The PAUSE App ("the App") is developed and operated by Dr. M. Jaideep Rao, MBBS MD (Community Medicine), Senior Resident, Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Maheshwaram, Telangana, India ("the Service Provider", "we", "us"). For the purposes of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act"), the Service Provider acts as the Data Fiduciary.
The App is free of charge, contains no advertising, and has no in-app purchases. It generates no commercial revenue. It is offered as an academic public-health initiative.
The App is intended for adults aged 18 years or older. Users below 18 years are explicitly excluded; the age-gate at sign-in is enforced and the App will not store research-relevant data for users below this age. Any adolescent or minor version of the App would require separate ethical review and a separate consent flow.
Under DPDP Act §6, our lawful basis for processing personal data is your free, specific, informed, unambiguous consent, given through the in-app consent screens at first sign-in.
The App uses a single mandatory active Yes/No choice at first sign-in. By tapping either Yes or No on the consent screen, you confirm that you are 18 years or older, that you have read and accept the Terms & Conditions and this Privacy Policy (both linked on the consent screen), and that you understand PAUSE is a screening tool and not a clinical service. The two outcomes differ only in research participation:
Both outcomes are recorded explicitly with timestamp and consent version. Neither option is pre-selected; you must actively tap one to proceed.
| Category | Examples | Where it is stored |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication identifier | Google account email (only if you choose Google Sign-In to sync progress across devices) | Supabase auth table — kept logically separate from research data |
| App functional data | Questionnaire responses, scores, app version, screen-time log entries, journal entries, mood check-ins, badges, challenge progress | Locally on your device (browser localStorage); also on the Supabase backend if you signed in |
| Operational data | App version, consent version, timestamps of consent and submission | On your device and, with your consent, on the Supabase backend |
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Sociodemographic profile | Age band, gender (self-identified), education, occupation/student status, broad location category |
| Digital use profile | Primary device type, daily screen-time band, primary purpose of internet use |
| Self-report health context | Self-rated health, chronic illness yes/no, average sleep, physical activity, prior detox attempts |
| Validated screening scales | Item responses on CSS-12, BSMAS, SVAS-6, GDT-4, PCUS-11, BWAS, and the four health-impact modules |
| Derived metrics | Digital Wellness Score (DWS), Health Wellness Score (HWS), severity bands |
| Audit metadata | app_version, consent_version, scale_version, ISO timestamp of submission |
We do not use your data for marketing, advertising, or profiling for commercial purposes. We do not sell or rent your data to any third party.
App data and the research dataset are stored on Supabase (PostgreSQL) under the Principal Investigator's account, with TLS encryption in transit and at rest, row-level security policies, and monthly access-log review. Depending on the Supabase region selected, the underlying servers may be located outside India. Cross-border transfer is permitted under the DPDP Act for jurisdictions not specifically notified as restricted by the Central Government; the Principal Investigator monitors the notified list and will migrate the hosting region if the position changes.
As a Data Principal you have the following rights, which we honour without requiring you to give a reason:
Note: data that has already been pooled, analysed, or published in aggregate form before your erasure request may not be technically removable from those locked outputs. Aggregate published results cannot identify you.
The App does not use cookies for tracking, third-party advertising trackers, or behavioural analytics SDKs (e.g. no Google Analytics, no Facebook Pixel, no advertising IDs). The only persistent storage used on your device is the browser's localStorage for App functionality and offline use.
All data is transmitted over HTTPS (TLS 1.2 or higher). The Supabase backend enforces row-level security so that one user cannot read another user's records. Administrative access is restricted to the Principal Investigator. We review access logs monthly. Any data breach with risk to participant safety or privacy will be reported to the Institutional Ethics Committee and, where required by the DPDP Rules, 2025, to the Data Protection Board of India.
The App is intended for adults 18 years and older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children or adolescents below 18. If you believe a person under 18 has provided personal data through the App, please contact us immediately and we will delete that data.
The Principal Investigator is also the sole developer of the App. To manage this dual role: the App is free of charge, contains no advertising, and has no in-app purchases; the dual role is openly declared within the in-app participant information screen; the Principal Investigator commits to publishing the full anonymised aggregate dataset alongside the primary manuscript, or making it available in a recognised open repository on reasonable request, to support transparent independent re-analysis.
This Privacy Policy may be updated. When we make a material change, the version number and effective date above will be updated and, where the change affects how we use your data, you will be asked to re-confirm consent within the App. Continued use after a non-material update constitutes acceptance.
Dr. M. Jaideep Rao
Senior Resident, Department of Community Medicine
Government Medical College, Maheshwaram, Telangana — 501510, India
Email: jaideeprao22@gmail.com
For privacy queries, data-rights requests, withdrawal of research consent, or grievance redressal under the DPDP Act, 2023, please write to the above email. We aim to acknowledge within 7 working days and resolve within 30 days.
Member Secretary, Institutional Ethics Committee
Government Medical College, Maheshwaram, Telangana, India
(Contact details available through the institution; users may also escalate grievances to the IEC independently of the Principal Investigator.)
These are publicly available, third-party helplines included for your safety. We have no commercial or institutional affiliation with these organisations.