Privacy Policy

SEA Lab is following the privacy policy from Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). As a research laboratory based at Columbia University and led by a CUIMC faculty member, we adhere to the university’s privacy and data practices. This Privacy Policy outlines how SEA Lab handles data on our website and in our research activities.

For complete and authoritative privacy terms, please refer to the official CUIMC Privacy Policy. SEA Lab operates under the ethical, legal, and compliance frameworks provided by CUIMC and Columbia University.


Information & Research Data Collection

When you contact us or participate in our research studies, we may collect personally identifiable information (PII), such as your name, email address, or health-related data. This may occur when: (1) You submit a form through our website. (2) You sign up for a research study hosted by our research lab. (3) You respond to surveys or participate in a study using apps, wearable devices, or EHR data.

SEA Lab conducts research involving wearable sensors and electronic health records. Participants in our research may be asked to provide access to:

  • Wearable Device Data: Sensor signals, such as GPS, heart rate, physical activity, sleep, stress, and other physiological signals collected through mobile and wearable devices.
  • Electronic Health Records (EHRs): Medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatments, clinical notes, and other clinical information.
  • Surveys/Questionnaires: As part of the research study, we may ask you to fill out surveys and questionnaires.

This data is collected strictly for research purposes, with participants’ informed consent, and in compliance with Columbia University’s research ethics policies and institutional review board (IRB) oversight.


How We Use Information

SEA Lab uses the information we collect to:

  • Support and conduct health and behavior research.
  • Improve the usability and performance of our website and research tools.
  • Analyze aggregate trends to inform future research studies.

All research data is stored securely and used in accordance with IRB-approved protocols. Identifiable information is either de-identified or anonymized whenever possible.

We do not sell or share personally identifiable information to third parties for commercial purposes.


Your Participation & Rights

Participation in our research is entirely voluntary. You may:

  • Choose not to provide personal data.
  • Withdraw from a research study at any time.
  • Request access to or deletion of your personal information collected by us, subject to applicable university and IRB policies.

If you are a research participant, please refer to your consent form for study-specific privacy information.


SEA Lab may provide links to third-party resources or use tools to support our research. These tools are used only with participant consent and in accordance with CUIMC and Columbia University’s guidelines.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of any third-party services they choose to interact with.


Accessibility

SEA Lab is committed to making our website accessible to all users. If you experience any issues or have suggestions, please contact us at sea.lab.space@gmail.com.


Changes to This Privacy Policy

SEA Lab may update this privacy policy from time to time. All updates will be posted to this page. Continued use of the site or participation in our research implies acceptance of the current policy.

For comprehensive and legally binding privacy policies and data protection practices, please consult the CUIMC Privacy Policy or Columbia’s Office of HIPAA Compliance.