Privacy Policy

Kernel IoT ("Kernel", "we", "us") provides a platform for tracking vehicles and equipment: the Kernel web app and the Kernel mobile app (together, the "Service"). This policy explains what information the Service handles, how we use it, and the choices you have.

Most of our customers are organizations, such as fleets, dealerships and contractors, that use Kernel to track their own vehicles. For the vehicle and device data those organizations send to Kernel, the organization decides what is collected and who can see it, and we process that data on its behalf. If you drive a vehicle tracked by your employer or another organization, please also refer to that organization's own privacy practices.

Information we collect

• Account information. Your name, email address, password, role, the organization you belong to, and preferences such as time zone, units and language. Passwords are stored only as a salted, one-way hash.
• Vehicle and device data. Information reported by tracking devices installed on our customers' vehicles and equipment, such as location, speed, heading, trips, engine and battery readings, alerts, and identifiers like device serial numbers, VINs and license plates. Because a vehicle's location can reveal where its driver goes, we treat this data as personal information.
• Assistant conversations. If you use the Kernel assistant, the questions you ask and the answers it gives.
• Technical and usage data. Server logs such as IP address, browser or app version, the actions requested and when, used to operate, secure and troubleshoot the Service.
• Communications. Messages you send us, and the emails we send you, such as invitations, password resets and alert notifications.

The Kernel mobile app

The mobile app shows the same information as the web app. To sign you in it sends your email address and password to Kernel, then keeps only a session token, in your device's secure Keychain. The app does not use your phone's location, contacts, photos, camera or microphone, and it contains no advertising or third-party analytics.

How we use information

• To provide the Service: show vehicles on maps, record trips, send the alerts you set up, and answer assistant questions.
• To keep the Service secure, prevent misuse, and fix problems.
• To communicate with you about your account and the Service.
• To improve the Service. Where we analyze usage for this, we do so in aggregate.

We do not sell personal information, we do not use it for advertising, and we do not track you across other companies' apps or websites.

Who we share information with

We share information only with service providers that help us run the Service, and only what they need for that purpose:

• Amazon Web Services: hosting, data storage and email delivery.
• Map providers (Mapbox, Google Maps, Apple Maps): to display maps and to look up addresses and place names.
• AI model providers (such as Anthropic, Google and xAI): to answer questions you ask the Kernel assistant. Your question, and the information needed to answer it, are sent to the provider.

We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights and safety of our users or others. Within a customer organization, who can see vehicle data is controlled by that organization's administrators.

Cookies

The web app uses only the cookies needed to keep you signed in and to remember your settings. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

Storage, security and retention

Information is stored in the United States, with Amazon Web Services. It is encrypted in transit, and access is limited to the people and systems that need it. We keep information for as long as an account or a customer's service is active, or as the customer directs, and delete it afterwards unless we must keep it to meet a legal obligation.

Your choices

You can view and update your account details in the app. To access, correct or delete your personal information, contact your organization's administrator or email us at the address below. We will respond in line with applicable law, and, for data we process on a customer's behalf, in coordination with that customer.

Children

The Service is intended for businesses and adults. It is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information.

Changes to this policy

We will update this page when our practices change and revise the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will tell account holders before it takes effect.

Contact us

Questions or requests about privacy: contact@kerneliot.com.