Talk:Noonlight

Latest comment: 6 months ago by Spintendo in topic Edits 12-OCT-2023

Proposed Change edit

Disclosure: I am a Noonlight employee.

Hello - the following statements made on the Noonlight Wikipedia page are misleading and should be removed from the article.

"...and sells user's data to other companies for profit, including user's GPS data."

"While it is marketed and promoted as an app for safety, the company makes money by packaging and selling user's sensitive information and GPS location data to other companies who can then implement discriminatory pricing practices against specific individuals based on this data.[4] For example, the company sells user's data to car insurance companies who then asses a user's "safety" rating and can charge the customer more based on data the customer does not even have access to."

The article this information uses as a source[2] does not have the evidence to support these claims. The article states "Whether apps actually “sell” user data to these third parties is an entirely thorny debate that’s being battled in boardrooms, newsrooms, and courtrooms even before the California Consumer Privacy Act—or CCPA—went into effect in January of this year" and nowhere else claims data is being sold. The article also makes no mention of selling the information to a car insurance company or selling GPS data in particular.

Noonlight does not profit from the selling of information nor do they sell information to 3rd parties. While Noonlight does use GPS data, it does so strictly for the purpose of providing the services to the customer, not for selling to other companies.

Thank you for your input.

Msmw4 (talk) 21:09, 25 July 2023 (UTC)Reply

Reply 25-JUL-2023 edit

   Item removed  

  1. The added information which was both unsourced (large parts of it) as well as containing biased language, was omitted. The fact that the subject app sells consumer data was already present in the article (where it now remains). Repeating this information in the lead, in the body, and in the last paragraph is/was overkill.
  2. The advert maintenance template was removed, as all advertisement-like language has been purged from the article (which is practically now a stub article).

Regards,  Spintendo  22:37, 25 July 2023 (UTC)Reply

@Spintendo, thank you! I would still like to push for the bit about selling customer data that remains in the article be removed as well due to the facts stated in my original post. The cited source4 does not claim Noonlight sells customer information for profit so that portion left is still unsupported by the source and misleading.
Thank you, Msmw4 (talk) 12:55, 26 July 2023 (UTC)Reply

No Reference For Section edit


  • What I think should be changed: This section should be removed from the article.

Data collection and analysis edit

  • Why it should be changed: There is no source for this information.
  • References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button): The sourced material makes no mention of data collection.[1]

Msmw4 (talk) 16:22, 1 August 2023 (UTC)Reply

  Declined That claim is now adequately sourced. Regards,  Spintendo  21:56, 1 August 2023 (UTC)Reply
@Spintendo thank you, but the sourced article still does not claim that the company sells user information. The source even states that it cannot prove that fact, therefore that information is still unsourced. 2601:249:9000:DCA0:5D9A:E40C:B439:195C (talk) 15:58, 3 August 2023 (UTC)Reply

References

  1. ^ [1] "Downtown STL partners with SafeTrek to increase safety in downtown St. Louis"

Incorrectly Sourced Information edit

Data collection and analysis edit

  • What I think should be changed: The section should be removed
  • Why it should be changed: The article referenced does not claim Noonlight sells information to other companies for profit
  • References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button): The only reference the cited article makes [1] to information being sold for profit is saying there is no hard evidence of that -
"Whether apps actually “sell” user data to these third parties is an entirely thorny debate..."

and Noonlight's response to the claims -

"...We do not sell user data to any third parties for marketing or advertising purposes. Noonlight’s mission has always been to keep our millions of users safe."
"What is clear, in this particular case, is that even if the data isn’t “sold,”"

This section claiming user information is sold for profit is not properly sourced since the referenced material does not make those claims or back it with firm evidence and therefore should be removed.

