Privacy Policy
Short version: ProbeShield does not collect, transmit, or store any personal data on external servers. All scanning activity runs entirely on your device. We have nothing to sell and nothing to share.
Overview
ProbeShield ("we", "our", or "us") is operated by Saikiran Bavandla, trading as ProbeShield (probeshield.com). This Privacy Policy applies to the ProbeShield Android application and any associated web services.
We are committed to protecting your privacy. ProbeShield was built with a privacy-first architecture — the app operates entirely on your device and has no dependency on external servers for its core functionality.
Information We Do Not Collect
We want to be crystal clear about what we do not collect:
- Personal identification information (name, address, phone number)
- Network scan results or device data discovered during scans
- IP addresses, MAC addresses, or hostnames of scanned devices
- Open port lists or vulnerability findings
- Location data beyond what Android requires for Wi-Fi access
- Device identifiers or advertising IDs
- Usage patterns, session data, or behavioral analytics
- Payment information of any kind
Your scan data never leaves your device. ProbeShield has no servers that receive or store scan results. Every vulnerability finding, device record, and scan history item lives exclusively in your phone's local storage.
Information Stored Locally
ProbeShield stores the following data locally on your device only, using Android's secure local database (Room/SQLite):
- Scan history — list of previous scans with timestamps
- Discovered device records — IP addresses and device names on your network
- Risk scores and vulnerability findings per device
- App settings and preferences you configure
- Your chosen app lock PIN (stored encrypted via Android Keystore)
This data is only accessible to ProbeShield on your device and is never transmitted to us or any third party. When you uninstall the app, all locally stored data is permanently deleted.
Network Scanning
ProbeShield scans only the local Wi-Fi network your Android device is currently connected to. The app does not:
- Scan networks remotely or from a server
- Upload scan results to any external service
- Share discovered device information with us or third parties
- Access the content of network traffic (packet inspection)
- Scan networks without the user initiating a scan manually
Important: Android requires location permission to access Wi-Fi network information. This permission is used solely to identify the connected Wi-Fi network and enable LAN scanning. We do not use this permission to track your physical location.
Crash Reporting
With your opt-in consent during onboarding, ProbeShield may use Firebase Crashlytics (by Google) to collect anonymous crash reports. This helps us identify and fix bugs.
Crash reports contain technical information about the crash (stack trace, device model, Android version, app version) and do not include any personal data or scan results. You can opt out of crash reporting at any time in the app Settings.
Firebase Crashlytics is governed by Google's Privacy Policy, available at firebase.google.com/support/privacy.
Third Party Services
ProbeShield uses a minimal set of third-party services:
- Firebase Crashlytics (Google) — Optional anonymous crash reporting. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
- Google Play Billing — Handles Pro subscription payments. ProbeShield never sees or stores your payment details. Governed by Google's Payments Privacy Notice.
- Google Forms — Used for voluntary user feedback submission. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy. Submitting feedback is entirely optional.
No advertising SDKs, tracking libraries, analytics platforms, or data brokers are integrated into ProbeShield.
Data Security
We take security seriously — it is, after all, what ProbeShield is about. Security measures in place include:
- App lock with PIN or biometric authentication to prevent unauthorized access
- PIN stored using Android Keystore — never in plain text
- Local database not world-readable — accessible only by the app
- No external API calls for core scanning functionality
- ProGuard/R8 code obfuscation on release builds
Children's Privacy
ProbeShield is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through our app, please contact us and we will take immediate steps to address it.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and notify users via an in-app notification on the next app launch following a material change.
Continued use of ProbeShield after a policy update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or ProbeShield's data practices, please contact us: