Privacy Policy

1. Eligibility

• This study is limited to participants aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If we discover that someone under 18 has created an account: the account will be immediately deactivated, the data will be deleted within 7 days, and a parent/guardian will be notified if possible.
• This study is open to U.S. residents only at this time. If you are located outside the United States you are not eligible to participate. Data will be processed in the United States.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

Account Information

• Email address (required for authentication and communication)
• Platform selection (which platforms you use: ChatGPT, Instagram, Spotify, TikTok, YouTube)

Survey Responses

• Demographics (age, gender, location at county level or higher)
• Platform usage patterns and perceptions
• Political views and participation (for Social Media Survey only)
• Educational information (for LLM Survey - student status, field of study)

Uploaded Data Exports

De-identified platform usage data (after you process through our redaction tool):

• ChatGPT: Conversation logs (PII removed)
• Instagram: Post metadata (captions, timestamps)
• Spotify: Streaming history
• TikTok: Video watch history, browsing history
• YouTube: Watch history

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

Technical Information

• Browser type and version
• Device type (desktop/mobile)
• Upload timestamps
• File sizes

Authentication Data

• Magic link tokens (expire after 20 days)
• Session cookies (expire after 20 days)

2.3 Information We Do NOT Collect

We do not collect:

• Passwords (we use passwordless magic link authentication)
• Social Security Numbers
• Financial information (credit cards, bank accounts)
• Precise geolocation (GPS coordinates)
• Health information
• Children's data (participants must be 18+)
• IP addresses (automatically redacted upon upload)

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Academic Research Purposes

Your de-identified data will be used to analyze broad patterns in social media and AI platform usage, and impacts on cultural trends and student learning attitudes.

3.2 Operational Purposes

Your email address is used for:

• Authentication: Sending magic links to verify your identity (no password storage)
• Communication: Reminder emails about pending data uploads, notifications about reward delivery status, and important study updates (rare)
• Reward Delivery: Sending compensation via Tremendous API

3.3 What We Will NOT Do

We will never:

• Sell your email address or data to third parties
• Use your data for commercial purposes or to train artificial intelligence models
• Send marketing emails unrelated to the study
• Share identifiable data in publications or public datasets
• Contact you after study completion (except to respond to data deletion requests)

4. How We Protect Your Information

4.1 Technical Safeguards

• Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.3 (HTTPS) and at rest using AES-256. Database connections use SSL encryption.
• Access Controls: Database access is restricted to 3 research team members who must use multi-factor authentication. Service role API keys are stored in a secure credential manager, not in code. The database implements row-level security policies to prevent unauthorized data access.
• Infrastructure: Our CRM database (Supabase) is SOC 2 Type II certified and complies with CCPA/CPRA. Our data storage (Google Cloud Platform) is ISO 27001 certified and maintains enterprise-grade security with regular audits.
• Data Redaction: Before you upload any platform data, the PII in these data extracts gets redacted. Our tool uses AI-based name detection (BERT NER) and pattern matching to automatically detect and remove personally identifiable information including names, email addresses, phone numbers, locations, and other sensitive details. For smaller files, this processing happens entirely on your device. For larger exports, you may choose to use our secure research server for faster processing — in that case, only the text is sent (not your raw file), and nothing is stored or logged. Under no circumstance does the research team ever see the unredacted version at any point.

4.2 Organizational Safeguards

• Data Separation: Your email address is stored in our CRM database (Supabase), while research data is stored in a separate database (Google Cloud SQL). These are linked only by an anonymous UUID, and all analysis is performed on de-identified data only.
• Personnel: All research team members have completed human subjects protection training (CITI) and signed non-disclosure agreements. We follow the principle of least privilege—team members access only the data necessary for their specific roles.
• Auditing: All database queries are logged and we conduct quarterly security reviews.

4.3 Data Minimization

We collect only the minimum data necessary for research purposes. Platform data is limited to non-private activity (no direct messages or private messages), demographics are collected at aggregate level (county, not street address), and our redaction tool removes PII before upload.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following trusted services to operate the study:

Data Processing Agreements: We have data processing agreements with all third-party service providers ensuring they:

• Use data only for providing services to us
• Do not sell or share data
• Maintain appropriate security measures
• Comply with applicable privacy laws

Location: All data stored in the United States.

6. Data Retention and Deletion

6.1 How Long We Keep Your Data

Email Addresses:

• Retained after study completion to enable critical participant contact if needed. Deleted once the purpose of processing has been accomplished.