Msmw4 (talk) 19:30, 17 August 2023 (UTC)Reply

References

  1. ^ Wodinsky, Shoshana. "Tinder's New Panic Button Is Sharing Your Data With Ad-Tech Companies". Gizmodo. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
The Gizmodo article gives a statement from the app makers which states: "When you use our Service, you are authorizing us to share information with relevant Emergency Responders. In addition, we may share information [...] with our third-party business partners, vendors, and consultants who perform services on our behalf or who help us provide our Services, such as accounting, managerial, technical, marketing, or analytic services.” Stating that these are shared with business partners implies that these are partners that the company aligns with for "business" purposes. If the purpose of a company is to make profit, then the company's alignment with different businesses should also serve that purpose. Please state what it is, about this statement of "business partners", which does not confirm the information in the Wikipedia page. Regards,  Spintendo  11:35, 19 August 2023 (UTC)Reply
@Spintendo Thanks for the response and I hope I can clarify in the way you're looking for. That statement is taken from Noonlight's privacy policy and is available to all Noonlight users.
The Wikipedia page directly states "The data collected in the background is packaged and sold to companies for profit." - the claim that user information is packaged and sold is the false statement and what we are asking to be removed.
Noonlight pays 3rd party companies for their services. They do not pay Noonlight for user information. The business relationship between Noonlight and any 3rd party company is a standard B2B relationship. Noonlight pays the 3rd party for the service they provide so Noonlight can better serve their customers. Noonlight does not share customer information in exchange for payment, nor have they ever sold customer data since inception. Msmw4 (talk) 15:48, 23 August 2023 (UTC)Reply
You've stated that "Noonlight does not share customer information in exchange for payment, nor have they ever sold customer data since inception." However, you did not provide a source for this claim. Please state what it is, about Noonlight's statement I mentioned in my reply from 19 August, which directly contradicts the claim that information is packaged and sold. Regards,  Spintendo  18:32, 1 September 2023 (UTC)Reply
@Spintendo apart from providing company financial records, which would be extreme, I am not sure what proof you'd like. I on the other hand, would like to see the proof that Noonlight does that, for it to stay on the Wikipedia article as the source information used as a reference to that claim is not actually making the argument that the information is packaged and sold. Msmw4 (talk) 14:14, 5 September 2023 (UTC)Reply
  3O Response: I agree with @Msmw4. In response to a question from Gizmodo, the company denied selling data, and the article presents no other evidence to substantiate the claim that they "package and sell" data. Indeed, the article makes an "even if" statement regarding sales, indicating that the authors have neither confirmed nor denied selling such data. @Spintendo's reasoning is SYNTH of a primary source (i.e., the site's privacy policy) because the argument is that use of the phrase "business partners" implies that they are doing some sort of business. "Business partners" is a broad term, and the conclusion that the company is selling data cannot be drawn from that phrase alone. voorts (talk/contributions) 00:53, 7 September 2023 (UTC)Reply
@Voorts Thank you for your input, are we now able to remove this section from the page? Msmw4 (talk) 17:53, 7 September 2023 (UTC)Reply
@Spintendo should have an opportunity to respond here. voorts (talk/contributions) 00:55, 8 September 2023 (UTC)Reply
The article states "Unsurprisingly, Noonlight’s app is no exception. By downloading the app and monitoring the network traffic sent back to its servers, Gizmodo found a handful of major names in the ad tech space—including Facebook and Google-owned YouTube—gleaning details about the app every minute." If it is Noonlight's contention that it is not somehow paid for supplying this information, then Noonlight is not a company -- it is a charity -- which gives away its services for free. But the article itself says that it is a company. Which are we to prefer? Either it's a company that charges for its services, or its a charity that gives them away for free. This fact should be delineated. Regards,  Spintendo  21:53, 10 September 2023 (UTC)Reply
I agree with your logic, but there's nothing in the article that explicitly says that. I think the article can reflect that data is shared with various companies, but we can't state in wikivoice that they sell user data without confirmation that that's true. How about this:

Gizmodo has reported that Noonlight shares data with ad tech companies, such as Meta and Google. The company has denied that it sells user data.

voorts (talk/contributions) 22:22, 10 September 2023 (UTC)Reply
@Spintendo @Voorts Please see below for an explanation on how Noonlight makes money and refer to the app's Google Play listing where it states
"No data shared with third parties"
Msmw4 (talk) 12:11, 15 September 2023 (UTC)Reply
There's third-party reporting from a reliable source that some data is indeed shared, notwithstanding Noonlight's TOS, app store listings and denials. It would be undue to state in wikivoice that no data is shared given the fact that at least one outlet has credibly reported that there is in fact data sharing going on. Given that @Spintendo hasn't responded to my proposed edit, I am going to boldly make it. If he'd like to revert afterwards, I am of course open to the BRD process. voorts (talk/contributions) 15:43, 23 September 2023 (UTC)Reply
For clarification, Noonlight has a free version of the app - as well as paid tiers that offer more robust safety features - described here. However, the main source of revenue is through the B2B side of the company where their API is used by other security companies - described here. That is how Noonlight makes money, no money is made through selling customer data to other companies. Msmw4 (talk) 15:52, 12 September 2023 (UTC)Reply

Thank you voorts for making those changes. Regards,  Spintendo  21:20, 2 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

Edit Requests edit

Noonlight company has expanded it's product offerings since the last major edits to this page and I am proposing updates to reflect the company in its current state. If any other sourcing or updates are needed, please let me know. Updates below.

