Tapien is an AI-powered research interview platform operated by TAPIEN TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED (hereinafter referred to as “we”, “us”, “our” or the “Company”). Through Tapien, we organize and support research interviews and provide AI-assisted research analysis services to our clients. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and otherwise process personal data relating to individuals who are invited to participate in research interviews through Tapien (hereinafter referred to as “you” or “Participant”).

Tapien supports AI-moderated interviews. Depending on the relevant research project, an AI interviewer may ask questions, generate follow-up questions based on your responses, adjust the interview flow, and assist in generating transcripts, summaries, research insights and other research outputs.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully before you participate in an interview. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy or do not wish us to process your Personal Data as described below, you should not proceed with the interview. Where we request your consent for specific processing activities, you may refuse or withdraw such consent as described in this Privacy Policy. However, if you do so, we may be unable to provide the relevant interview function or include you in the relevant research activity.

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

“Personal Data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, and includes similar concepts such as “personal information” or “personal data” under applicable U.S. privacy laws.

“Commissioning Client” means the client that has commissioned or sponsored the relevant research project and on whose instructions we organize interviews and provide research-related services. The Commissioning Client generally determines the research objectives, participant criteria and expected use of the interview results.

“Interview Data” means the information generated, provided, recorded or captured during your participation in an interview, including your answers, opinions, feedback, voice, image, likeness, video footage, screen content where applicable, transcripts, interaction behavior and related research records and analysis.

Participation in Interviews

Participation in an interview is voluntary. You may stop participating in an interview at any time. If you exit an interview before completion, we may be unable to generate complete interview results, and this may affect your eligibility for any incentive, reward or compensation offered by the Commissioning Client, a recruiting platform, research partner or other third party, where applicable.

Where an interview is moderated by AI, you will be informed that you are interacting with an AI interviewer before participating in the interview.

Interviews may be recorded, including through audio recording and, where applicable, video or screen recording. Where required by applicable law, we will provide appropriate notice and obtain your consent before such recording begins.

You should not provide information about other individuals, confidential information, or information that is not relevant to the interview unless you are authorized to do so and it is necessary for the interview.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to Personal Data that we collect and process in connection with Tapien and related research interview activities, including:

(a) when you access or use the Tapien website, application, interview page, landing page, project page or other online interface made available to you;

(b) when you participate in, schedule or complete a research interview through Tapien, including any audio or video recording, transcript, interview response, survey response or other research-related interaction;

(c) when you communicate with us by email, text message or other electronic means in connection with a research interview, privacy request, technical support request or other inquiry; and

(d) when you interact with any notice, consent form, project-specific disclosure or other document that links to or incorporates this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to:

(a) Personal Data processed by the Commissioning Client in its own capacity, except to the extent expressly described in this Privacy Policy or in a project-specific notice;

(b) Personal Data processed by third-party websites, platforms, tools or services that are not operated or controlled by us, even if such third-party services are linked to or accessible from Tapien; or

(c) Personal Data processed under a separate privacy notice or project-specific notice, to the extent such separate notice expressly applies.

If you access or use any third-party service in connection with an interview, the processing of your Personal Data by that third party will be governed by that third party’s own privacy notice and terms.

What Personal Data We Collect

Depending on the research project and the functions you use, we may collect and process the following categories of Personal Data.

1.1 Information you provide to us

We may collect information that you provide when you register, participate in a research activity, contact us or otherwise interact with Tapien, including:

(a) identification and contact information, such as your name, gender, email address, phone number, mailing address or other contact details;

(b) account or project-related information, such as user ID, interview invitation details, project participation records and similar information; and

(c) information you voluntarily provide during an interview or through related forms, including your responses, opinions, preferences, suggestions and other content.

We may also receive limited demographic or screening information from the Commissioning Client, recruiting platform or research recruitment partner that invited you to participate in the interview, such as age range, gender, location, education level, occupation, household income range, language proficiency or other project-relevant screening attributes, to the extent necessary for participant selection, interview administration and research analysis.

1.2 Information collected during the interview process

When you participate in an interview, we may collect:

(a) audio and video data, including your voice, image, likeness, appearance, gestures, facial expressions, video footage, audio recordings and, where applicable, screen recordings;

(b) interview transcripts and analysis outputs generated from the interview recording, screen recording or conversation;

(c) interview content and interaction data, including the answers, views, comments, feedback, suggestions, emotional responses, pauses, repeats, navigation choices and other interactions you provide or generate during the interview; and

(d) where applicable, information or signals derived from interview audio or video, such as speaker-related characteristics or speaker differentiation, facial expressions, gaze or eye movements, gestures, emotional responses and other observable or inferred interaction signals used for research analysis.

Depending on the nature of the relevant information and how it is processed, certain Interview Data may constitute sensitive Personal Data under applicable law.

We do not require you to provide sensitive Personal Data unless it is relevant to the applicable research project. However, depending on the research topic or information you voluntarily disclose during the interview, Interview Data may reveal information concerning your racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, health, sexual orientation, financial circumstances or other sensitive characteristics. We will process such information only as permitted by applicable law and, where required, after providing additional notice or obtaining your consent.

Where applicable law imposes specific requirements on the collection or processing of biometric or other sensitive information, we will provide any additional notice and obtain any consent required by such law.

