Effective date: 1 September 2026 Last updated: 1 September 2026
App operator: David Huang (United States) Research data controller: the research team at the Center for Global Mental Health, The New School — Josheka Chauhan, supervised by Adam Brown
liftwell is a mobile app that delivers a short self-administered wellbeing course adapted from the World Health Organization's Self-Help Plus (SH+) program. It exists to deliver that course and to support a research study measuring whether it helps.
Two parties are involved, and it matters which is which:
This policy covers the liftwell iOS and Android apps and the backend services that support them. It does not cover third-party websites or services linked from the app.
Ethics review status: the study is under institutional review; approval is pending at the time of writing. This policy will be updated with the protocol reference once it is issued.
Everything in this list is stored on your device. It is sent to the research database only if you agree to research participation — see §5.
These are not collected by us, but you should know they happen:
liftwell embeds no analytics, marketing, or advertising SDK. We do not sell your data, share it with data brokers, or use it for advertising.
| Information | What it is used for |
|---|---|
| Install identifier | Keeping your progress consistent; linking your records to each other |
| Language preference | Rendering the app, emails and follow-up form in your language |
| Course progress + play counts | Showing you the next item; measuring how the course is used |
| PHQ-4 responses + scores | Showing you your own score with a non-diagnostic interpretation; measuring whether the course is associated with changes in wellbeing |
| Reflection text | Saving what you wrote so you can revisit it; research analysis |
| Name | Personalising your certificate and addressing you in emails |
| Email address | Sending your certificate and the single 30-day follow-up |
None of it is used for advertising, profiling, or sale.
You are asked once, before the course starts. After the introductory tour, liftwell shows a consent screen explaining what the research collects and asking you to agree or decline. There is no skip: you must choose. The screen states, in your chosen language, exactly what is sent and that requesting a certificate attaches your name and email to the same record.
If you agree, the data in §3.1 is sent to a secure research database and used for the study described in §1.
If you decline, none of it leaves your device. Your progress, check-in scores and reflections stay local. A minimal record is still created — your install identifier, your language, and the fact that you declined — so that your choice is respected and so the certificate function still works. No behavioural data is included in it.
Either way, the course is identical. Declining costs you nothing.
You can change your mind at any time in Settings → Research. Turning it off stops anything further being sent. It does not retroactively erase what was already sent — for that, use the deletion control described in §9.
We do not sell your information. We do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.
The research data is shared with the research team. That is the point of the study: if you agree to participate, the research team at the Center for Global Mental Health, The New School — Josheka Chauhan and Adam Brown — has access to your responses for analysis. Your name and email are visible to the team if you provided them for a certificate.
The service providers that process data on our behalf:
| Provider | What they receive | Why | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supabase | All research data described in §3.1 and §3.2 | Database and server hosting | United States |
| Resend | Your name and email address; the body of the certificate and follow-up emails | Email delivery | United States |
| Netlify | The single-use link token in the URL when you open the follow-up form | Hosting the follow-up questionnaire page | United States |
| Google (YouTube) | Your IP address and user agent when you play a lesson; cookies set in the embedded player | Video delivery | United States |
| Expo | A separate persistent install identifier, on each app launch | App update delivery | United States |
| Apple / Google app stores | Standard store telemetry collected by the platform independently of the app | Distribution | United States |
Depending on where you live, you may have rights under applicable data-protection law (for example the GDPR in the EEA and UK, or the CCPA/CPRA in California): access, correction, deletion, portability, and withdrawal of consent.
Deletion is built into the app. Open Settings → Your data → Delete my research data. This permanently erases your check-in scores, reflections, course progress and certificate details from the research database, and turns research participation off. It cannot be undone. You can keep using the course afterwards.
For access, correction, portability, or anything the in-app control does not cover, contact Josheka Chauhan at the address in §12. Because liftwell has no accounts, you may be asked for your install identifier so your records can be located.
We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law (in most jurisdictions, within 30 days).
liftwell is intended for adults. It is not listed in any "made for kids" or "families" category.
Please note: the app does not currently verify age. It does not knowingly collect information from children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). If you believe a child has provided information, contact us and it will be deleted.
liftwell offers content in English and Spanish and may be used outside the United States. All backend infrastructure and all service providers listed in §7 are located in the United States, so information you provide will be transferred to and stored there. By using liftwell you understand this transfer takes place; the information is protected in accordance with this policy regardless of where it is held.
About your data, the research, or to exercise your rights — contact the research team:
Josheka Chauhan — day-to-day contact josheka@newschool.edu
Adam Brown — supervising researcher brown80@newschool.edu
Center for Global Mental Health, The New School 80 5th Ave, 8th Fl, New York, NY 10011, United States
If your question or concern is about the conduct of the research itself, you may write to the supervising researcher directly.
About the app itself (bugs, installation, technical problems):
If you are making a data request, please put "Privacy request" in the subject line and say which kind of request it is.
We may update this policy. When we do, the "Last updated" date above changes. If the changes are significant we will notify users in the app, or by email where we have an address on file.
The declarations shown on the App Store and Play Store summarise the categories above. This policy is the full and authoritative description.
End of policy.