Last updated: 24 August 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how the Activis mobile application ("Activis", "the app") collects, uses, stores, and protects your information. Activis is a data-collection instrument for scientific research. It is provided by Endurance Co L.L.C-FZ, 6th Floor, Meydan Grandstand, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Meydan Free Zone Licence 2530968.01) ("Activis", "we", "us") to universities and other research organisations, who use it to collect data in their own approved studies.
Activis is provided only to people who have been enrolled in one of those studies. It is not a consumer app and is not intended for general public use. This policy applies to the app itself and is the same for every study; the details specific to your study are set out in the consent documentation you received from your study team.
Two separate parties are involved, and it is worth being clear about which does what:
Importantly, a study team's choice is a choice from a fixed list. Activis can only collect the specific types of data set out in section 3, because that is all the app is built to collect. A study team can decide to collect less than that list, but it cannot add to it: there is no setting, permission, or configuration that allows a study to collect anything not described in this policy. The one thing a study team does control the content of is the questionnaires you are asked to complete, which are written by them.
For questions about your study, your data, or withdrawing from it, contact your study team first: they are the ones able to act on those requests. For questions about the app itself or this policy, contact us at privacy@activis.io, and we will assist your study team in responding.
Activis is used only by individuals who have been enrolled in a research study by that study's research team. Enrolment always requires you to complete the study's informed-consent process, approved by the study's research-ethics body (an Institutional Review Board or equivalent), and that process includes agreeing to this Privacy Policy.
The app can only be activated with a personal enrolment QR code issued to you by the study team. That code is issued only after your consent has been recorded, so by the time you are able to activate Activis you will already have consented to the collection and use of your data as described here. Without a valid enrolment code the app cannot be used. If you have not enrolled in a study, this policy does not apply to you. All participants must be 18 or over (see section 11).
The ethics approval reference, the sponsoring institution, and the full terms of your consent are set out in the consent documentation you received from your study team; that documentation, not this policy, is the authoritative record of what you agreed to for your particular study.
Activis collects physiological and activity data from a compatible Polar wearable device that you pair with the app, together with responses you provide to study questionnaires and limited technical information needed to operate the app.
The following list is complete. It is not a set of examples and it is not the maximum a study might request: it is everything the app is capable of collecting. A study may use only part of it, and what is actually collected for your study is set out in your consent documentation, but nothing outside this list can be collected by any study.
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Heart-rate data | Continuous heart rate; peak-to-peak intervals (PPI) used to derive heart-rate variability (HRV/RMSSD) |
| Sleep data | Sleep stages, sleep timing, a self-reported sleep rating, and sleep skin-temperature |
| Activity data | Steps, active time, calories/metabolic equivalent (MET), and daily activity summaries |
| Physiological data | Skin temperature, skin-contact (wear) status, and nightly recovery ("nightly recharge") metrics |
| Device status | Wearable battery level and available storage (used to keep data collection reliable) |
Your answers to study questionnaires delivered in the app, in the formats the app supports: rating scales, yes/no, multiple choice, mood/feeling selections, and free-text responses.
This is the one part of the list where the content is set by your study team rather than fixed by the app, since they write the questions. The questions asked in your study, and any sensitive topics they cover, must be approved by your study's research-ethics body and are described in your consent documentation. Where a question invites a free-text answer, please keep in mind that whatever you type is stored as part of the study data.
A study participant identifier (user ID), the email address you were enrolled with, and a device identifier and per-device access token used to authenticate your app's uploads to our server.
Operational information used to keep the app working and to diagnose problems: app status "heartbeat" information (app state, wearable connection status, timezone, app version), app diagnostic logs, and — where enabled by the study team on a specific device — read-only wearable diagnostic files. This diagnostic information is used only to operate and troubleshoot the study instrument.
The app uses your device camera only to scan your enrolment (or demo) QR code during setup. No images or video are recorded, stored, or transmitted.
None of these can be switched on for a particular study. The app contains no capability to collect them, so there is nothing for a study team to enable.
Your information is used solely to:
We do not use your data for advertising, marketing, profiling for commercial purposes, or any purpose unrelated to the research study.
Your data is processed on the basis of your informed consent, given as part of study enrolment, and in accordance with the research-ethics approval held by your study team. Your study team is responsible for obtaining and recording that consent; Activis processes the data on their instructions. You may withdraw your consent at any time (see "Your rights" below).
Some studies may rely on an additional or alternative legal basis, such as scientific research in the public interest, where their institution and ethics approval provide for it. Where that applies to your study, it will be stated in your consent documentation.
Data is transmitted from the app to the Activis servers over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) and stored on secure, access-controlled servers operated by us and hosted by Microsoft Azure, in the UAE North region. Access is restricted to the authorised members of your own study team and to the small number of Activis personnel who maintain the service. Your study's data is kept separate from that of other studies, and one study team cannot see another's participants or data.
Some institutions require their study data to be held in a particular country or region. Where your study team has arranged that, their data is hosted accordingly; your consent documentation will tell you where your data is stored.
To protect against data loss, the app is designed so that data is only cleared from the wearable device after the server has confirmed it has been safely received and stored.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it between studies. It is shared only:
Beyond that, any sharing of research data for scientific purposes, for example de-identified data shared with named collaborators or deposited in a research repository, is decided by your study team, governed by their study protocol, and described in the consent you gave at enrolment. Activis does not share research data with anyone on its own initiative.
How long your data is kept is set by your study team, not by Activis. It is retained for as long as necessary to fulfil the research purposes and to meet the study's ethics-approval conditions and any legal or institutional record-keeping requirements that apply to them. The retention period or the criteria used to determine it are stated in your consent documentation.
You may request deletion or withdrawal of your data as described below. Deletion requests are subject to any research-integrity obligations that require already-analysed data to be retained in de-identified form. When a study ends, or when a study team stops using Activis, their data is deleted from our servers or returned to them in accordance with our agreement with their institution.
Depending on your location, you may have the right to:
Contact your study team to exercise these rights. They hold your consent and your study records and are the party able to act on the request. If you contact us instead, we will pass the request to your study team and support them in fulfilling it; we cannot release or delete a study's data without their instruction. Our contact details are at the end of this policy.
Activis is for adults. You must be 18 or over to take part in a study using Activis. This applies to every study without exception: study teams are not permitted to enrol anyone under 18, and this is a condition of their agreement with us. The app is not directed at children, is not offered to the general public, and cannot be used without an enrolment code issued by a study team.
Activis does not currently support studies involving participants under 18, because those require parental or guardian consent and a level of authorisation we are not set up to provide. If we become aware that a person under 18 has been enrolled, we will notify the study team, stop collection, and delete the data.
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to participants through the study team. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the current version.
About your study, your data, or withdrawing: contact your study team, using the contact details in the consent documentation they gave you. They are the party able to act on those requests.
About the app itself or this policy:
Endurance Co L.L.C-FZ
6th Floor, Meydan Grandstand, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Email: privacy@activis.io