LINKED-Hearts Privacy Policy
This privacy policy describes our policies and procedures on the collection, use, and disclosure of your information when you use the service and tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
If you join this study, your data will be used to answer the research question and your data will be used to publish the findings of this study. By participating in the LINKED-Hearts research program, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this privacy policy.
Interpretation and Definitions
Interpretation
The following words are defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.
Definitions
For the purpose of this privacy policy:
Affiliate refers to the research program's study sponsor, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the research program's study partner, Research Coordinating Center at the University of California San Francisco, who are involved in the study and are ensuring that the program is being executed correctly.
Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We," "Us," or "Our" in this Agreement) refers to the LINKED-Hearts Program
Cookies are small files that are placed on your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of your browsing history on that website among its many uses.
Device means any device that can access the service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.
Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
Service refers to the LINKED-Hearts Program.
Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the service or from the service infrastructure itself
Website refers to the LINKED-Hearts Program website, accessible from https://www.linked-hearts.org/
You means the individual accessing or using the service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the service, as applicable.
Collecting and Using your Personal Data
While using our service, we may ask you to provide us with certain identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:
First Name
Last Name
Phone Number
Email Address
Usage Data
Usage data is collected automatically when using the service. Usage data may include information such as your device's Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.
When you access the service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device you use, 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. We may also collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our program website or surveys or when you access the program website or surveys through a mobile device.
Tracking Technologies and Cookies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on our service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze our service. The technologies we use may include:
Web Beacons: Certain sections of our service and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of a certain section and verifying system and server integrity).
Cookies or Browser Cookies: A cookie is a small file placed on your device. Cookies can be "Persistent" or "Session" cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your personal computer or mobile device when you go offline while session cookies are deleted as soon as you close your web browser. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some parts of our service. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our service may use cookies.
We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:
Necessary/Essential Cookies
Type: Session Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These cookies are essential to provide you with services available through the website and to enable you to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use. Without these cookies, the services that you have asked for cannot be provided, and we only use these Cookies to provide you with those services.
Cookies Policy/Notice Acceptance Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These cookies identify if users have accepted the use of cookies on the website.
Functionality Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These cookies allow us to remember choices you make when you use the website, such as remembering your login details or language preference. The purpose of these cookies is to provide you with a more personal experience and to avoid you having to re-enter your preferences every time you use the website.
For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit the Cookies section of our Privacy Policy.
Use of Your Personal Data
The Company may use personal data for the following purposes:
To provide and maintain our service: Including to monitor the usage of our service.
To manage your program participation: To manage your participation in the program. This involves discussing the screening survey questions to determine if you are eligible for the program, discussing the consent form of the program, and addressing any inquiries regarding your enrollment in the LINKED-Hearts Program.
To contact you: To contact you by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application's push notifications regarding program updates or informative communications related to the functionalities of the program, such as updates relating to blood pressure device deliveries.
To provide you: With news and general information relating to the LINKED-Hearts Program, such as the bimonthly participant newsletter, unless you have opted not to receive such information.
To manage your requests and inquiries: To attend and manage your requests and inquiries relating to the program, such as assistance for setting up the Sphygmo mobile application.
We may share your data in the following situations:
With Affiliates: We may share your data with our affiliates, the research program's study sponsor, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the research program's study partner, Research Coordinating Center at the University of California San Francisco, who are involved in the study and are ensuring that the program is being executed correctly. We will not share your data for any marketing purposes. Johns Hopkins protects research data by limiting the type of information that is shared and how it may be used, especially your personal information. Generally, when using information for research purposes, we take precautions to remove any information that could identify you, such as your name or medical record number. Before sharing data with these two entities, we will remove any personal information, so you cannot be identified. Additionally, we will require these two entities to honor this privacy policy.
Retention of Your Personal Data
The LINKED-Hearts Program will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy policy. We will retain and use your personal data for the duration of the program, which is two year (24 months). We may ask for your permission to contact you after program completion to ask more in-depth questions about your experience in the research program.
The company will also retain usage data for internal analysis purposes. Usage data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of our service. In this circumstance, we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.
Consent to Privacy Policy
Your enrollment in the research program indicates your consent to this privacy policy. The LINKED-Hearts Program 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 any organization unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other personal information.
Delete your Personal Data
You have the right to delete or request that we assist in deleting the personal data that we have collected about you by informing the study team that you would like to withdraw from the program. If you would like to withdraw from the program, please contact the phone number on this web page. Your withdrawal from the program will not affect information already collected in the study before you cancelled your authorization.
Law enforcement
Under certain circumstances, we may be required to disclose your personal data with law enforcement. In case of a home visit(s) by the study staff, including the Community Health Worker (CHW), Maryland law requires us to tell the local or state authorities if we suspect abuse or neglect of a child or dependent adult. Should a member of the study team encounter evidence of a child, adolescent, dependent adult, or elder abuse or neglect, he or she will immediately stop the visit and inform the interviewee that he or she is required to report the matter to the study's Principal Investigator (PI). Upon receipt of this information, the PI will report suspected cases of child or adult abuse/neglect to the local department of child protective services or adult protective services. Additionally, if you tell us that you plan to harm someone, we are required to the contact the police. We may also warn the person who is at risk.
Security of Your Personal Data
The security of your personal data is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Children's Privacy
Our service does not address anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from anyone under the age of 18, we will take the steps to remove that information from our databases and servers.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
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. We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our service prior to the change becoming effective. 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.