–––

Noonlight

Noonlight, formerly SafeTrek, is a connected safety platform that powers data-rich emergency response. The company is headquartered in Austin, TX.

Founded in 2013 by Zach Winkler, Aaron Kunnemann, Nick Droge, and Brittany LeComte as a personal safety mobile app, the company has since grown into a connected safety platform — partnering with products and services to enable modern and affordable 24/7 professional sensor monitoring, video monitoring, and data-rich emergency response via an API[1].

Background

Noonlight was founded on the University of Missouri campus in 2013 [2] to help students safely get from point A to point B. The app was developed as a mobile solution to the blue lights on the university’s campus [3] so students could quickly and discreetly request help to their location, from anywhere in the United States [4]. To date, Noonlight’s app has protected over 3.5 million users [5].

Noonlight has since grown into a connected safety platform, allowing companies to add professional monitoring and advanced emergency response capabilities to their products via APIs [6]. Noonlight powers solutions for companies including Solink [1], Wyze [7], Shooter Detection Systems [8], Jiobit [9], and Roku [10].

Noonlight has also created a dashboard to be shared with PSAPs and first responders in the event of an emergency. The dashboard is accessible by 100% of PSAPs and first responders across the U.S., and shares contextual information about the emergency [7]. This information can include live security footage [1], location, medical information, photo, and physical description [11].

In October 2022, Alarm.com acquired a majority stake in Noonlight. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed [12].

Recognition

The Noonlight app has been instrumental in stopping kidnappings in real time [13] [14] due to the user’s ability to silently request help to their location.

Criticism

Gizmodo has reported that Noonlight shares data with ad tech companies, such as Meta and Google. The company has denied that it shares user data with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes and maintains that third party companies are only used for understanding standard user attribution and improving internal in-app messaging. Msmw4 (talk) 20:51, 2 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

Reply 2-OCT-2023 edit

   Unable to review  

  • Your edit request could not be reviewed because the provided references are not formatted correctly.[a] The citation style predominantly used by the Noonlight article is Citation Style 1 (CS1). The citation style used in the edit request consists of bare URL's.[b] Any requested edit of yours which may be implemented will need to resemble the current style already in use in the article – in this case, CS1. (See WP:CITEVAR.) In the extended section below titled Citation style, I have illustrated two examples: one showing how the edit request was submitted, and another showing how requests should be submitted in the future:
Citation style
Bare URL reference formatting:

The Sun's diameter is 864,337 miles,[1] while the Moon's diameter is 2,159 miles.[2] The Sun's temperature is 5,778 Kelvin.[3]

References


1. https://www.booksource.com
2. http://www.journalsource.com
3. http://www.websource.com

In the example above there are three URL's provided with the claim statements, but these URL's have not been placed using Citation Style 1, which is the style predominantly used by the Noonlight article. Using this style, the WikiFormatted text should resemble the following:

Citation Style 1 formatting:

The Sun's diameter is 864,337 miles,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sjöblad|first1=Tristan|title=The Sun|url=http://www.booksource.com|publisher=Academic Press|date=2020|page=1}}</ref> while the Moon's diameter is 2,159 miles.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Harinath|first1=Prisha|title=Size of the Moon|journal=Science|issue=78|volume=51|url=http://www.journalsource.com|date=2020|page=46}}</ref> The Sun's temperature is 5,778 Kelvin.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Uemura|first1=Shu|title=The Sun's Heat|url=http://www.websource.com|publisher=Academic Press|date=2020|page=2}}</ref>

Which displays as:

The Sun's diameter is 864,337 miles,[1] while the Moon's diameter is 2,159 miles.[2] The Sun's temperature is 5,778 Kelvin.[3]

References


  1. ^ Sjöblad, Tristan. The Sun. Academic Press, 2020, p. 1.
  2. ^ Harinath, Prisha. (2020). "Size of the Moon", Science, 51(78):46.
  3. ^ Uemura, Shū. The Sun's Heat. Academic Press, 2020, p. 2.

In the example above the references have been formatted according to Citation Style 1, which shows the author, the source's name, date, etc., all information which is lost when only the links are provided. As Wikipedia is a volunteer project, edit requests such as yours are generally expected to have this formatting done before the request is submitted for review.

  • Kindly submit a new edit request below this reply post at your earliest convenience, taking care to ensure that it makes use of CS1.
  • Also, the level 1 heading which was invoked by the COI editor in the request above should not be used. This is when one pair of equal signs is placed at either end of the topic heading.
  • For a new request, only a level 2 heading should be used (two pairs of equal signs). If you wish to designate on the talk page additional headings proposed to be used in the Wikipedia page please use the {{fake heading}} template, taking care to set the |sub= parameter to either |sub=2 or |sub=3 depending on which heading is being proposed for use.
  • If you have any questions about this formatting please don't hesitate to ask myself or another editor.