Research Data:

• De-identified platform data and survey responses retained indefinitely to enable:
  • Replication of published findings
  • Secondary academic research analyses
  • Long-term trend studies

6.2 How to Request Data Deletion

You have the right to request deletion of your data within 1 year of your initial participation date:

To Request Deletion:

1. Email info@digital-life.org with subject “Data Deletion Request”
2. Include the email address associated with your account

What Gets Deleted:

• Your email address (removed from CRM immediately)
• Link between your email and research data (UUID dissociated)
• Your study access credentials
• Submitted data files (deleted if request made within 1 year of your initial participation date)

Note that we cannot delete de-identified research data if: (1) more than 1 year has passed since your participation, or (2) it has already been incorporated into published analyses (however, it remains unlinkable to you).

Timeline: We will process deletion requests within 30 business days and send confirmation email. We will keep a record of the deletion request (email address and date) to ensure compliance with your request, but this record will not be linked to any research data.

6.3 Data Destruction

When retention periods expire, email addresses will be permanently deleted from the database. Backups will be overwritten after a 30-day retention cycle with secure deletion (data unrecoverable).

7. Your Rights and Choices

7.1 Access to Your Data

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your data (email us)
• Correct: Fix errors in your profile or survey responses; however, the research team may need to retain the original data if already used in analysis
• Delete: Request deletion of your submitted research data within 1 year of initial participation (see Section 6)
• Withdraw: Stop participating in future research activities at any time without penalty (see Section 7.3)

To exercise rights: Email info@digital-life.org

7.2 Communication Preferences

Required Communications (cannot opt out):

• Magic links for authentication
• Reward delivery notifications
• Critical study updates (e.g., data breach notifications)

Optional Communications (you can opt out):

• Reminder emails about pending uploads (email us to opt out, but last email reminder will be after 14 days from the initial study participation at the latest)

7.3 Withdrawing from the Study

You may withdraw at any time by emailing info@digital-life.org. Withdrawal means you stop participating in future study activities.

Effect of Withdrawal:

• No future contact from research team
• No penalty or loss of benefits you've already earned
• Compensation already received is yours to keep

7.4 State-Specific Privacy Rights

California, Virginia, Colorado, and Connecticut have comprehensive privacy laws. We comply with these laws and provide you with the following rights:

• Access, delete, and correct your data (Section 7.1)
• We do not sell or share data for advertising
• We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights
• Right to Appeal (CA, VA, CO, CT): If we deny your request, email info@digital-life.org with “Appeal” within 30 days. We will respond within 60 days.

Sensitive Data Notice: Surveys may collect sensitive data (race, ethnicity, political views). By participating, you consent to collection for research purposes only.

Financial Incentive (CA): Study compensation constitutes a financial incentive. Participation is voluntary.

8. Data Sharing and Publication

8.1 Who Has Access to Identifiable Data

Internal Access (email addresses): Leonardo Bursztyn (Principal Investigator), Ada Gianassi (Research Team), Jan Fasnacht (Research Team)

No External Access to email addresses

8.2 Publications and Public Datasets

• In Research Papers: Only aggregate statistics will be published (e.g., “Average Spotify listening: 2.3 hours/day”). No individual-level data that could identify participants will appear.
• Public Data Repositories: Only after additional review to ensure no re-identification risk, we may share de-identified datasets with aggregate statistics in repositories like Harvard Dataverse for scientific transparency. Direct identifiers (email) never included. Quasi-identifiers (rare combinations of attributes) will be removed or generalized.

9. Legal Basis for Data Processing

For all U.S. Participants:

• Consent: You voluntarily provide data after reading consent form
• Research exemption: Study approved as exempt under 45 CFR 46.104(d)
• Legitimate interest: Advancing scientific knowledge in public interest

10. Complaints and Questions

11. Definitions

• De-identified: Data with all personally identifiable information removed, making it impossible to link back to you
• PII (Personally Identifiable Information): Data that can identify you (name, email, address, etc.)
• UUID: Universally Unique Identifier, a random code used internally to link your data without using your email
• Magic Link: One-time login link sent to your email
• CRM: Customer Relationship Management (our participant tracking system)
• Third Party: Organizations we work with to operate the study (not our research collaborators)

12. Acknowledgment

By creating an account and providing your email address, you acknowledge that:

• You have read and understood this Privacy Policy
• You consent to the collection and use of your information as described
• You are 18 years or older
• You are a U.S. resident