TELL — Terms and Privacy Policy

TELL Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: June 24, 2026 Last Updated: June 24, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern access to and use of the TELL application, including its web platform, companion mobile applications, application programming interfaces, and related services (collectively, the “Platform” or “TELL”), provided by TELL Toolkit Inc., a Delaware corporation, and/or its affiliates (“TELL,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

By creating an account, downloading the app, or otherwise accessing the Platform, you (“User”) agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and, where applicable, our HIPAA Notice and Authorization documentation. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

If you are using the Platform on behalf of an institution, clinic, laboratory, or research group, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization, and “you” refers to both you individually and that organization.

2. Who This Applies To

TELL distinguishes between two categories of Users:

Examiners — clinicians, researchers, and other authorized professionals who operate the Platform, administer tasks, create participant records, and access outputs.
Participants (“Examinees”) — patients, healthy controls, or other individuals whose speech and linguistic data are collected through the Platform, typically by or under the supervision of an Examiner.

Some provisions below apply to one category specifically; this is noted where relevant.

3. Description of the Service

TELL is a speech-and-language data collection and analysis tool designed to support research and clinical observation related to neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions. It includes a linguistic profile survey, structured audio-recording tasks, automated transcription, and derived acoustic/linguistic metrics, which may be downloaded by Examiners and/or displayed in real time for clinical review.

TELL is a decision-support and research tool. It does not provide a medical diagnosis, is not a substitute for professional clinical judgment, and outputs must be interpreted by a qualified professional. See Section 9 (Health & Professional Disclaimer).

4. Eligibility and Accounts

You must be at least 18 years old to create an Examiner account or to act as an adult Participant providing your own consent.
A minor or an adult lacking legal capacity may participate as an Examinee only where a parent, legal guardian, or authorized representative has provided consent in accordance with applicable law, and the Examiner is solely responsible for obtaining and documenting that consent.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity under your account. Notify us immediately at info@tellapp.org of any unauthorized use.
TELL may suspend or terminate accounts that provide false registration information or violate these Terms.

5. License Grant

Subject to these Terms, TELL grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Platform for its intended professional, clinical, and/or research purposes. This license does not include any right to:

resell, sublicense, or commercially redistribute the Platform or its outputs;
reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code, except as permitted by law;
use the Platform to build a competing product or service;
remove or obscure proprietary notices.

6. Examiner Responsibilities

If you act as an Examiner, you are solely responsible for:

obtaining and documenting all legally required consents from Participants (including informed consent, parental/guardian consent, and any IRB/ethics committee approvals applicable to your research or clinical setting);
ensuring you have a lawful basis for collecting, recording, and processing Participant data, including special category/health data under GDPR Article 9 and protected health information (“PHI”) under HIPAA, where applicable;
accurately describing the purpose of data collection to Participants;
determining how outputs are interpreted, communicated, or acted upon, including any clinical decisions;
complying with your own institution’s policies, applicable professional standards, and local law.

TELL is not a party to, and assumes no responsibility for, the relationship or consent process between an Examiner and a Participant.

7. Data Ownership

As between TELL and the Examiner’s institution (or independent Examiner), raw audio recordings and Participant-identifiable data remain the property of the Examiner/institution that collected them. TELL does not claim ownership of such data. TELL may use de-identified, aggregated, or derived data (e.g., feature vectors, model performance metrics, usage analytics) to improve the Platform, as described in the Privacy Policy.

8. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

use the Platform to collect data without appropriate consent or legal basis;
upload content that infringes third-party rights, is unlawful, or violates the privacy of others;
attempt to identify de-identified data, or re-identify Participants outside the scope of consent;
interfere with, disrupt, or attempt unauthorized access to the Platform, its servers, or other users’ accounts;
use the Platform in a manner that could endanger any Participant’s health or safety;
use the Platform for any purpose prohibited by U.S. export control or sanctions law.

9. Health & Professional Disclaimer

The Platform:

does not provide a medical diagnosis;
does not replace clinical judgment, professional evaluation, or emergency care;
is intended for decision support, research, and observational use only;
generates outputs that are advisory and must be reviewed and interpreted by a qualified professional before any clinical or personal decision is made.

If you or someone you are assisting is experiencing a medical emergency, contact local emergency services immediately. Do not rely on the Platform in an emergency.