Notes

  1. ^ The fault for this formatting error may have originated with the automated prompts used by the edit request template, which asks for a COI editor to "supply the URL of any references used". While the resulting omission of information would not be the fault of the requesting COI editor, it nevertheless remains their responsibility to supply the references formatted in the style used by the article.
  2. ^ The use of bare URLs as references is a style which is acceptable for use in Wikipedia. However, general practice dictates that the style already in use for an article be the one that is subsequently used for all future additions unless changed by editorial consensus.[1]

References

  1. ^ "WP:CITEVAR - Wikipedia:Citing sources". Wikipedia. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018. Guideline: It is normal practice to defer to the style used by the first major contributor or adopted by the consensus of editors already working on the page, unless a change in consensus has been achieved. If the article you are editing is already using a particular citation style, you should follow it.

Regards,  Spintendo  21:20, 2 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

Updated Edit Request edit

Sorry for the incorrect formatting, @Spintendo. The double equal signs did not work for me but hopefully the way I did it is acceptable. Edits below:
Noonlight
Noonlight, formerly SafeTrek, is a connected safety platform that powers data-rich emergency response. The company is headquartered in Austin, TX.
Founded in 2013 by Zach Winkler, Aaron Kunnemann, Nick Droge, and Brittany LeComte as a personal safety mobile app, the company has since grown into a connected safety platform — partnering with products and services to enable modern and affordable 24/7 professional sensor monitoring, video monitoring, and data-rich emergency response via an API. [1]
Background
Noonlight was founded on the University of Missouri campus in 2013 [2] to help students safely get from point A to point B. The app was developed as a mobile solution to the blue lights on the university’s campus [3] so students could quickly and discreetly request help to their location, from anywhere in the United States. [4] To date, Noonlight’s app has protected over 3.5 million users. [5]
Noonlight has since grown into a connected safety platform, allowing companies to add professional monitoring and advanced emergency response capabilities to their products via APIs. [6] Noonlight powers solutions for companies including Solink [1], Wyze [7], Shooter Detection Systems [8], Jiobit [9], and Roku. [10]
Noonlight has also created a dashboard to be shared with PSAPs and first responders in the event of an emergency. The dashboard is accessible by 100% of PSAPs and first responders across the U.S., and shares contextual information about the emergency. [11] This information can include live security footage [1], location, medical information, photo, and physical description. [12]
In October 2022, Alarm.com acquired a majority stake in Noonlight. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. [5]
Recognition
The Noonlight app has been instrumental in stopping kidnappings in real time due to the user’s ability to silently request help to their location. [13] [14]
Criticism
Gizmodo has reported that Noonlight shares data with ad tech companies, such as Meta and Google. The company has denied that it shares user data with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes and maintains that third party companies are only used for understanding standard user attribution and improving internal in-app messaging.[15]
References
  1. ^ "Noonlight". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  2. ^ Salomone, Cecilia (2016-07-15). "Q&A: Zach Winkler, Missouri alumnus and founder of SafeTrek app". Missouri Business Alert.
  3. ^ "Upstart 25: Promising young start-ups". CNBC. 2017-02-28.
  4. ^ a b "Alarm.com Acquires Noonlight, A Next Generation Connected Safety Platform". Yahoo Finance. 2022-10-19.
  5. ^ "Noonlight Launches Connected Safety Platform for Homes, Cars, and Health". Globe Newswire. 2018-06-26.
  6. ^ "Wyze Expands Partnership with Noonlight to Offer 24/7 Home Security Monitoring". Globe Newswire. 2021-04-08.
  7. ^ "SDS Introduces ResponderLink to Revolutionize Emergency Notification for Active Shooter Events". Yahoo Finance. 2023-08-29.
  8. ^ "Jiobit Announces Jiobit Protect™, a Personal Safety Service with a Direct Link to 911 Dispatch Centers". Businesswire. 2023-03-03.
  9. ^ Tuohy, Jennifer Pattison (2023-05-10). ":Your Roku smart TV can now help protect your home". The Verge.
  10. ^ Westrope, Andrew (2019-02-05). "Noonlight Brings Caller Information to 911 Dispatch for Free". Govtech Biz.
  11. ^ Habas, Cathy (2022-11-10). "Noonlight Review". SafeWise.
  12. ^ Whaley, Monte (2018-12-21). "App that works as panic button helped save Grand Junction teen from alleged kidnapping". The Denver Post.
  13. ^ McCowan, Candace (2022-09-13). "App helps Georgia deputies track down man accused of raping 17-year-old". WSBTV.
  14. ^ Wodinsky, Shoshana (2020-01-24). "Tinder's New Panic Button Is Sharing Your Data With Ad-Tech Companies". Gizmodo.
Msmw4 (talk) 17:47, 3 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

Reply 3-OCT-2023 edit

Below you will see where proposals from your request have been quoted with reviewer decisions and feedback inserted underneath, either accepting, declining or otherwise commenting upon your proposal(s). Please read the enclosed notes within the proposal review section below for information on each request.

