively using technologies such as standard server logs, cookies, and clear GIFs (also known as “Web beacons”). We use passively-collected information to administer, operate, maintain and improve our Services and our other services and systems and to provide content that is tailored to you.
Use of the wireless network is subject to the general restrictions outlined below. If abnormal, illegal, or unauthorized behavior is detected, including heavy consumption of bandwidth, the network provider reserves the right to permanently disconnect the offending device from the wireless network.
Examples of Illegal Uses
The following are representative examples only and do not comprise a comprehensive list of illegal uses:
Spamming and invasion of privacy - Sending of unsolicited bulk and/or commercial messages over the Internet using the Service or using the Service for activities that invade another's privacy.
Intellectual property right violations - Engaging in any activity that infringes or misappropriates the intellectual property rights of others, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade secrets, or any other proprietary right of any third party.
Accessing illegally or without authorization computers, accounts, equipment or networks belonging to another party, or attempting to penetrate/circumvent security measures of another system. This includes any activity that may be used as a precursor to an attempted system penetration, including, but not limited to, port scans, stealth scans, or other information gathering activity.
The transfer of technology, software, or other materials in violation of applicable export laws and regulations.
Export Control Violations
Using the Service in violation of applicable law and regulation, including, but not limited to, advertising, transmitting, or otherwise making available ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, fraudulently charging credit cards, pirating software, or making fraudulent offers to sell or buy products, items, or services.
Uttering threats;
Distribution of pornographic materials to minors;
and Child pornography.
Examples of Unacceptable Uses
The following are representative examples only and do not comprise a comprehensive list of unacceptable uses:
High bandwidth operations, such as large file transfers and media sharing with peer-to-peer programs (i.e.torrents)
Obscene or indecent speech or materials
Defamatory or abusive language
Using the Service to transmit, post, upload, or otherwise making available defamatory, harassing, abusive, or threatening material or language that encourages bodily harm, destruction of property or harasses another.
Forging or misrepresenting message headers, whether in whole or in part, to mask the originator of the message.
Facilitating a Violation of these Terms of Use
Hacking
Distribution of Internet viruses, Trojan horses, or other destructive activities
Distributing information regarding the creation of and sending Internet viruses, worms, Trojan horses, pinging, flooding, mail-bombing, or denial of service attacks. Also, activities that disrupt the use of or interfere with the ability of others to effectively use the node or any connected network, system, service, or equipment.
Advertising, transmitting, or otherwise making available any software product, product, or service that is designed to violate these Terms of Use, which includes the facilitation of the means to spam, initiation of pinging, flooding, mail-bombing, denial of service attacks, and piracy of software.
The sale, transfer, or rental of the Service to customers, clients or other third parties, either directly or as part of a service or product created for resale.
Seeking information on passwords or data belonging to another user.
Making unauthorized copies of proprietary software, or offering unauthorized copies of proprietary software to others.
Intercepting or examining the content of messages, files or communications in transit on a data network.