App Privacy Policy
Overview
The Heart Health Mountain App is a mobile phone-based application and corresponding backend that provides tools to help study participants provide and receive information and feedback with UT researchers. This privacy policy covers how we treat the data that we gather in support of our study. This app has been developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (“University” or “we”). By using the app, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the contents of this Privacy Policy.
In order to log into the application, you must have previously consented to take part in an Institutional Review Board-approved study at the University. After providing this consent, the study personnel will provide you with credentials that will allow you to access the application.
Your participation in this study is voluntary.
What information do we collect?
Withings Steps Data
| How is it collected? | Why it is collected? | How is it stored? | How long is it retained? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retrieved from the Withings server. | Step data is collected for research purposes. | Securely stored on the Digital Heart Health database. | Steps for the duration of the study will be retained indefinitely in the database. |
Withings Weight Data
| How is it collected? | Why it is collected? | How is it stored? | How long is it retained? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retrieved from the Withings server. | Weight data is collected for research purposes. | Securely stored on the Digital Heart Health database. | Weights for the duration of the study will be retained indefinitely in the database. |
Game Analytics
| How is it collected? | Why it is collected? | How is it stored? | How long is it retained? |
|---|---|---|---|
| When you first install the App, the App will ask for you permission to share the game analytics data with the app. | Game analytics are used to analyze the amount of time participants spend in each component in the game. | Securely stored on the Digital Heart Health database. | Steps for the duration of the study will be retained indefinitely in the database. |
How do we process and use your information?
We may process and use the information listed above to support the following purposes:
- To provide the University with certain information, namely your login credentials for the purpose of connecting your responses and information received from the app with other information that you are providing through other methods within the study.
- To provide the University with aggregate anonymized information. Through the information collected by the app, we may also generate anonymized community reports from data collected within the study. This information may be shared in aggregate form with the community in general. This information will not be linked to any identifiable information.
- To continuously analyze the use of our services. We also analyze your use of our features and services as feedback to improve and administer the app, including to provide user support, to develop new features, and to ensure the app and the data it collects remain secure.
- To comply with legal obligations. We may use data collected to comply with any applicable laws and to defend against legal claims or to exercise our legal rights.
We may also use your information for other purposes disclosed to you; these purposes will be disclosed at the time that we collect the information and the use will occur only with your consent. Such consent, if provided, can also be withdrawn at any time by contacting us through our study team. Withdrawing consent does not impact the use of the data before consent was withdrawn. You will be able to delete all of the data stored on the app at any time.
How do we store and protect your information? Who do we share your information with?
We will protect your data from unauthorized access or disclosure using best practice security measures, informed by the particular type of data, the use, and the destination. Data transfers will be encrypted during transmission using SSL.
Data will be maintained indefinitely on our servers.
If it becomes necessary for the Institutional Review Board to review the study records, information that can be linked to you will be protected to the extent permitted by law. Your research records will not be released without your consent unless required by law or a court order.
We may share your data or samples with other researchers for future research studies that may be similar to this study or may be very different. The data shared with other researchers will not include information that can directly identify you.
We plan to publish the results of this study. To protect your privacy, we will not include any information that could directly identify you.
Changes to this privacy policy
We may modify this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes through an alert sent through the app, via email, or by some other mechanism. If you continue to use the app after such a change, this indicates your acceptance of the revised privacy policy. The use of information collected through the app is subject to the privacy policy in effect at the time the information is collected.
It is possible that the Institutional Review Board may require informed consent to be obtained again if substantive changes are made to this privacy policy. If this occurs, details regarding the changes will be included in a new consent form.
Contact us
Contact Information for the Study Team: Prior, during or after your participation you can email the study team at dhhstudy@utexas.edu with any questions.
Contact Information for Questions about Your Rights as a Research Participant: If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, or wish to obtain information, ask questions, or discuss any concerns about this study with someone other than the researcher(s), please contact the following:
The University of Texas at Austin Institutional Review Board
Phone: 512-232-1543
Email: irb@austin.utexas.edu