Edit request review 3-OCT-2023

is a connected safety platform that powers data-rich emergency response.
 Clarification needed.[note 1]


The company is headquartered in Austin, TX.
  Unable to review.[note 2]


Founded in 2013 by Zach Winkler, Aaron Kunnemann, Nick Droge, and Brittany LeComte as a personal safety mobile app, the company has since grown into a connected safety platform — partnering with products and services to enable modern and affordable 24/7 professional sensor monitoring, video monitoring, and data-rich emergency response via an API.
 Clarification needed.[note 3]


Noonlight was founded on the University of Missouri campus in 2013
  Approved.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).


to help students safely get from point A to point B
  Declined.[note 4]


The app was developed as a mobile solution to the blue lights on the university’s campus
  Approved.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).


so students could quickly and discreetly request help to their location, from anywhere in the United States.
  Declined.[note 5]


To date, Noonlight’s app has protected over 3.5 million users.
  Declined.[note 6]


Noonlight has since grown into a connected safety platform, allowing companies to add professional monitoring and advanced emergency response capabilities to their products via APIs
  Declined.[note 7]


Noonlight powers solutions for companies including Solink, Wyze, Shooter Detection Systems, Jiobit, and Roku.
 Clarification needed.[note 8]


Noonlight has also created a dashboard to be shared with PSAPs and first responders in the event of an emergency. The dashboard is accessible by 100% of PSAPs and first responders across the U.S., and shares contextual information about the emergency. This information can include live security footage, location, medical information, photo, and physical description.
  Declined.[note 9]


In October 2022, Alarm.com acquired a majority stake in Noonlight. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
  Already done.[note 10]


The Noonlight app has been instrumental in stopping kidnappings in real time due to the user’s ability to silently request help to their location.
  Declined.[note 11]


Gizmodo has reported that Noonlight shares data with ad tech companies, such as Meta and Google. The company has denied that it shares user data with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes
  Already done.[note 12]


and maintains that third party companies are only used for understanding standard user attribution and improving internal in-app messaging.
  Declined.[note 13]


___________

  1. ^ It is not known what is meant by the phrase "data-rich emergency response". Please elaborate.
  2. ^ A reference confirming this information was not provided with the claim statement.
  3. ^ The provided reference does not confirm the co-founders as listed in the proposed text. The only name confirmed as a co-founder in the proposed reference was Brittany LeComte. Another source already used in the article confirms the names Zach Winkler and Nick Droge as co-founders, but not the name Aaron Kunnemann. Additionally, there is a difference between the term "co-founder" and "developer". The lead section as it exists now speaks only of one developer, Zach Winkler. Information about the company's co-founders, whomever they may be, needs to be clarified with respect to any difference which may exist between founder and developer of Noonlight the app versus Noonlight the company.
  4. ^ The phrase "to get from point A to point B" is not clear. Please be aware that Wikipedia's readers are worldwide, and that certain idioms used in the English language may not be readily understood by all. (See MOS:EUPH.)
  5. ^ The terms "quickly and discreetly" are promotional in nature. (See MOS:PUFFERY.)
  6. ^ The claim to have "protected over 3.5 million users" (not to mention the fact that the word "protected" is a subjective term open to various interpretations) is an extraordinary claim which would require multiple extraordinary references to confirm.
  7. ^ This text makes promotional claims (e.g., "allowing companies to add ... capabilities to their products...")
  8. ^ It is not known what is meant by the term "powers solutions". Additionally, the companies listed therein are not Wikilinked.
  9. ^ This text, which includes claims of accessibility by PSAP's, requires references from reliable, independent, secondary sources. (See WP:SS.) Additionally, the phrase "This information can include..." denotes an equivocation which would be problematic for the article to state (i.e., whether something can include versus whether something will include).
  10. ^ The asked-for changes in this section of the edit request are already in the article.
  11. ^ The claims made in this portion of the proposed text are generalized, whereas the provided references only speak to two particular instances where the app may have aided individual users and/or authorities.
  12. ^ The asked-for changes in this section of the edit request are already in the article.
  13. ^ The phrase "only used for understanding standard user attribution and improving internal in-app messaging" uses company jargon that merely repeats or overemphasizes the claim already found in the article that the company "denies that it shares user data".

