Privacy Policy

Effective date: March 10, 2026

AcoustiCare is a mobile health application that allows patients to record voice samples and share them with their healthcare providers for clinical analysis. We take the privacy and security of your personal and health information seriously. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and what rights you have.

1. Information We Collect

AcoustiCare has two types of users: patients and healthcare providers (physicians). The data we collect differs by role.

For Patients:

• Minimal account information – a unique 10-digit identifier, age, and the password you create during registration. We do not collect your name or email address.
• Voice recordings – audio files you record through the app using your device's microphone. These recordings are considered Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA.
• Consent records – your digital signature (with the 10-digit identifier) and the date you signed the audio recording consent form.
• Survey responses – answers to any health-related questionnaires presented in the app.

For Healthcare Providers:

• Account information – your name, email address, and the password you create during registration.

We do not collect location data, contacts, browsing history, or any information beyond what is listed above for either user type.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To create and manage your account (patient or provider).
• To store patient voice recordings so that assigned healthcare providers can review and analyze them.
• To maintain a record of patient consent for audio recording.
• To facilitate communication between patients and their healthcare providers through the app.
• To allow providers to manage and monitor their assigned patients.

We do not use your data for advertising, marketing, or any purpose unrelated to your care.

3. How We Protect Your Information

AcoustiCare is built on HIPAA-compliant infrastructure hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). We have signed a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with AWS, which legally requires them to safeguard any PHI processed through their services. Specific measures include:

• Encryption in transit – all data sent between the app and our servers is encrypted using TLS (HTTPS). Your recordings never travel over an unencrypted connection.
• Encryption at rest – voice recordings stored in Amazon S3 and patient data stored in our PostgreSQL database are encrypted using AES-256 server-side encryption.
• Network isolation – our database and application servers run inside a private network (VPC) that is not directly accessible from the internet.
• Access control – only authenticated users can access the API, and patients can only view their own data. Providers can only view data for patients assigned to them.
• Audit logging – we maintain logs of system activity through AWS CloudWatch for security monitoring and incident response.

4. Who Can See Your Data

Your health information is only accessible to you and the healthcare provider(s) assigned to your account within the app. Our development team may access system logs for troubleshooting.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information or health data with third parties. We will only disclose information if required by law (for example, in response to a valid court order).

5. Data Retention

We retain your voice recordings and account data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide you with the app's services. If you request deletion of your account, we will remove your personal information and recordings within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain certain records.

6. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access – request a copy of the personal and health data we hold about you.
• Correction – request that we correct any inaccurate information in your account.
• Deletion – request that we delete your account and all associated data.
• Withdraw consent – revoke your consent for audio recording at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect any recordings or analyses completed before your request.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the information below.

7. Device Permissions

AcoustiCare requests access to your device's microphone solely for the purpose of recording voice samples. The app will ask for your permission before accessing the microphone. We do not access the microphone in the background or record without your knowledge.

8. Children's Privacy

AcoustiCare is not intended for use by children under the age of 15. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 15. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will notify you through the app or by email. The effective date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

10. Contact Us