10. Third-Party Services and Subprocessors

TELL relies on third-party infrastructure and processing services, including cloud hosting and storage (Amazon Web Services), natural-language and sentiment-analysis services (Google Cloud), and AI-assisted transcription/analysis services (OpenAI API), each operating under contractual data protection obligations. A current subprocessor list is available in the Privacy Policy and on request.

11. Mobile Platform–Specific Terms

11.1 General

The Platform may be distributed via Apple’s App Store and/or Google Play (each, a “Platform Provider”). Your use of the mobile app is also subject to the applicable Platform Provider’s terms of service, and these Terms operate as an agreement between you and TELL only — the Platform Provider is not a party to these Terms and bears no responsibility for the app or its content, except as set out below.

11.2 Apple App Store Users

If you obtained the app from Apple’s App Store, you acknowledge and agree:

These Terms are between you and TELL only, not Apple; Apple is not responsible for the Platform or its content.
The license granted is limited to use on Apple-branded devices that you own or control, as permitted by the App Store’s usage rules.
Apple has no obligation to furnish maintenance or support for the app.
Apple is not responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law, except as required by law; any warranty claims are TELL’s sole responsibility.
TELL, not Apple, is responsible for addressing claims relating to the app or your use of it, including product liability claims, claims that the app fails to conform to legal or regulatory requirements, and claims under consumer protection law.
Apple is not responsible for investigating, defending, settling, or discharging any third-party intellectual property infringement claim related to the app.
You represent you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated as a “terrorist supporting” country, and are not on any U.S. Government restricted-party list.
Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them against you.

11.3 Google Play Users

If you obtained the app from Google Play, your use is also subject to the Google Play Terms of Service. Google is not responsible for the Platform, has no obligation to provide support, and is not a party to these Terms. Permissions requested by the app (e.g., microphone access for audio recording, storage access for file handling) are used solely for the purposes described in the in-app permission prompt and the Privacy Policy.

11.4 No In-App Purchases (unless updated)

The mobile app is currently provided free of enrollment or subscription fees for qualifying research/clinical licenses. If in-app purchases or subscriptions are introduced, this section will be updated accordingly and Apple/Google billing terms will govern those transactions.

12. Intellectual Property

The Platform, including its software, design, trademarks (“TELL,” the TELL logo, and associated marks), documentation, and underlying algorithms, is the property of TELL Toolkit Inc. and its licensors, and is protected by intellectual property laws. No rights are granted except as expressly stated in these Terms.

13. Privacy and HIPAA

Collection and processing of personal data, including special category/health data, is governed by our Privacy Policy. Where TELL processes PHI on behalf of a HIPAA Covered Entity (e.g., a hospital, clinic, or research institution using TELL), TELL acts as a Business Associate (or subcontractor) under a separate Business Associate Agreement, and our HIPAA Notice and Authorization documentation describes the related rights and obligations.

14. Termination

You may stop using the Platform and request account deletion at any time (see Privacy Policy, Section “Data Retention and Deletion”). TELL may suspend or terminate access for breach of these Terms, legal requirements, security concerns, or discontinuation of the service, with notice where reasonably practicable. Sections 6, 7, 9, 13, 15–19 survive termination.

15. Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, EXCEPT AS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW (INCLUDING CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS THAT MAY NOT BE WAIVED).

16. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TELL SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO USE OF THE PLATFORM, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. NOTHING IN THIS SECTION LIMITS LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW (INCLUDING, WHERE APPLICABLE, LIABILITY FOR DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR GROSS NEGLIGENCE).

17. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold TELL harmless from claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your violation of applicable law, or your failure to obtain required consents from Participants.

18. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where mandatory consumer protection or data protection law of your country of residence (e.g., EU/UK/EEA residents) requires application of local law, in which case that law applies to the extent required. Disputes shall be resolved in the courts of the State of Delaware.

19. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified via in-app notice, email, or platform announcement at least 30 days before taking effect, except where a shorter period is required for legal or security reasons. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

20. General

Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
No Waiver: Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of the right to do so later.
Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any executed License or Business Associate Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and TELL regarding the Platform.

21. Contact

TELL Toolkit Inc.