Please provide any requested clarifications and/or references in a new edit request below this reply message, taking care to attach an {{Edit COI}} template in your post. Regards,  Spintendo  23:06, 3 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

Edit Request Response edit

Please find the responses to the edit reply below

Response To Edit Request Review

1. "It is not known what is meant by the phrase "data-rich emergency response". Please elaborate." [note 1]

Data-rich emergency response is a phrase used to describe the ability to share contextual information about an emergency (video, location, photo, decription) with PSAPs and first-responders referenced in the 3rd paragraph in the background section.[1]



2. "A reference confirming this information was not provided with the claim statement." [note 2]

The only source confirming this is the company's LinkedIn page.[2] If this source is not allowed, we can exclude from any updates.

---
3. Co-founder clarification[note 3]

  • Reference for all of Noonlight's co-founders - this article uses Brittany LeComte's maiden name, Dameron.[3]
  • Zach Winkler was the founder and developer of the app when it was created for a technology competition[3] and the rest of the co-founders helped build the company as a whole. Is the following an acceptable way to clarify:
Founded in 2013 by lead developer and current CEO, Zach Winkler, and co-founders Brittany LeComte, Aaron Kunnemann, and Nick Droge as a personal safety mobile app, the company has since grown into a connected safety platform — partnering with products and services to enable modern and affordable 24/7 professional sensor monitoring, video monitoring, and data-rich emergency response via an API.

---
4. The phrase "to get from point A to point B" is not clear. Please be aware that Wikipedia's readers are worldwide, and that certain idioms used in the English language may not be readily understood by all.[note 4]

Change to: “to help students safely travel around campus.”

---
5. The terms "quickly and discreetly" are promotional in nature. [note 5]

Change to: “so students could request emergency help to their location, from anywhere in the United States.”

---
6. The claim to have "protected over 3.5 million users" (not to mention the fact that the word "protected" is a subjective term open to various interpretations) is an extraordinary claim which would require multiple extraordinary references to confirm.[note 6]

Change to: "To date, Noonlight’s app has over 3.5 million downloads.[4]

---
7. This text makes promotional claims (e.g., "allowing companies to add ... capabilities to their products...")[note 7]

Reasoning: The goal is to communicate the B2B side of Noonlight’s business, providing APIs that power monitoring and emergency response. The language isn’t meant to be promotional but to communicate that’s what the APIs give the companies access to do. Thinking through ways to cut the words out, would the following work:
Change to: Noonlight has expanded their business into a connected safety platform via their professional monitoring and advanced emergency response APIs. Other companies can use these APIs to add these services to their products.

---
8. It is not known what is meant by the term "powers solutions". Additionally, the companies listed therein are not Wikilinked. [note 8]

Reasoning: “Powers solutions” is an industry standard term for when an API is used to add additional services to a product. Is the following wording more acceptable:
Change to:Noonlight’s APIs are used by companies including Solink, Wyze, Shooter Detection Systems, Jiobit, and Roku to enable their professional monitoring and emergency response features. [note 9]

---
9. This text, which includes claims of accessibility by PSAP's, requires references from reliable, independent, secondary sources. (See WP:SS.) Additionally, the phrase "This information can include..." denotes an equivocation which would be problematic for the article to state (i.e., whether something can include versus whether something will include).[note 10]

Change to: Noonlight has also created a dashboard to be shared with PSAPs and first responders in the event of an emergency and shares contextual information about the emergency. Depending on what information is shared with Noonlight via the API at the time of the emergency, the contextual information shared with PSAPs and first responders can include live security footage, user’s location, medical information, photo, and physical description.

---
10. The claims made in this portion of the proposed text are generalized, whereas the provided references only speak to two particular instances where the app may have aided individual users and/or authorities. [note 11]

Change to: The Noonlight app has been reported to help stop at least two kidnappings in real time due to the user’s ability to silently request help to their location.[5] [6]

---
11. The phrase "only used for understanding standard user attribution and improving internal in-app messaging" uses company jargon that merely repeats or overemphasizes the claim already found in the article that the company "denies that it shares user data". [note 12]

Response: If a claim of wrongdoing is allowed on the article, the rebuttal (which is of reasonable length and taken directly from the source) should also be allowed on the page to give readers the full picture and properly inform them on how customer data can be used by the company.


