Last updated: June 5, 2018

Purple Robot is an Android application created to assist in the collection of passive sensor data on Android devices for the purposes of researchers and hobbyists. Purple Robot features over 70 different data sources that may be configured to gather and transmit information, from built-in device sensors to cloud services and social networks to wearable and other peripheral devices.

When downloaded directly from the Google Play Store or installed on your device for the first time, Purple Robot is not configured to collect nor transmit any data from your device to any networked destination.

If you are a hobbyist and wish to collect data about yourself, you may download and install the Purple Robot application server on a networked resource that you control. In this scenario, the Purple Robot developers never have access to your data and it is your responsibility to verify that you are complying with your local jurisdiction’s privacy regulations.

If you are a researcher using Purple Robot to collect data from participants in the field, it is your responsibility to verify that you are complying with any relevant local or institutional regulations. These regulations are typically codified and enforced by your local human subjects research or ethical boards. In this scenario, the Purple Robot developers do not have access to any participant data and it is your responsibility for implementing the appropriate security and disclosure mechanisms dictated by your local laws and policies.

If you are an end-user using Purple Robot as a participant in a project (research or otherwise), your privacy and data rights should have been clearly disclosed to you by the party to whom you are sending data from your device. In a commercial context, this most likely will be a privacy policy. In a research context, this will typically be a consent form or data disclosure document that defines what information will be gathered, to whom it may be disclosed, and what purpose the gathered data serves. Note that in none of these cases do the Purple Robot developers have access to your data, only the party who configured Purple Robot on your device.

If you have questions about your privacy or use of your data, contact the party that configured Purple Robot on your device. The Purple Robot developers DO NOT run or maintain any centralized data collection servers and cannot meaningfully respond to any queries about how third-parties who have installed their own Purple Robot servers are maintaining your data in accordance with local laws and regulations.

Questions or Concerns?