General inquiries: info@tellapp.org Data deletion requests: delete@tellapp.org Security/account issues: info@tellapp.org Privacy/Data Protection inquiries: info@tellapp.org

TELL Privacy Policy

Effective Date: June 24, 2026 Last Updated: June 24, 2026

1. Who This Policy Covers

This Privacy Policy explains how TELL Toolkit Inc. (“TELL,” “we,” “us”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal data through the TELL application and related services (the “Platform”), used by:

Examiners (clinicians, researchers, and authorized staff who hold accounts), and
Participants/Examinees (individuals whose speech, language, and related data are recorded, typically by or under the supervision of an Examiner).

2. Controller and Processor Roles

Data protection roles depend on deployment context:

Where an institution (hospital, university, clinic, or research group) deploys TELL to collect data from its own patients or research participants, that institution is generally the Data Controller (or HIPAA Covered Entity), and TELL acts as a Data Processor / Business Associate, processing data only on the institution’s documented instructions and under a Data Processing Agreement and/or Business Associate Agreement.
Where an individual Examiner or independent researcher uses TELL directly without an intermediary institution, TELL may act as Processor on behalf of that Examiner as Controller.
For account-level data (registration details, login activity, billing where applicable) and de-identified product-improvement data described in Section 5, TELL acts as Controller.

If you are a Participant and have questions about how your data is used, your first point of contact should be the Examiner/institution that enrolled you, who can also direct inquiries to TELL.

3. Data We Collect

Category	Examples	Collected From
Account data	Name, email, institutional affiliation, username, hashed password	Examiners
Participant profile data	Name or ID code, demographic and linguistic-history survey responses (language use, proficiency, age of onset of difficulties)	Examiners, on behalf of Participants
Audio recordings	Voice recordings from structured speech tasks	Participants, via Examiner-operated sessions
Derived/processed data	Automated transcriptions, acoustic and linguistic metrics (e.g., speech rate, pitch, pauses), sentiment/affect scores, word clouds	Generated by the Platform from audio
Uploaded attachments	E.g., neuropsychological test results uploaded by Examiners	Examiners
Device and usage data	Device type, browser/OS, IP address, crash logs, in-app interaction and timing data	Automatically, from all Users
Communications	Support requests, account correspondence	All Users

3.1 Special Category / Health Data

Audio recordings, derived speech/language metrics, and any uploaded clinical materials may constitute health data and biometric data under GDPR Article 9, and Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA, where collected in a covered clinical/research context. We apply heightened safeguards to this data as described in Sections 6 and 8.

4. How We Collect Data

Directly from Examiners during account setup and data-entry.
Directly from Participants during recorded sessions, surveys, and task completion (administered by the Examiner).
Automatically, through standard application logging and (on the website) cookies/analytics tools.
From uploaded files provided by Examiners.

Purpose	Legal Basis (GDPR Art. 6)	Special Category Basis (Art. 9, where applicable)
Providing the Platform’s core functionality (recording, transcription, metrics)	Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) / Controller’s instructions	Explicit consent (Art. 9(2)(a)) or scientific research purposes (Art. 9(2)(j)), as documented by the Controller
Clinical decision support	Performed under the Controller’s instructions, typically vital interests or healthcare provision (Art. 9(2)(h))	Same
Research analysis (where applicable, per study consent/IRB approval)	Consent or legitimate research interest, per Controller’s basis	Scientific research (Art. 9(2)(j))
Account administration, security, fraud prevention	Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) / Contract	—
De-identified product improvement, reliability, and UX analytics	Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f))	Data used in de-identified form; no special category basis required once properly de-identified
Legal compliance	Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c))	Where applicable

Where TELL is a Processor, the Controller (institution/Examiner) is responsible for establishing and documenting the applicable legal basis and obtaining Participant consent where required; TELL processes data only per the Controller’s instructions and the executed Data Processing Agreement.

6. How We Use the Data

To operate the linguistic survey and audio-recording protocol.
To generate transcriptions and clinical/research metrics (speech rate, pitch, pauses, sentiment, etc.) for download by Examiners or real-time clinical display.
To allow Examiners to manage participant records.
To maintain, secure, and improve the Platform.
For de-identified derived data only (feature vectors, performance metrics, UX/interaction analytics) — to improve platform performance, reliability, and usability. This de-identified data does not include raw audio or directly identifying information, and is used under a separate right described in our license/account terms.
To communicate with Examiners about their account, support requests, and material changes to this Policy or the Terms.

We do not sell personal data, and we do not use Participant audio or identifiable data for advertising purposes.

