SC Safer Together Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (“S.C. DHEC”), working in collaboration with the Medical University of South Carolina (“MUSC”), collects, uses, discloses and otherwise processes end users’ data in connection with use of the SC Safer Together app. This Privacy Policy also describes the choices available to individuals with respect to data when using the SC Safer Together app.  By using the app, you agree to these Privacy Policies. 

ABOUT S.C. DHEC AND THE SC SAFER TOGETHER APP 

S.C. DHEC oversees public health efforts throughout the state of South Carolina and has collaborated with MUSC in various ways to help address the COVID-19 pandemic, including requesting development of a public health risk notification system for COVID-19. The SC Safer Together app is intended to facilitate exposure notification to residents of South Carolina in response to COVID-19. Exposure notification has the goal of notifying individuals who have been in close contact with someone who is infected with a virus, such as COVID-19. The SC Safer Together app can anonymously notify other users if they have been exposed to a COVID-19-infected individual who is also using the app and provide instructions on how and where to get tested. 

HOW IT WORKS       

Random codes are assigned to each device using the SC Safer Together app. Each user's random code changes frequently to further protect their identity. When a SC Safer Together app user comes into close contact with another SC Safer Together app user, their random codes are exchanged using Bluetooth technology. These random codes for close contacts are stored on a user’s device for 14 days. No personally identifiable or GPS location information is exchanged as a part of this process. 

If an app user tests positive for COVID-19, they may voluntarily and anonymously choose to notify other SC Safer Together app users who may have had close contact with them. To determine what users will receive a notification, a risk calculation is made by the SC Safer Together app using the time, duration, and Bluetooth signal attenuation (a proximity indicator) for each contact event between SC Safer Together app users. Other SC Safer Together app users who are calculated to have been in close contact with the user who tested positive will be alerted.  Users may receive exposure notifications in the SC Safer Together app to let them know they encountered a possible exposure.  The user receiving an exposure alert can use the SC Safer Together app to learn where to get tested, check their symptoms, or get evaluated in a telehealth visit. 

USING THE SC SAFER TOGETHER APP 

Using the SC Safer Together app is completely voluntary, and you may choose to install and uninstall the SC Safer Together app at any time. The SC Safer Together app will never collect, track, or store your GPS location information.  Any personally identifiable information provided by you or collected during your use of the app will only be used for internal evaluations of the app and to help prevent transmission of COVID-19.  Any such personal information will be encrypted and, to the extent stored by S.C. DHEC or MUSC, will be maintained in a manner compliant with federal and state privacy and confidentiality laws. 

Finally, the privacy, confidence, and trust of individuals who use the SC Safer Together app are 

important to us and we have taken industry-standard efforts to protect the privacy and security of your data in your use of the SC Safer Together app. However, no privacy protection approach is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee that a determined adversary with sufficient resources could not somehow learn your identity.  

ENABLING EXPOSURE NOTIFICATIONS 

Enabling exposure notification in the SC Safer Together app is voluntary. You can enable and disable such notification at any time. However, exposure notification must be enabled (i) for the SC Safer Together app to exchange the random codes with other SC Safer Together app users who you come into close contact with, (ii) for you to receive exposure notifications, and (iii) for you to be able to anonymously notify other SC Safer Together app users if you test positive for COVID-19. 

NOTIFYING OTHER SC SAFER TOGETHER APP USERS IF YOU TEST POSITIVE 

If you test positive for COVID-19, you may choose to notify other SC Safer Together app users who you have been in close contact with. Providing notification to other SC Safer Together app users with whom you have had close contact is completely voluntary. The notification will not disclose your identity, GPS location information, or any other personally identifying information. To notify other users of your positive COVID-19 test result, you will enter a unique code into the app which will be received via a text message from your provider.  Once you enter the code and confirm that you wish to notifiy other SC Safer Together app users, other users who may have been in close contact with you will be notified.  Such notifications will not include your identity or the date, time, or location of the exposure. 

 TERMINATING PARTICIPATION 

Participation in the SC Safer Together app may be terminated at any time by deleting or uninstalling the SC Safer Together app from your device. After the SC Safer Together app is deleted or uninstalled, your device will no longer generate or exchange random codes with other users.

SHARING OF INFORMATION 

The following event data may be processed and collected in the SC Safer Together app: 

Installing the SC Safer Together app 

Enabling and disabling exposure notifications 

Receiving an exposure notification 

Entering a positive test result 

Sharing a positive result 

Downloading anonymous tokens for positive users that have chosen to notify others 

Deleting the app 

We use the above information to understand how the SC Safer Together app is being used and to improve the app. It may be used in aggregate and anonymous form for statistical or scientific research purposes. 

If you choose to provide us with personal information in other ways, such as in an e-mail message, S.C. DHEC and/or MUSC will use this information to respond to your request. There are times when your e-mail is forwarded to team members who are better able to assist you. S.C. DHEC may also forward requests for assistance to another appropriate agency for response. Please do not put confidential and personal information such as social security number, date of birth, bank account and credit card information, mother's maiden name or medical information in your e-mail communications to S.C. DHEC and/or MUSC. 

S.C. DHEC and the Medical University of South Carolina will not disclose personal information collected from users to private third parties unless the law requires such disclosure. 

OPTING OUT OF PUSH NOTIFICATIONS 

If you opt-in to receive push notifications within the SC Safer Together app, it may send push notifications or alerts to your mobile device from time to time. You can deactivate push notifications and alerts at any time by deleting the SC Safer Together app, changing your device settings, or changing the push notification settings within the SC Safer Together app. 

 

CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY 

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes to our Privacy Policy, we will notify you by posting the changes to the SC Safer Together app or by using the contact information you provide to the SC Safer Together app. The notification will indicate when such changes will become effective.   

Your continued use of the app following the effective date will constitute your acceptance of the updated policies.  If you object to a new or updated Privacy Policy, you may terminate participation in the SC Safer Together app by deleting or uninstalling the SC Safer Together app. 

CONTACTING US 

If you have any feedback, questions, comments, or concerns relating to the SC Safer Together app, this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at dhs-support@musc.edu or write to us at the following address: 

MUSC Digital Health Solutions 

22 WestEdge St. Suite 200 

Charleston, SC 29403 

 

Updated: October 30, 2020