NOISECAPTURE PRIVACY POLICY

Version 1.1 - Januray 7th 2022

This privacy policy governs your use of the software application NoiseCapture App ("Application") for mobile devices.

The Application was created (and is managed) by two French research institutes, Université Gustave Eiffel (Univ Eiffel) & CNRS ("Us").

NoiseCapture App is a mobile application dedicated to the evaluation of the noise environment. It allows to perform noise measurements and, thus, to give information on your noise exposure. In addition, if you agree, you can contribute to the realization of collaborative (or community) noise maps by anonymously sharing your measurements with the Community.

All collected data, which can be sent to a remote server (managed by Univ Eiffel & CNRS) with the prior agreement of the User, are used for scientific researches, in order to propose representations of the noise environment and of the community noise exposition.

Because the Application is developed as an Open Source project (under GPLv3 licence), everyone has the ability to study the code itself: https://github.com/Ifsttar/NoiseCapture

1. What information does the Application obtain?

User Registration

There is no Registration.

User Provided Information

The Application obtains the information you may optionally provide when you use the Application, such as:

For the purposes of the User only:

a Description of the noise measurement (optional)

a Picture (using the mobile camera) to describe the noise measurement (optional)

The Description and the Picture are solely used for and by the User and are stored on the mobile storage only. They are optional and are not uploaded to a remote server. We DON't collect any of these information.

In addition, you can also provide information concerning your own evaluation of the noise environment, which can be useful for the Community:

an information concerning the Pleasantness of the noise environment (optional)

pre-defined Tags for description of the noise environment (optional)

The Pleasantness and the Tags can be useful for the assessment of the noise environment. These information are optional. They can be sent to the remote server, only with the prior agreement of the User.

Collected Information

For the evaluation of the noise environment

When the User runs the Application, it allows the Application to collect information ("Noise Environment Information") that are required for the evaluation of the noise environment. For collecting these information, it requires an action from the User, i.e. by pressing the record/stop buttons AND by authorizing the upload of the data to the remote server in the Application settings (uploading is set by default). There is NO automatic NOR background task for collecting these information.

To collect Noise Environment Information, the Application requires the following device permissions:

Audio recording:

The Application uses the microphone to proceed to noise level measurements and to compute Noise Indicators. There is NO audio-recording, NOR speech recognition NOR any method of obtaining any information about the User or the surrounding discussions. Only standard noise indicators are computed.

Geo-localization:

The Application may use GPS technology (or other similar technology) to determine the noise measurement location and time (a Track). If you do not want us to use your location for the purposes set forth above, you should turn off the location services in your mobile phone settings.

Network connection information:

The Application may send Noise Environment Information to a remote server. This requires information concerning the available network connections. If you don't want the Application to use a network connection, or if you want to select the internet connection to use, you should turn off or select the corresponding services in the Application settings or in your mobile phone settings.

For data quality assessment and extra-processing

The Application collects additional information ("General Information"): the type of mobile device you use (product, model, manufacturer) and the version of the Application. These information are only used in order to be able to perform extra-processing of the Noise Environment Information, on the remote server. For example, we could be able to easily correct all measurements that have been carried out with the same type of mobile phone or using the same version of the Application.

We DON'T collect your Universally Unique Device Identifier (UUID) NOR any other information that could help identify a specific User. Instead, we create a Random Identifier (RI) at each installation of the Application (the RI is displayed at the top of the 'About' page of the menu Application). This identifier may be used, for example, on the remote server to realize extra-processing of the Noise Environment Information(such as post-calibration) on a set of data with the same RI.

Data storage

The Application may store information locally on your mobile device using application data caches and mobile storage.

2. Do third parties see and/or have access to information obtained by the Application?

Information you share

The Application let you share information with others, using for example social networks or data exportation. This responsibility belongs to you.

Information we don't share

As previously stated, the Description and the Picture provided by the User, are solely used by the User and are stored on the mobile storage only. They are not uploaded to a remote server. We DON'T collect these information; thus, we CAN NOT share these information.

Information we may share

General information and Noise Environment Information may be shared with third parties only in the ways that are described in this privacy statement.

We may disclose User Provided and Noise Environment Information:

as required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, or similar legal process;
when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request;
if Univ Eiffel or CNRS is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, you will be notified on our Web site of any change in ownership or uses of this information, as well as any choices you may have regarding this information.
with any people and private or public companies that have agreed to adhere to the rules set forth in this privacy statement. The data are shared under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).

Remember that all shared information are anonymous. There is no way to associate any of these shared information to a given User or mobile device.

3. How we use information that are collected with the Application?

As presented before, NoiseCapture App is dedicated to the representations and the assessment of the noise environment, within a scientific context. Consequently, all the collected data are used for this purpose. Only anonymous data are uploaded to the remote server, without any means of associating them with any User. All anonymous community data (i.e. produced by the entire user community) are then post-processed on the remote server in order to study and to display the noise environment, for example, to obtain noise maps.

Because these data can be useful for the community, they can also be shared with the community, in respect to the prevent Privacy Policy and under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).

Data management description.

Data Store on the device May be shared by the USER Can be sent to the remote server May be shared by US

User Provided User Description
Picture YES NO NO NO

Pleasantness
Tags YES YES YES
Only with the prior agreement of the User YES

Noise Environment Information YES YES YES
Only with the prior agreement of the User YES

General Information YES YES YES
Only with the prior agreement of the User YES

Data	Store on the device	May be shared by the USER	Can be sent to the remote server	May be shared by US
User Provided	User Description Picture	YES	NO	NO	NO
Pleasantness Tags	YES	YES	YES Only with the prior agreement of the User	YES
Noise Environment Information	YES	YES	YES Only with the prior agreement of the User	YES
General Information	YES	YES	YES Only with the prior agreement of the User	YES

Remember that the User is free to participate or not to participate in this process, by selecting the appropriate options within the Application settings.

4. What are my opt-out rights?

You can stop all collection of information easily:

if you don't use the Application,
by uninstalling the Application. You may use the standard uninstall processes as may be available as part of your mobile device or via the mobile application marketplace.

5. Data Retention Policy, managing your information

We will retain all Information as long as they have an interest in the community, particularly in a scientific research context. Because all data are anonymous, we are not able to delete data produced by any specific User.

6. Security

We are concerned about safeguarding the confidentiality of your information. We provide physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect information we process and maintain. For example, we limit access to this information to authorized employees and contractors who need to know that information in order to operate, develop or improve our Application. Please be aware that, although we endeavor provide reasonable security for information we process and maintain, no security system can prevent all potential security breaches.

7. Changes

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time for any reason. We will notify you of any changes to our Privacy Policy by posting the new Privacy Policy here. You are advised to consult this Privacy Policy regularly for any changes, as continued use is deemed approval of all changes. You can check the history of this policy by clicking here.

8. Your consent

By using the Application, you are consenting to our processing of your information as set forth in this Privacy Policy now and as amended by us. "Processing" means using information in any way, including, but not limited to, collecting, storing, deleting, using, combining and disclosing information.

9. Contact us

If you have any questions regarding privacy while using the Application, or have questions about our practices, please contact us via email at contact@noise-planet.org or at this address:

Université Gustave Eiffel (Univ Eiffel)
UMR Acoustique Environnementale
Allée des Ponts et Chaussées
Route de Bouaye - CS 4
F-44344 Bouguenais Cedex
France