Privacy Policy

The Headstrong app hosts chatbots created at The University of Auckland. Our chatbot courses deliver brief, helpful support for your health and wellbeing. We take your privacy very seriously and are committed to making sure your information is kept private.
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By using Headstrong, you confirm that you have read this Privacy Policy and acknowledge that we will collect and use your Personal Information as set out in this policy.

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or Terms of Use, please contact the Headstrong team at contact@headstrong.org.nz. Please allow up to 48 hours for a response during working hours.

Check out our full Privacy Policy below.

We take your privacy very seriously. Your Personal Information is very important and we recognise that you have a right to control who has access to this. We know that providing Personal Information is an act of trust and we take that seriously.
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This Privacy Policy tells you what information we (the “Headstrong team”) collect and how we secure your Personal Information and protect your privacy.
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The Headstrong team and all staff, volunteers and students who are involved in the development of the Headstrong app are committed to making sure your information is kept private and that we look after this information in a way that complies with the Privacy Act 2020 and any other applicable privacy legislation.
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Check out our full Privacy Policy below.

1. What personal information we collect
2. Why we collect it
3. The steps we take to protect it
4. When and with whom we may share it
5. How you can contact us if you have any questions or concerns

‘Website’
Means https://www.headstrong.org.nz

‘App’
Means the Headstrong (iOS and Android application)

‘Research study’
Means a research study that makes use of the Headstrong app

‘We’, ‘our’, and ‘us’
Means the Headstrong team, based at the University of Auckland

‘Personal Information’
Has the meaning given in the Privacy Act 2020 (or replacement legislation) but generally means information about an identifiable individual

‘Including’
Means including without limitation.

To use the Headstrong app, you need to register your details with us and log in each time you visit. We collect only minimal personal information from you during registration, including your contact information (email address).

You may be able to interact anonymously by ensuring that your email and screen name contain no personal identifiers.Each time you visit, we collect information about your interactions with our app, such as how long you use the app and how much of the chatbot content you complete.

However, your conversation with our chatbot guides is private. Headstrong does not collect what you write or your conversation history, and these are never shared with any third-party. Your conversation history is stored locally on the app to allow for the conversation to be displayed in the chat screen. This is deleted periodically and removed permanently when you delete the course or app.

We will use your information to administer your account, check your user identity, and store and deliver any tailored content to you.

We may also combine your information with other users (in a way that hides your identity) to monitor if the chatbots on Headstrong are effective, to report on who uses our app (for example, to our funders) and to help us improve our chatbots for future use.

We will use Personal Information only for the purposes for which it is collected, or other purposes permitted by law.

We will keep Personal Information only for as long as needed to fulfil the purposes for which it is collected, or we legally have to, or we have to under the terms of our contract.

We will keep your information safe by storing it on a secure server. Only our platform administrator(s) can access your information. The database containing information is only accessible via a password protected account on our secure network.

If we need to share information about you between our app and other services, for example to confirm your identity when you want to log in, the information is encrypted in transport using industry-standard practices. This might include your email address. Encrypted means a 'secret code' is used to send and receive this information so that your identity is protected.

If we report on the development of the Headstrong app, we will report in a way that does not reveal your user identity unless we obtain your written approval. This includes reports to our funders. From time to time, user data will be extracted from the platform and stored as an encrypted database extract (password protected). This extract will contain potentially identifiable data (name, age, ethnicity), but will be labelled only with a user ID.

Any research data will be destroyed after 10 years or according to standard research and ethical practice for research involving study participants under 16 years of age.We will hold all Personal Information collected through the website according to the requirements set out in the Privacy Act 2020 or other applicable legislation.

We will not release Personal Information about you to any third party except:

• Where the law requires or permits us to do so
• In any other circumstances where you have authorised us to do so
• To report on the use of the Headstrong app (for example, as described earlier, we may combine Personal Information about you with information from others in a way that hides your identity in order to publish the results of a research study)
• Where you have consented to participate in a research study hosted by a third party (this information will be clearly explained in the study consent process)
• Where we are required to share data with our IT service providers to maintain good functioning of the Headstrong app (for example, we may share server logs, as described earlier, with the University IT staff to resolve a suspected attempt to hack the system).

We will not sell or rent out your Personal Information to third parties under any circumstances.

You can play an important part in keeping your Personal Information safe and secure. You are responsible for maintaining the security and confidentiality of your username and password. If you are using a shared device, always log off from the Headstrong app after completing your session, and do not let other people use your Headstrong account.Please notify us immediately if there is any unauthorised use of your account by any other user or any other breach of security.

The Headstrong app contains non-advertising links to a variety of third-party sites, apps and other digital tools. We provide these links to make your experience better. We have no control of either the content or privacy policies of such sites. You should not consider that we approve of the content on such sites or of the organisations that provide them.

You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, please contact us at contact@headstrong.org.nz

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time, with or without notice to you. All such changes come into effect when we update the Privacy Policy page on the website. You agree to check the Privacy Policy when you access the website or app, and to be bound by the Privacy Policy that is in effect at the time that you access the website or app. This Privacy Policy was last updated on 29th June 2023.

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or Terms of Use, please contact the Headstrong team at contact@headstrong.org.nz. Please allow up to 48 hours for a response during working hours.