Idyad Research Platform ("Idyad") is a research platform operated by Kuan-Hua Chen for the IDYAD research program. Idyad ("we", "our", or "us") operates the research and care-monitoring platform available at idyad.org. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. It applies to participants, researchers, and staff who interact with Idyad as part of an approved research program.
1Information we collect
1.1 Information you provide
- Account details: name, email address, username, and (if you opt in) mobile phone number.
- Program enrollment: study identifier, role (participant, co-participant, researcher, staff), and consent records.
- Communications: messages you send to our support team.
1.2 Information collected automatically from study devices
- Wearable / sensor data: anonymized device-level proximity, room occupancy, activity, sleep, and step metrics, collected per the study protocol you consented to during enrollment.
- Connected Fitbit / Google Health data (optional): if you connect a Fitbit account, daily activity, heart, and sleep metrics read through the Google Health API. See Section 4 for full details.
- Usage data: pages viewed, sign-in timestamps, and basic device/browser information for security and reliability.
2How we use your information
- To deliver the research program (generate daily summaries, group reports, dashboards).
- To communicate with you about your participation — via email and, if you opted in, SMS.
- To send operational alerts to research and ops staff (system health, data-quality notifications).
- To produce aggregated, de-identified research outputs.
- To meet legal, regulatory, and IRB obligations.
3SMS notifications
3.1 What we send
Idyad sends only transactional SMS messages related to your role in the research program. We do not send marketing, advertising, or promotional content.
- Daily summary notifications to participants when their personalized email report is ready.
- Activity-goal reminders to participants, only for goals they choose to set and only if they ask for text reminders.
- Group summary alerts to enrolled researchers when daily reports are published.
- System health alerts to operations staff when an incident requires attention.
3.2 How you opt in
You opt in after signing in, by providing your mobile number and checking the SMS consent box on the Notification Consent page (idyad.org/consent/). The steps are described at idyad.org/sms-opt-in. SMS consent is optional and is not required to participate in the research program. We do not message anyone who has not affirmatively opted in.
3.3 Message frequency and rates
Expected frequency is approximately one SMS per day or fewer per recipient. Standard message and data rates from your mobile carrier may apply. We do not control or pay for those charges.
3.4 How to opt out
You may opt out of SMS notifications at any time by any of the following:
- Reply STOP to any Idyad SMS. Your number is removed automatically.
- Email [email protected] with the subject line "Unsubscribe SMS".
- Contact your study coordinator directly.
Reply HELP to any Idyad SMS for assistance, or email [email protected].
3.5 Mobile information and SMS consent
We do not sell, rent, or share mobile phone numbers, SMS opt-in information, or SMS consent records with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.
Mobile information may be shared only with service providers, such as our SMS delivery providers Twilio and Amazon Web Services (AWS), when necessary to deliver and operate the SMS messaging service. These providers process the information on our behalf and are not permitted to use it for their own marketing purposes.
SMS opt-in information and consent will not be shared with third parties for purposes unrelated to providing the messaging service.
We do not use your mobile number for voice calls, automated dialers, or advertising.
4Connected Fitbit / Google Health data
4.1 What we access
With your permission on Google's consent screen, Idyad reads the following from your Fitbit account through the Google Health API:
- Activity and fitness: steps, distance, active minutes, active-zone minutes, exercise sessions, energy burned, and VO₂ max.
- Health metrics and measurements: heart rate, resting heart rate, heart-rate variability, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, skin temperature, weight, height, body fat, and blood glucose — only where your device records them.
- Sleep: sleep sessions and sleep stages.
Access is read-only. We cannot change anything in your Fitbit account, and we do not access your Google contacts, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, location history, or any other Google service.
4.2 How we use it
Google Health data is used solely to support the research program you enrolled in. It is stored alongside your study sensor data, shown on research dashboards to authorized study staff, and may be included in your daily summaries and in aggregated, de-identified research outputs. We do not use it for advertising, we do not sell it, and we do not allow humans to read it except (a) with your explicit consent, (b) for security purposes such as investigating abuse, (c) to comply with applicable law, or (d) after it has been aggregated and de-identified for research.
4.3 How it is stored and shared
Data retrieved from Google is stored in Idyad's research database, hosted on AWS in the United States, with encryption in transit and access restricted to authorized study staff. The access tokens that let us read your data are stored on our servers and used only by our automated daily sync. Google Health data is shared only as described in Section 5 (service providers under contract, de-identified data with research collaborators, legal compliance). It is never transferred or sold to third parties, and never used for serving advertisements, determining credit-worthiness, or lending purposes.
4.4 Limited Use disclosure
Idyad's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
4.5 Disconnecting and deleting your data
- Revoke access at Google: open myaccount.google.com/connections, select Idyad, and remove access. Our sync stops immediately.
- Ask us to disconnect: email [email protected] or tell your study coordinator, and we will revoke our access and stop syncing.
- Delete the data: on request we delete the Google Health data we hold about you within 30 days, except where retention is required by the IRB-approved protocol or applicable law — in which case we will tell you what is retained and why.
5How we share information
We share data only as needed to operate the program:
- Service providers: AWS for hosting, email (Amazon SES), and SMS delivery (Amazon SNS / Amazon End User Messaging). They process data on our behalf and are bound by contract.
- Research collaborators: aggregated, de-identified data only, in accordance with the protocol you consented to.
- Legal compliance: when required by law, court order, or regulatory authority.
6Data retention
We retain personal data only as long as needed to fulfil the purposes described above, or as required by IRB protocol and applicable law. You may request deletion of your account, or of your connected Fitbit / Google Health data (see Section 4.5), by contacting [email protected].
7Security
We use industry-standard safeguards (encryption in transit, access controls, audit logging) to protect your information. No system is perfectly secure; we will notify affected users of any incident as required by law.
8Your rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict the use of your personal data. To exercise these rights, email [email protected].
9Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced via email or in-app notice. The "Effective" date at the top of this page indicates the most recent revision.
10Contact
Questions about this policy, or about your data, can be sent to:
Idyad Research Platform
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://idyad.org