Privacy Policy

CanBeWell is a mobile health application developed by Emory University to support research studies focused on promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors and improving health outcomes among individuals affected by cancer.

Protecting your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains what information is collected through CanBeWell, how it is used, how it is protected, and your rights as a participant.

Information We Collect

When you use CanBeWell, we may collect the following types of information as part of approved research studies:

• Account information: Name, email address, or study ID.
• Self-reported data: Survey responses related to symptoms, quality of life, diet, physical activity, or other health behaviors.
• Dietary information: Food photos and related dietary data entered through the app.
• App usage data: Login activity and module completion.

Note: CanBeWell does not collect financial information, contact lists, call history, or unrelated personal data.

Fitbit and Wearable Health Data

CanBeWell accesses your Fitbit health data through the Google Health API. When you connect your Fitbit account, you grant CanBeWell read-only access to the following data via these specific Google Health API scopes:

• Activity and fitness data (googlehealth.activity_and_fitness.readonly): Steps, calories burned, distance traveled, and active minutes.
• Health metrics and measurements (googlehealth.health_metrics_and_measurements.readonly): Heart rate, body measurements, and other health metrics recorded by your Fitbit device.
• Sleep data (googlehealth.sleep.readonly): Sleep duration, sleep stages, and sleep quality information.
• Profile data (googlehealth.profile.readonly): Basic Fitbit profile information required for data retrieval.

All Fitbit data collected through CanBeWell is downloaded and stored anonymously. Your data is de-identified and associated only with an anonymous study identifier, not with your name or personal contact information.

How Your Information Is Used

Information collected through CanBeWell is used for research and study-related purposes, including:

• Conducting approved clinical or behavioral research studies.
• Delivering personalized, study-related content and feedback.
• Monitoring study engagement and adherence.
• Providing personalized health recommendations based on your activity, sleep, and dietary data.
• Analyzing aggregated and anonymized data to improve research interventions and scientific understanding.
• Future research analysis: Your anonymized health data may be used in future approved research studies to advance understanding of health behaviors and outcomes.
• AI model training: Your anonymized data may be used to train and improve artificial intelligence models designed to provide better health recommendations and research insights.
• Enhancing the functionality and usability of the app.

Your information will not be used for advertising or commercial purposes.

Data Storage and Security

• Data collected through CanBeWell is stored on secure, password-protected servers maintained by Emory University or approved service providers, including Google Cloud Firestore and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• All health data is encrypted at rest and in transit using industry-standard encryption protocols (e.g., HTTPS/TLS, AES-256).
• Access to stored data is restricted to authorized research personnel only.
• Fitbit health data is stored in anonymized form, separated from personally identifiable account information.

Data Retention and Deletion

• Your data is retained for the duration of the research study and any subsequent approved analyses.
• You may disconnect your Fitbit account at any time through the app, which will stop future data collection.
• To request deletion of your previously collected data, please contact the research team at the email address provided below.

Your Rights

• You may revoke access to your Fitbit data at any time by disconnecting your account in the app or by revoking permissions in your Google Account settings.
• You may request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• You may withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact the CanBeWell research team at Emory University.