Privacy Policy for Research Participants

Last Updated: January 2026

At Context, we conduct research to help healthcare and technology companies develop and improve their products and services. We are committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who participates in our studies.

This policy explains how we handle your information in the context of research, in line with applicable privacy laws such as GDPR, HIPAA (where relevant), and US state privacy laws.

01. The Information We Collect

To provide meaningful research insights, we may collect the following types of information:

Identity and contact details: Such as your name, email address, or telephone number, used to manage your participation and communication.
Demographic information: Such as age range, gender identity, professional background, or geographic region, used to ensure appropriate research representation.
Research contributions: The opinions, experiences, and feedback you choose to share during interviews, surveys, observations, or usability sessions.
Audio, video, and screen recordings: Where relevant, sessions may be recorded to ensure accurate analysis of your feedback. You will always be informed in advance if recording takes place.
Sensitive information: In some studies, this may include health-related information or other characteristics that receive special protection under privacy laws. Where this applies, we will clearly explain what is being collected and why, and obtain your explicit agreement before proceeding.

Not all studies involve all of the above categories.

02. How We Collect Data

We gather information:

Directly from you when you take part in a study.
Through trusted recruitment partners or professional panel providers.
From our clients who may invite you to participate in a study.

03. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information only for research-related purposes, including:

Conducting and analyzing research sessions.
Producing research findings and reports.
Managing participant scheduling and honoraria.
Meeting ethical, legal, and quality obligations related to research.

We do not use research participant data for marketing or advertising purposes.

04. Our Role and Sharing with Clients

Context typically acts as a research data controller, and in many projects we share responsibility for the research with the organization that commissioned the study.

Because the research is carried out on behalf of a specific client, certain research materials may be shared with them in a controlled and limited way:

We may share recordings, transcripts, or research outputs with a limited project team at the client organization.
Clients are contractually required to treat participant data confidentially and to use it only for research and product improvement purposes.
Identifiable recordings are not shared beyond what is necessary and are subject to agreed deletion timelines.

If you have questions about how responsibility is shared in a specific study, you may contact us at any time.

05. Research Contexts and Additional Protections

We apply different levels of protection depending on the nature of the research

Healthcare professional or expert research: Studies involving clinicians, industry professionals, or general product feedback are handled under standard global privacy protections
Patient or health-related research: Where a study involves identifiable patient health information, additional safeguards apply. In such cases, we follow enhanced security and confidentiality practices, and where required, comply with applicable healthcare privacy rules such as HIPAA.

We will always inform you if a study falls into this category.

06. Data Storage and Security

We store research data using professional cloud-based tools, specifically Google Workspace, and apply appropriate technical and organizational safeguards to protect it.

Research data is stored primarily within the European Union. In some cases, information may be accessed from or processed in other countries, including the United States, to support our global research operations.

Where international transfers occur and are required by law, we use recognized legal safeguards to support the protection of personal information.

Access to research data is limited to authorized individuals involved in the project.

07. Data Retention

We aim to retain personal information only for as long as it is genuinely needed for research and legal purposes:

Recordings: We will delete identifiable audio and video recordings within 90 days of project completion.
Research Records: We will keep identifiable research records (such as scheduling details, screeners, survey answers, and research notes) only as long as reasonably necessary for the study, agreed follow-up, and compliance (typically up to 6 months).
Anonymized Transcripts: We may retain written, anonymized transcripts for up to 2 years for longitudinal analysis.
Legal Compliance: We may retain legal records, such as signed consent forms, for 6 years to meet regulatory and audit requirements.

08. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you hold specific rights regarding your personal information:

Access: Request a copy of your personal data.
Correction: Update or fix inaccurate information.
Erasure: Request that we delete your data.
Withdraw Consent: Opt out or stop data processing at any time.
Portability: Request your data in a transferable format.

Some rights may apply differently in a research context (for example if data has been anonymized or included in aggregated findings), but we will always respond transparently.

Context serves as the primary point of contact for all such requests.

09. Contact Us

If you wish to exercise your rights or have questions regarding your privacy, please contact our privacy lead.

Email: privacy@context-tlv.com