References


_______
Notes

  1. ^ is a connected safety platform that powers data-rich emergency response.
  2. ^ The company is headquartered in Austin, TX
  3. ^ Clarification request: The provided reference does not confirm the co-founders as listed in the proposed text. The only name confirmed as a co-founder in the proposed reference was Brittany LeComte. Another source already used in the article confirms the names Zach Winkler and Nick Droge as co-founders, but not the name Aaron Kunnemann. Additionally, there is a difference between the term "co-founder" and "developer". The lead section as it exists now speaks only of one developer, Zach Winkler. Information about the company's co-founders, whomever they may be, needs to be clarified with respect to any difference which may exist between founder and developer of Noonlight the app versus Noonlight the company.
  4. ^ to help students safely get from point A to point B
  5. ^ so students could quickly and discreetly request help to their location, from anywhere in the United States.
  6. ^ To date, Noonlight’s app has protected over 3.5 million users.
  7. ^ Noonlight has since grown into a connected safety platform, allowing companies to add professional monitoring and advanced emergency response capabilities to their products via APIs
  8. ^ Noonlight powers solutions for companies including Solink, Wyze, Shooter Detection Systems, Jiobit, and Roku.
  9. ^ Solink, Jiobit, and Shooter Detection Systems do not have Wikilinks.
  10. ^ Noonlight has also created a dashboard to be shared with PSAPs and first responders in the event of an emergency. The dashboard is accessible by 100% of PSAPs and first responders across the U.S., and shares contextual information about the emergency. This information can include live security footage, location, medical information, photo, and physical description.
  11. ^ The Noonlight app has been instrumental in stopping kidnappings in real time due to the user’s ability to silently request help to their location.
  12. ^ and maintains that third party companies are only used for understanding standard user attribution and improving internal in-app messaging.



Msmw4 (talk) 20:18, 5 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

Reply 5-OCT-2023 edit

  Partly done In the areas where I asked for clarification:

  1. Data rich emergency response was elaborated for the reviewer in the requestor's reply message, but no proposed text thus far includes this elaboration. (In other words, readers of the article ought not be expected to turn to the COI editor's talk page posts in order to find definitions for terms they may not understand.)
  2. I've added the apps co-founders per the McPhie source. Per WP:CITELEAD, the mentioning of these founders was only referenced in the main body of the article, not the lead section. Additionally, it would be prudent to know when Winkler became CEO, because the current prose "founded in 2013 by current CEO Zach Winkler" is not preferable, per MOS:CURRENT.
  3. I'd like to add Austin Tx as the "headquarters" although it's difficult to implement the requested prose because the article is about software while the requested text uses the term company. These two terms do not alternate easily in the article.
  4. Only two companies/software were given Wikilinks in the third clarification request (Roku and Wyze). The text to be added to the article would thus have stated the following: "Noonlight’s APIs are used by companies including Wyze and Roku." Please advise if this wording is acceptable.

Regards,  Spintendo  23:18, 5 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

Thanks @Spintendo. Response:
1. Proposed Updated Text:
Noonlight, formerly SafeTrek, launched in 2013 as a mobile application and has since grown into a connected safety software company — partnering with products, services to provide professional monitoring and emergency response via an API.[1]
2. Zach Winkler has been the company's CEO since it was founded so it's hard to provide the date. Would rephrasing it as the following work:
Noonlight was founded in 2013 by Zach Winkler, Aaron Kunnemann, Brittany LeComte and Nick Droege."
3. My edits submitted on the 3rd were attempting to solve for this. The original article references Noonlight as an app, which is just one part of the company, but I can see how my wording was also confusing. Is the following more clear - the updates in #1 should hopefully solve for this. If there are other areas where it's confusing, please point them out to me and I can make the proper edits.
4. Those were the only two companies with Wikilinks, is it not possible to reference companies that do not have Wikilinks? If not, we can make it:
Noonlight powers solutions for companies including Wyze [2], Sabre[3], and Roku. [4]

References


Thank you!
Msmw4 (talk) 22:52, 6 October 2023 (UTC) Msmw4 (talk) 22:52, 6 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

Reply 11-OCT-2023 edit

  1. The proposed text under #1 doesn't contain a Wikilink for API. Looking at the text on this talk page, I dont see that one was ever provided or suggested. Having lots of Wikilinks in the lead section's first sentence is a desired practice in Wikipedia articles, per MOS:CONTEXTLINK. I don't see another way around explaining these terms in your proposed text ("connected safety software company"). The description offered in the article now states "is a mobile app that triggers requests to emergency services." The COI editor has not offered a reason why this statement is wrong on its own (thus far they have only stated that it is "incomplete" - but not wrong per se).
  2. The information regarding the co founders is already mentioned twice in the article.
  3. The proposal under #4 was declined after you failed to agree to my suggestion and re-iterated the text that I felt was promotional in tone by using company/industry jargon ("powers solutions").

