Beacon Privacy Policy
Beacon is a private messaging app for the employees of Bellatrix Aerospace ("we", "us", "the company"). It is not a public service and is not offered to consumers. Accounts are created and managed by the company, and you cannot sign up on your own. This policy explains what information the Beacon app and its server handle, why, and who can see it.
1. Who this applies to
This policy applies to employees and other people the company has authorised to use Beacon ("you"). Beacon is not directed at children and is not intended for anyone under 18.
2. Information we handle
| Information | Why |
|---|---|
| Account details: name, work email address, profile picture, role | To identify you to colleagues and let you sign in. |
| Messages and content you post: channel and direct messages, reactions, polls, to-do lists, and any files or images you attach where your organisation allows it | This is the core function of the app. |
| Device push token | To deliver notifications to your phone (see section 4). |
| Technical and security records: sign-in times, IP address, device and app version, connection logs | To run, secure and troubleshoot the service and to prevent unauthorised access. |
| File transfer records: who sent or received a file, the file name, its size and the time | Company security and audit purposes. |
Beacon does not collect your location, contacts, or advertising identifiers, and does not include advertising or third-party analytics or crash-reporting tools.
3. How we use it
- To provide internal messaging and notifications.
- To keep the service secure, including checking that the app is a genuine copy running on an uncompromised device.
- To meet the company's security, audit, legal and compliance obligations.
We do not sell your information and we do not use it for advertising.
4. Who we share it with
Your messages and account data are stored on servers controlled by the company. We do not share them with outside parties, with these exceptions:
- Push notification providers. To alert your phone, a notification is delivered through Google Firebase Cloud Messaging (Android) or Apple Push Notification service (iOS). They receive your device token and the notification payload needed to deliver it. Their handling is covered by Google's privacy policy and Apple's privacy policy.
- Hosting providers that supply the infrastructure the server runs on, acting only on our instructions.
- Authorities, if the law requires it.
Within the company, access to Beacon data is limited to authorised administrators and, where necessary, security or compliance staff.
5. Security
All traffic between the app and the server is encrypted in transit (TLS). Access is restricted to authorised company clients. The app stores its sign-in credentials in the secure storage provided by your device, and can lock itself behind your device's biometrics or screen lock. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted: company administrators can technically access stored content, and this access is controlled by internal policy. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information.
6. How long we keep it
Messages and account data are kept while your account is active and for as long as the company's retention policy requires. Server backups are kept for a limited period (currently 14 days) and then deleted. When your employment or authorisation ends, your account is deactivated; content you posted may be retained as part of the company's records.
7. Your choices and rights
Because Beacon is operated by your employer, requests go through the company. You may ask to access, correct or delete personal information, subject to company records requirements and applicable law. You can switch off notifications in your phone's settings, and you can uninstall the app at any time. Account and data deletion is performed by a Beacon administrator.
8. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the app changes. The effective date at the top shows when it was last revised, and material changes will be announced inside the app or by internal communication.
9. Contact
Questions or requests about this policy or your data:
Bellatrix Aerospace — Beacon administrators
Email: beacon@bellatrix.aero