How will my personal data be protected?

Your participation in this research is confidential. Only the researchers conducting this study will see the information about you and your home. No reports or publications will identify you or include information that could identify any individual as being part of this study. We will record directory information like your name, address, email, and telephone number so we can administer the study and troubleshoot any problems with the system. This personally identifiable information (PII) will be encrypted following standard practices and stored separately. At the completion of (or withdrawal from) the study, we will destroy the record of that directory information. The demographic data, interview data, and information you share with us on the household and optional health questionnaires will not include your PII. It will be organized using a unique UserID and HomeID that will be keyed to the PII. Only the project’s senior researchers will have access to this key map. Along with the PII, the key map will also be destroyed at the conclusion of this study. 

The research team will install a computer server in your home, the Home Assistant, collecting and storing data from all smart devices connected to your home’s HVAC system, and then encrypting and transmitting it to the Northeastern cloud over a secure connection approximately every 5 minutes for online processing. Only the PIs and senior researchers will have administrative control and access privileges on the Home Assistant server.  For more detailed description of data security measures in this study, please contact the research team (see below for contact information). 

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