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EARS Privacy Policy

Effective date: February 6, 2019

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The Center for Digital Mental Health ("us", "we", or "our") operates the EARS mobile application (the "App").

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This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data when you use our App and the choices you have associated with that data.

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We use your data to conduct research and improve the App. By using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Information Collection And Use

We collect several different types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our App to you.

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

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While using our App, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you ("Personal Data"). We make a significant effort to project your identity. Easily identifiable information such as names or addresses are removed and replaced with a randomly generated ID when possible.  Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

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  • Email address

  • First name and last name

  • Data generated by the sensors and interactions on your device

  • Usage Data

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Usage Data

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When you access the App by or through a mobile device, we may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device you use, your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of your mobile device, your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser you use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data ("Usage Data").

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Device Generated Data

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When using the App to its full capabilities, we will collect several types of data from your device in the background. The App can only collect data that is already measured and logged by the device. The App does not change or extend the functional capabilities of your device. The types of data generated by the sensors and interaction on your device collected by the App include, but is not limited to, the following:
 

  • Keyboard Logger. This keyboard logger collects text input across all applications on the mobile phone. The logger will install a specialized keyboard on the device, which collects every character that you type into your phone, including SMS, social media, searches, and emails (although NOT secure text fields).
     

  • Image Capture. Designed to collect facial expression data the App is designed to collect, encrypt, and upload any pictures that you take with your camera. Our research projects are focused on people who directly consent therefore in most cases data will only be analyzed after photos that contain other people are removed using an automated facial recognition tool.
     

  • Geolocation. The App will collect the location data from your device.
     

  • Device Usage Patterns. We will also collect other aspects of mobile device usage depending on what your device collects. Including but not limited to applications used, application usage time, music (artist, track, time listened), call statistics (frequency, duration), and motion sensing data. We will collect the frequency and duration of each application used, as well as the total time that your screen is on.

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Use of Data

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The Center for Digital Mental Health uses the collected data for various purposes:

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  • To provide and maintain the App

  • To notify you about changes to our App

  • To allow you to participate in interactive features of our App when you choose to do so

  • To provide customer care and support

  • To provide analysis or valuable information so that we can improve the App

  • To monitor the usage of the App

  • To detect, prevent and address technical issues

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Collection Of Data

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When you install the App, by default data is collected and stored only on your device. Transfer of data will only occur as long as you are part of a participating study associated with the App and have completed the on device informed consent.

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Transfer Of Data

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Your information, including Personal Data, may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from your jurisdiction.

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If you are located outside United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data, including Personal Data, to United States and process it there.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.

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The Center for Digital Mental Health will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other personal information.

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Disclosure Of Data

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Access to the raw data is limited to specific persons at 7Cups, Qntfy, and The Center for Digital Mental Health. Data collected from you while participating in a partnering study may eventually be shared with other researchers for scientific purposes only; however, this data will not contain identifying information that would allow others to easily associate the data with you. If a researcher needs access to any identity data they must first obtain ethics approval from their institution as well as meeting stringent requirements. When the results of this research are published or presented in any public forum, absolutely no information will be included that might reveal your identity.

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Security Of Data

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The security of your data is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. All data collected by the App is governed by a University Institutional Review Board (research ethics committee) who have responsibility for oversight of the ethical management of your data.

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Removal Of Data

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If you at any time wish to remove your Personal Data collected through the use of the App, we can facilitate removal of said data from our servers if contacted directly.

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Service Providers

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We may employ third party companies and individuals to facilitate our App ("Service Providers"), to provide the App on our behalf, to perform App-related services or to assist us in analyzing how our App is used.

These third parties have access to your Personal Data, strictly in the form of Usage Data, only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

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Analytics

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We may use third-party Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our App.

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Links To Other Sites

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Our App may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit.

 

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

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Changes To This Privacy Policy

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We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

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We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our App, prior to the change becoming effective and update the "effective date" at the top of this Privacy Policy.

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You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

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Contact Us

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If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

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