We share data only as follows:

Cloud infrastructure & storage: Amazon Web Services (hosting, database, encrypted object storage for audio files).
Natural language / sentiment analysis: Google Cloud Natural Language API (processes transcribed text to compute affective valence/magnitude).
AI-assisted transcription/analysis: OpenAI API (subject to a usage cap and contractual data protection terms; configured, where available, to not retain inputs for model training).
Within the Examiner’s own institution, as directed by the Examiner/Controller.
Legal/safety disclosures: where required by law, regulation, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of TELL, our users, or the public.
Corporate transactions: in connection with a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, subject to continued protection under this Policy or a successor policy with equivalent protections.

A current subprocessor list is available on request to info@tellapp.org.

8. International Data Transfers

Where personal data originating in the EU/UK/EEA is transferred to the United States or other countries (e.g., via AWS, Google Cloud, or OpenAI infrastructure), we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and/or the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, supplemented by technical measures (encryption in transit and at rest) and contractual commitments from subprocessors. You may request a copy of the relevant safeguards by contacting info@tellapp.org.

9. Data Retention and Deletion

Account and Participant data are retained for the duration of the Examiner’s/institution’s account lifecycle and as required to provide the Platform.
Full erasure requests: An account holder (or, where applicable, an institution acting as Controller) may request complete and irreversible deletion of all associated data by written request to delete@tellapp.org. Requests must be explicit and in writing; partial deletions are not performed via this process (institution-level data governance tools may allow more granular deletion — contact us for details).
Following a deletion request, you will have 30 days to export your data before it is permanently and irrecoverably deleted.
Where data is retained to comply with legal, regulatory, or research-integrity obligations (e.g., research record-keeping rules, IRB requirements, or HIPAA-mandated retention periods), we will retain only what is necessary for that purpose and inform you of the applicable retention period upon request.
Participants should direct deletion requests to their Examiner/institution in the first instance, as the institution may control the data as Controller; TELL will support such requests in line with its agreement with the institution.

10. Your Rights

Subject to applicable conditions and exceptions, you have the right to:

Access a copy of your personal data;
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data;
Erase your data (“right to be forgotten”);
Restrict processing in certain circumstances;
Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling;
Data portability, where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means;
Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal;
Lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority (in the EU, find yours via the European Data Protection Board; in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office).

To exercise these rights, contact info@tellapp.org. Where TELL acts as Processor, we will forward or support requests in coordination with the relevant Controller (your institution/Examiner), consistent with our contractual obligations. We aim to respond within the timeframes required by applicable law (generally one month under GDPR, extendable in complex cases).

10.2 Other Jurisdictions

Residents of other jurisdictions with data protection laws (e.g., U.S. state privacy laws) may have similar rights; contact us to make a request and we will respond per applicable law.

11. Security Measures

Encryption at rest and in transit for PHI and other sensitive data, using layered encryption (e.g., AWS Key Management Service).
Access to PHI/identifiable data limited to authorized personnel who have completed relevant privacy/security training (including HIPAA training, where applicable).
Administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, including periodic risk assessments and data backup/disaster recovery planning.
Despite these measures, no system is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security and encourage Users to use strong, unique credentials.

12. Children’s Privacy

The Platform is not directed at children, and Examiner accounts may not be created by individuals under 18. A minor may participate only as a Participant/Examinee, and only where the Examiner has obtained and documented legally sufficient parental/guardian consent. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children outside this Examiner-supervised context. If you believe a child’s data has been collected outside this process, contact info@tellapp.org.

13. App Store and Play Store Disclosures

Consistent with Apple’s “App Privacy” and Google Play’s “Data Safety” disclosure requirements, the Platform may collect the following categories, as applicable to the version installed: account/contact info, health and audio/voice data, identifiers, usage data, and diagnostics. The mobile app requests microphone access (to record speech tasks) and, where relevant, storage access (to attach files); these permissions are used solely for the purposes described in this Policy and are requested at the time of first use. Refer to the listing on the relevant app store for the most current, store-specific disclosure summary.

14. Cookies and Tracking (Website)

Our website (tellapp.org) may use cookies or similar technologies for essential functionality and aggregate analytics. Where required by law, we present a cookie/consent banner allowing you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. The in-app Platform does not use advertising trackers.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy periodically. Material changes will be communicated via in-app notice, email, or platform announcement before taking effect. The “Last Updated” date above reflects the most recent revision.

16. Contact Us