Effective as of January 02, 2025
This privacy policy describes our policies and procedures on the collection, use, and disclosure of your information when you use the service and tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
If you join this study, your data will be used to answer the research question and your data will be used to publish the findings of this study. By participating in the LINKED-Hearts research program, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this privacy policy.
Interpretation and Definitions
Interpretation
The following words are defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.
Definitions
For the purpose of this privacy policy:
Affiliate refers to the research program's study sponsor, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the research program's study partner, Research Coordinating Center at the University of California San Francisco, who are involved in the study and are ensuring that the program is being executed correctly.
Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We," "Us," or "Our" in this Agreement) refers to the LINKED-Hearts Program
Cookies are small files that are placed on your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of your browsing history on that website among its many uses.
Device means any device that can access the service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.
Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
Service refers to the LINKED-Hearts Program.
Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the service or from the service infrastructure itself
Website refers to the LINKED-Hearts Program website, accessible from https://www.linked-hearts.org/
You means the individual accessing or using the service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the service, as applicable.
Collecting and Using your Personal Data
While using our service, we may ask you to provide us with certain identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:
First Name
Last Name
Phone Number
Email Address
Usage Data
Usage data is collected automatically when using the service. Usage data may include information such as your device's Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.
When you access the service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device you use, 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. We may also collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our program website or surveys or when you access the program website or surveys through a mobile device.
Tracking Technologies and Cookies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on our service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze our service. The technologies we use may include:
Web Beacons: Certain sections of our service and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of a certain section and verifying system and server integrity).
Cookies or Browser Cookies: A cookie is a small file placed on your device. Cookies can be "Persistent" or "Session" cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your personal computer or mobile device when you go offline while session cookies are deleted as soon as you close your web browser. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some parts of our service. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our service may use cookies.
We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:
Necessary/Essential Cookies
Type: Session Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These cookies are essential to provide you with services available through the website and to enable you to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use. Without these cookies, the services that you have asked for cannot be provided, and we only use these Cookies to provide you with those services.
Cookies Policy/Notice Acceptance Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These cookies identify if users have accepted the use of cookies on the website.
Functionality Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These cookies allow us to remember choices you make when you use the website, such as remembering your login details or language preference. The purpose of these cookies is to provide you with a more personal experience and to avoid you having to re-enter your preferences every time you use the website.
For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit the Cookies section of our Privacy Policy.
Use of Your Personal Data
The Company may use personal data for the following purposes:
To provide and maintain our service: Including to monitor the usage of our service.
To manage your program participation: To manage your participation in the program. This involves discussing the screening survey questions to determine if you are eligible for the program, discussing the consent form of the program, and addressing any inquiries regarding your enrollment in the LINKED-Hearts Program.
To contact you: To contact you by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application's push notifications regarding program updates or informative communications related to the functionalities of the program, such as updates relating to blood pressure device deliveries.
To provide you: With news and general information relating to the LINKED-Hearts Program, such as the bimonthly participant newsletter, unless you have opted not to receive such information.
To manage your requests and inquiries: To attend and manage your requests and inquiries relating to the program, such as assistance for setting up the Sphygmo mobile application.
We may share your data in the following situations:
With Affiliates: We may share your data with our affiliates, the research program's study sponsor, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the research program's study partner, Research Coordinating Center at the University of California San Francisco, who are involved in the study and are ensuring that the program is being executed correctly. We will not share your data for any marketing purposes. Johns Hopkins protects research data by limiting the type of information that is shared and how it may be used, especially your personal information. Generally, when using information for research purposes, we take precautions to remove any information that could identify you, such as your name or medical record number. Before sharing data with these two entities, we will remove any personal information, so you cannot be identified. Additionally, we will require these two entities to honor this privacy policy.
Retention of Your Personal Data
The LINKED-Hearts Program will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy policy. We will retain and use your personal data for the duration of the program, which is two year (24 months). We may ask for your permission to contact you after program completion to ask more in-depth questions about your experience in the research program.
The company will also retain usage data for internal analysis purposes. Usage data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of our service. In this circumstance, we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.
Consent to Privacy Policy
Your enrollment in the research program indicates your consent to this privacy policy. The LINKED-Hearts Program 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 any organization unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other personal information.
Delete your Personal Data
You have the right to delete or request that we assist in deleting the personal data that we have collected about you by informing the study team that you would like to withdraw from the program. If you would like to withdraw from the program, please contact the phone number on this web page. Your withdrawal from the program will not affect information already collected in the study before you cancelled your authorization.
Law enforcement
Under certain circumstances, we may be required to disclose your personal data with law enforcement. In case of a home visit(s) by the study staff, including the Community Health Worker (CHW), Maryland law requires us to tell the local or state authorities if we suspect abuse or neglect of a child or dependent adult. Should a member of the study team encounter evidence of a child, adolescent, dependent adult, or elder abuse or neglect, he or she will immediately stop the visit and inform the interviewee that he or she is required to report the matter to the study's Principal Investigator (PI). Upon receipt of this information, the PI will report suspected cases of child or adult abuse/neglect to the local department of child protective services or adult protective services. Additionally, if you tell us that you plan to harm someone, we are required to the contact the police. We may also warn the person who is at risk.
Security of Your Personal Data
The security of your personal data is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Children's Privacy
Our service does not address anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from anyone under the age of 18, we will take the steps to remove that information from our databases and servers.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
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. We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our service prior to the change becoming effective. 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.
Effective as of January 02, 2025
