Frequently Asked Questions

The Blackout App is a device management solution for employers to help restrict functionality on personal smart devices during working hours, or while the device is within a controlled zone. Blackout actively restricts smart phone devices to prevent misuse and reduce distractions while working or while operating within a defined restricted area.

No. Your employer can not see what Apps are installed on your device or what you do while using your device. The App has been designed to only ever provide enough information to your employer to enable effective blocking while your device is in a controlled zone without infringing your right to privacy.

The Blackout App permissions are based on the needs of your organisation and the type of device you have, for example of your organisation only uses our API service and you have an Apple iPhone, we'll only require Push message notification and Screen Time permissions. A fill list of permissions that may be required have been outlined below:

iOS

- Location (For Fleet and bluetooth use only, not for education)

- Notifications (When Required)Bluetooth (When Required)

- Screen time

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Android

- Location (For Fleet and bluetooth use only, not for education)

- Do Not Disturb

- Accessibility service

- VPN Service

- Bluetooth (When Required)

- Wifi (When Required)

- Overlay

- UsageNotifications (When Required)

The Blackout App will never block SMS messaging or Call functionality, if you need full access to your device while in a controlled zone you can switch the App off using our Toggle Blackout feature. By activating this feature, you will be asked to enter the code presented on the screen before being immediately unblocked on your device. Do note that when manually unblocking your device, your organisation administrator will be alerted to the override, and your device will be marked as disabled in our system.

The technology does not infract any current legislation or regulations, nor does it impact civil liberties. It’s not a question of trust, it’s a question of security and regulatory compliance.

These are limited to: Google Cloud Services & Amazon WebServices based in Dublin, and all app development is done in the UK.

No.

By removing the App you may be in breach of your employment contract or organisation security policies. When the App is removed from your device your organisation administrator will be informed.

No. Blackout Technologies does have a location-based solution that uses the same app but for different use cases. For schools, we have recommended using a schedule-only based approach. So the app store listings may suggest that location is required but school installations will never ask for those permissions, ensuring that we can't access the data. Therefore it can not be transmitted, stored, or passed to other parties.

Yes. Apps on a device not owned by the school or Blackout-Technologies do not have those access rights. This is by design of the Android and iOS operating systems.

We only track and store what we need to provide the service. Therefore we don't need an address or phone number, for example. We don't sell or provide that data to other companies (beyond sub-processing). As we are a processor (as defined in GDPR), we don't access the information ourselves unless instructed by the client to provide training or support. All access is audited.

We have to mention our sub-processors (the services we use to provide our services). We do not sell any data. We consider ourselves a privacy-focused company and so this is an important pillar for us.

The Blackout system collects only relevant data for device registration, including: user name, email address, device type.Blackout is just the data processorWe do not collect or process any information regarding apps installed on your device, Internet browsing history or device usage outside a controlled zone.Device usage stats collected while in a controlled zone only include battery percentage to help us monitor and improve the performance of our App, and the number of times an App has been blocked from opening while in a controlled zone.

We have a data retention policy that is normal under GDPR and UK data laws. We can delete or provide data on request. Deletion is only possible if we do not require it to continue the provision of the service or a user is no longer active (for whatever reason). You can find our privacy policies on the footer of the Blackout-technologies.com website. For example, for the Google Play Store see https://www.blackout-technologies.com/privacy-policy-android