Regards,  Spintendo  18:39, 11 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

Edits 12-OCT-2023 edit

Using @Spintendo's feedback to propose new edits.

Noonlight

Noonlight [1], formerly SafeTrek, is a software company founded in 2013 by current CEO Zach Winkler and co-founders Aaron Kunnemann, Brittany LeComte and Nick Droege. Noonlight provides professional monitoring and emergency response through their personal safety app and APIs. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Background

The app was founded on the University of Missouri campus in 2013 by Zach Winkler, Aaron Kunnemann, Brittany LeComte and Nick Droege as part of a technology competition.[2][3] It was developed as a mobile solution to the blue lights found on the university’s campus so students could request emergency help to their location instead of waiting by the blue lights.[4]

Noonlight has since grown into a software company whose APIs are used by other companies and IoT devices [5] to add personal safety services [6], professional sensor monitoring [1], video verification, and emergency response to their products.[7] Noonlight's APIs are used by companies including Wyze [1], Sabre [8], and Roku.[9]

Noonlight also created a dashboard that populates alarm information that is shared with PSAPs and first responders at the time of the emergency. [10][11]

Recognition

The Noonlight app has been reported to help stop two kidnappings in real time due to the user’s ability to silently request help to their location. [12] [13]

Criticism

Gizmodo has reported that Noonlight shares data with ad tech companies, such as Meta and Google. The company has denied that it shares user data.[14] [note 1]



Notes

  1. ^ there is a second reference on this section that does not belong


References

  1. ^ a b c "Wyze Expands Partnership with Noonlight to Offer 24/7 Home Security Monitoring". GlobeNewswire. 2021-04-08.
  2. ^ McPhie, Em (30 January 2020). "St. Louis startup Noonlight to partner with Tinder, Match - Student Life". Student Life. Washington University in St. Louis.
  3. ^ "Noonlight". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  4. ^ Salomone, Cecilia (2016-07-15). "Q&A: Zach Winkler, Missouri alumnus and founder of SafeTrek app". Missouri Business Alert.
  5. ^ "Noonlight Launches Connected Safety Platform for Homes, Cars, and Health". Globe Newswire. 2018-06-26.
  6. ^ "Jiobit Announces Jiobit Protect™, a Personal Safety Service with a Direct Link to 911 Dispatch Centers". Businesswire. 2023-03-03.
  7. ^ "SABRE Launches Safety App with GPS Tracking and Alerts and Offers Sneak Preview of Connected SMART Pepper Spray at CES 2021". PR Newswire. 2021-01-11.
  8. ^ Tuohy, Jennifer Pattison (2023-05-10). ":Your Roku smart TV can now help protect your home". The Verge.
  9. ^ Westrope, Andrew (2019-02-05). "Noonlight Brings Caller Information to 911 Dispatch for Free". Govtech Biz.
  10. ^ Habas, Cathy (2022-11-10). "Noonlight Review". SafeWise.
  11. ^ Whaley, Monte (2018-12-21). "App that works as panic button helped save Grand Junction teen from alleged kidnapping". The Denver Post.
  12. ^ McCowan, Candace (2022-09-13). "App helps Georgia deputies track down man accused of raping 17-year-old". WSBTV.
  13. ^ Wodinsky, Shoshana (2020-01-24). "Tinder's New Panic Button Is Sharing Your Data With Ad-Tech Companies". Gizmodo.


Msmw4 (talk) 17:21, 12 October 2023 (UTC)Reply

These two sentences need clarification: "Noonlight has since grown into a software company whose APIs are used by other companies and IoT devices to add personal safety services, professional sensor monitoring, video verification, and emergency response to their products. Noonlight's APIs are used by companies including Wyze, Sabre, and Roku." If the companies individually mentioned in the second sentence are the same companies not individually mentioned in the first sentence, then these two sentences ought to be combined into one sentence, for clarity. Please revise and advise. Regards,  Spintendo  18:47, 12 October 2023 (UTC)Reply
Edited requested sentences for clarity as requested by @Spintendo.
Noonlight has since grown into a software company whose APIs are used to integrate personal safety services [1], professional sensor monitoring [2], video verification, and emergency response to other companies' products and IoT devices[3] including Wyze [2], Sabre [4], and Roku.[5]

References


Msmw4 (talk) 17:52, 13 October 2023 (UTC) Msmw4 (talk) 17:52, 13 October 2023 (UTC)Reply
  Implemented  Spintendo  19:34, 13 October 2023 (UTC)Reply