Privacy Policy
This policy explains what information Tether collects, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the choices you have. We have tried to write it in plain language. Where a term is unavoidably technical, we explain it.
1. Who we are
Tether is a self-guided digital program for addressing loneliness and social isolation. It is operated by CASCH in collaboration with Dr. Kiffer G. Card and the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Throughout this policy, "we," "us," and "our" refer to this partnership, which acts as the steward of your information. The program is offered for both public benefit and academic research into what helps people feel more socially connected.
2. The information we collect
You give us most of this information directly by creating an account and using the app. Some of it is recorded automatically as you move through the lessons so that we can understand how the program is used and whether it works.
Account information
When you create an account we collect your email address and a securely hashed password. Your password is never stored or visible to us in readable form.
Information you enter
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Profile and demographics | An optional display name, and optional details such as pronouns, age range, gender, and country, which you may provide during onboarding. |
| Well-being assessments | Your responses and scores on validated questionnaires used in the course, such as the De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale, the GAD-7 anxiety scale, the PHQ-9 depression scale, and measures of relational needs, coping, personality, and social anxiety, including any repeat assessments over time. |
| Daily check-ins | Short mood and social-contact ratings, including positive and negative affect ratings and an optional written note. |
| Journal, goals, and habits | Reflections you write, social goals you set, habit tracking, thought records, and challenge participation. |
| My People | The relationship map you build: names or labels for people in your life, how close you feel to them, contact logs, optional notes, and optional photos. This information stays private to your account and is about people who have not themselves signed up, so please record only what you are comfortable holding about others. |
| Community contributions | Things you choose to share beyond your own account, such as community events you post, conversation-card suggestions you submit, and messages exchanged with a connection buddy. These are visible to their intended audience (administrators reviewing a suggestion, your buddy in a conversation) rather than to the public. |
Information collected automatically
To study how the program is used and to improve it, the app records usage information such as which lessons and screens you open, when you complete lessons, the start and end of your sessions, timestamps for these actions, your device and browser type, and your time zone. We do not use third-party advertising trackers, and we do not sell or share this information with advertisers.
3. Why we use your information
- To provide the app. Saving your progress, scores, and entries so you can stop and resume on any device you sign in to.
- To support your experience. Tailoring the course to where you are, showing your progress, and reminding you of check-ins if you ask us to.
- For research. Studying, in de-identified and aggregate form, whether Tether helps reduce loneliness and improve well-being. This research is conducted under the oversight of the partnering institution's research ethics processes.
- For safety and security. Protecting accounts, preventing misuse, and meeting our legal obligations.
Our legal basis for handling this information is your consent, which you give by creating an account and agreeing to this policy, together with our legitimate interest in operating and researching a public-health program. You may withdraw your consent at any time, as described in section 7.
4. How your information is stored and protected
Your information is stored in a managed database hosted by Supabase on infrastructure located in Canada (the Canada Central region, in Montréal). Access is restricted by row-level security, which means each account can reach only its own records. Photos are stored in a private bucket scoped to your account. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Access by the research team is limited to those who need it, and identifying details are separated from research datasets wherever possible.
Routine database backups exist so that the service can recover from failures. When you delete data or your account, it disappears from the live systems immediately and ages out of the backup copies within the backup retention window, which is measured in days, not months.
5. Sensitive information about your mental health
Some of what Tether collects, including your loneliness, anxiety, and depression scores, reflects your mental health. We treat this information with particular care and use it only for the purposes described above. The PHQ-9 questionnaire includes an item about thoughts of self-harm. Your responses are recorded as research and self-monitoring data; Tether does not provide crisis monitoring, and no one is alerted in real time based on your answers.
6. When we share information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in these limited situations:
- Service providers. Our database host (Supabase) processes and stores data on our behalf under contractual privacy and security obligations.
- Supporting services. Like most websites, the app loads fonts and code libraries from content-delivery networks (Google Fonts, jsDelivr, unpkg) and imagery from Pexels, and the community events map uses OpenStreetMap tiles and address lookup. These services see standard technical information such as your IP address when assets load, and the events feature sends the location text you type when searching for an address. None of them receive your identity, account, or any of your entries.
- Research outputs. Findings we publish or present are aggregate or de-identified and are not intended to identify any individual.
- Legal requirements. We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, or valid legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of users or the public.
7. Your choices and rights
Subject to applicable law, you may ask us to:
- access a copy of the information we hold about you;
- correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
- delete your account and the personal information associated with it;
- withdraw your consent to research use of your information.
Most of these rights are built into the app, no request needed. From your Profile you can download a complete copy of your data as a file, clear specific categories (lesson progress, goals and habits, logs, or My People), or delete your account and everything in it. Clearing and deletion apply across all of your devices, not just the one in your hand.
For anything the app does not cover, contact us using the details in section 11 and we will respond within a reasonable time. Note that fully de-identified information already included in completed research datasets may not be retrievable, because it can no longer be linked back to you. Canadian residents have rights under the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, in British Columbia, the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and may contact the relevant privacy commissioner if they have an unresolved concern.
8. How long we keep your information
We keep your account information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove your personal information from active systems within a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain certain records, or where de-identified research data has already been incorporated into a study. Research data is retained for the period required by the governing research ethics approval and applicable institutional policy.
9. Children and young people
Tether is intended for adults. We do not knowingly create accounts for children under the age of 16. If you believe a young person has created an account without appropriate consent, please contact us and we will address it.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the program evolves or as the law requires. When we make a material change, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app. Your continued use after a change means you accept the revised policy.
11. Contact us
If you have questions about this policy or want to exercise your rights, contact the Tether team, care of Dr. Kiffer G. Card, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, at privacy@tether-app.ca.