Privacy Policy

Participant OS ("Participant OS", "we", "us", or "our") is owned and operated by SP Digital, LLC. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information you provide when you visit our websites, complete an eligibility form, or are referred to a paid research study advertised through our platform.

By using our website or submitting your information, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the website or submit information.

1. Our role and the role of Study Operators

Participant OS is a recruitment, targeting, and sourcing platform. We do not design, conduct, administer, or supervise the research studies themselves. The third parties that operate the studies advertised on our site (each a "Study Operator") are separate organizations responsible for the conduct of their studies.

This Privacy Policy describes only how Participant OS handles your personal information. Once you are referred to a Study Operator and the Study Operator collects information from you directly (for example, through their own consent forms, intake systems, NDAs, recording or biometric capture during a session, or post-session correspondence), the Study Operator becomes an independent controller of that information. Their own privacy notice, consent forms, and data-handling policies govern their use of your information — not this policy.

For questions about how a specific Study Operator collects, uses, retains, or secures your information after referral, please contact the Study Operator directly using the contact information they provided you in their confirmation email or onboarding materials.

2. Information we collect

We collect the following categories of information directly from you:

• Identifiers and contact details — full name, email address, mobile phone number, and ZIP code.
• Eligibility information — study category interest, ages of household members (when relevant to a study), availability windows, and other screening responses.
• Consent records — your indication that you wish to be contacted, the date and time, and the page where consent was given.
• Technical and usage data — IP address, browser type, referring URL, UTM campaign parameters, pages visited, and approximate location derived from IP.
• Communications — messages you exchange with us by email, SMS, or web form, and your responses to study-related questions.

We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 except through a parent or legal guardian as part of a study where parental consent is required.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Determine your eligibility for paid research studies you have applied to.
• Contact you about studies you may qualify for, application status, scheduling, reminders, payment confirmation, and customer support.
• Operate, maintain, secure, and improve our website and services.
• Detect and prevent fraud, duplicate applications, and abuse.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms.

4. SMS messaging program — your rights and our protections

If you opt in to SMS messaging by checking the consent box on our intake form, we may send you text messages related to studies you have applied to or expressed interest in. The following commitments apply specifically to your mobile phone number and SMS opt-in data:

• We do not share, sell, rent, lease, or transfer your mobile phone number or SMS opt-in data to any third parties or affiliates for their marketing purposes. This restriction applies to all categories of third parties without exception.
• Phone numbers are used only to send messages related to the studies you have applied to or opted into, and to support the operation of our recruitment program.
• You may opt out of SMS at any time by replying STOP to any message we send. Opt-outs are processed immediately and apply across all studies and campaigns we send SMS for.
• You may reply HELP at any time to receive help information and our support contact details.
• Message frequency varies, typically 1–6 messages per study you apply to. Message and data rates may apply, depending on your mobile carrier and plan.
• We may share aggregated, de-identified messaging data with our SMS service provider (Twilio) and mobile carriers solely to deliver messages, comply with carrier requirements, and prevent abuse. These parties are not permitted to use the data for their own marketing.

5. How we share information

We share personal information only in the limited circumstances below:

• Study Operators — when you are confirmed as a qualified applicant for a specific study, we refer the information necessary for the Study Operator to schedule and conduct the study (typically name, contact info, and screening responses relevant to that study). We refer only to the Study Operator running the study you applied to, and only for that study. After referral, the Study Operator independently controls the information it receives, and its own privacy notice and agreements govern how it uses, retains, and protects that information. Participant OS is not responsible for the Study Operator's handling of your information after referral.
• Service providers — vendors that operate our infrastructure on our behalf, including hosting (Render), database, email delivery, SMS delivery (Twilio), analytics, and cloud storage. They are contractually bound to use the data only to provide services to us.
• Legal and safety — when required by law, subpoena, or court order, or to protect our rights, property, or the safety of our users or the public.
• Business transfers — in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will provide notice before personal information is transferred.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing or advertising purposes.

6. Cookies and tracking

We use a small number of essential cookies to maintain your session and remember your UTM attribution so we can credit the right campaign for your application. We may also use privacy-respecting analytics to understand aggregate site usage. We do not use third-party advertising trackers on our site.

7. Data retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to operate the recruitment program, fulfill obligations to Study Operators, comply with legal and tax requirements, and enforce our Terms. When information is no longer needed, we delete or de-identify it. Opt-out records are retained indefinitely so we can continue to honor your preferences.

Data held by Study Operators after referral is retained according to the Study Operator's own retention policies, independent of ours. Deleting your information from Participant OS does not automatically delete information held by a Study Operator; you must contact the Study Operator separately to request deletion of the data they hold.

8. Security

We use industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect personal information, including encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, access controls, and least-privilege principles for employees and vendors. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your rights and choices

You have the following rights with respect to personal information held by Participant OS:

• Access and correction — request a copy of the information we hold about you, or correct inaccurate information.
• Deletion — request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
• SMS opt-out — reply STOP to any SMS to be removed from all SMS communications immediately.
• Email opt-out — use the unsubscribe link in any email, or contact support.
• Do Not Sell or Share — we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising; no opt-out is required because the practice does not occur.

To exercise any of these rights against Participant OS, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

To exercise the same rights against a Study Operator for information that Study Operator holds about you (including information collected by the Study Operator during your session), you must contact the Study Operator directly. We can, on request, help put you in touch with the correct Study Operator if you cannot locate their contact information.

10. California, Nevada, and other state-specific rights

Residents of certain U.S. states (including California, Nevada, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and others) may have additional rights under state privacy laws, including the right to access, correct, delete, or limit the use of personal information, and the right to opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. As stated above, we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. To exercise other state rights, contact us at [email protected].

11. Children's privacy

Some of our studies involve minor children. In those cases, only a parent or legal guardian may submit information, and the parent or guardian provides consent on behalf of the child. We collect the minimum information necessary to determine eligibility and coordinate the session. We do not market to children.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, notify you by email or on-site notice. Continued use of the site after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact us

Participant OS is owned and operated by SP Digital, LLC.
For privacy questions or requests, contact: [email protected].