1.3 Technical and usage information

When you access Tapien or participate in an online interview, we may automatically collect technical and usage information, including:

(a) device and application information, such as device name, device identifier, hardware model, operating system version, application version, software identifier, language, region, time zone and related settings;

(b) network information, such as IP address, mobile network provider ID and network connection information;

(c) log information, such as access time, access frequency, access IP address, error logs, crash logs, restart logs, upgrade logs and other event information; and

(d) location information, where a specific function requires location access. Such location information may include approximate or precise location derived from GPS, WLAN or network identifiers. You may disable location permissions through your device settings.

How and Why We Use Personal Data

We may use Personal Data for the purposes described below.

2.1 To organize and conduct research interviews

We use your Personal Data to invite you to interviews, verify your participation, provide interview links, support interview sessions, guide and conduct interviews, including AI-moderated interviews where applicable, record interviews where applicable, generate transcripts, organize interview materials, maintain interview records, conduct quality review and handle related inquiries or disputes.

In an AI-moderated interview, the AI interviewer may ask questions, generate follow-up questions based on your responses, adjust subsequent questions or the interview flow, and assist in generating interview summaries and research insights.

By participating in an interview, you permit us to review, analyze, store and use your responses and other Interview Data for conducting the interview, preparing and delivering research outputs to the Commissioning Client, research analysis, quality review, service improvement, recordkeeping, security, troubleshooting and dispute handling, as described in this Privacy Policy.

Where an interview involves audio, video or screen recording, or other processing for which consent is required by applicable law, we will provide appropriate notice and obtain such consent as required.

2.2 To generate and provide research analysis to the Commissioning Client

We use Interview Data to prepare research analysis, insights, summaries, reports and related deliverables for the Commissioning Client. Such outputs may include interview records, transcripts, excerpts, summaries, themes, user segments, research insights or other analysis generated from the interview.

Where possible, we may provide research outputs in de-identified, aggregated or summarized form. However, depending on the nature of the research project and the agreed deliverables, certain Interview Data may be shared with the Commissioning Client in identifiable or potentially identifiable form, as further described in Section 4.

2.3 To operate, maintain and secure Tapien

We use technical, usage and log information to support account login and access, system security, troubleshooting, service maintenance, service optimization, fraud prevention, abuse prevention and data security.

2.4 To improve our services and research capabilities

We may use Personal Data, including Interview Data, for internal analysis, product improvement, research process optimization, quality control, service evaluation and statistical analysis.

We do not currently use identifiable Interview Data for model training or fine-tuning. We may, however, use data that has been anonymized so that it can no longer reasonably be linked to an identifiable individual for model training, model evaluation and testing, automated system improvement or similar purposes.

Where separately presented to you as an optional choice, we may also use de-identified excerpts of your interview for website examples, market or research reports, case studies, product demonstrations, educational materials or training materials. We will not use identifiable interview recordings, voice, image or likeness for such external or public-facing purposes unless this is separately disclosed to you and permitted by applicable law. Declining such optional use will not affect your ability to participate in the interview.

2.5 To communicate with you

We may use your contact information to send interview-related notices, system notices, important service updates, security notices, responses to your inquiries, and other communications relating to your participation in research activities.

2.6 To comply with law and protect legal rights

We may process Personal Data where necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, court orders or lawful requests from public authorities, or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

3.1 Cookies

To support the normal provision, security and basic functionality of Tapien, we may store small data files known as cookies on your computer or mobile device.

Cookies may be used to maintain your session, support interview access, remember necessary settings, prevent fraud, maintain security and ensure the normal operation of Tapien.

We do not use cookies in connection with Tapien for targeted advertising or marketing profiling.

3.2 Website beacons and pixel tags

We may use similar technologies such as web beacons and pixel tags where necessary to support service delivery, system notices, security, troubleshooting or other operational purposes.

We do not use such technologies in connection with Tapien for targeted advertising or marketing profiling.

3.3 Do Not Track

Some web browsers offer a “Do Not Track” feature or similar privacy controls. Because there is currently no uniform industry standard governing responses to all such signals, our response may depend on the nature of the signal and applicable law.

Where applicable law requires us to recognize a valid privacy preference signal, we will do so as required by law.

How We Share Personal Data

We do not sell your Personal Data. We do not share Personal Data for cross-context behavioral advertising.

We may share or disclose Personal Data only as described below.

4.1 Commissioning Client

We may share Interview Data and related Personal Data with the Commissioning Client to the extent necessary for the relevant research project.

Depending on the project arrangements and interview materials provided to you, the Commissioning Client may receive identifiable interview recordings, transcripts, answers, screen recordings where applicable, research summaries, analysis results or other research deliverables, including the full recorded interview where applicable.

Where the Commissioning Client independently determines the purposes and means of its processing of the Personal Data it receives, it is responsible for such processing in accordance with applicable laws and any privacy notices or terms applicable to it.

We will require the Commissioning Client, through contractual or other appropriate arrangements, to process Personal Data only for lawful research-related purposes, implement appropriate security measures, and not use or disclose Personal Data beyond the authorized scope.

The Commissioning Client is also responsible, to the extent determined or controlled by it, for the lawful and appropriate conduct of the relevant research project, including participant selection and recruitment, research objectives, questions, materials and instructions provided for the project, any incentives or compensation offered to Participants, and its subsequent use of the interview results and research outputs.

4.2 Service providers

We may share Personal Data with service providers that support Tapien, including cloud hosting providers, storage providers, IT service providers, technical support providers, security providers, transcription or analysis service providers, and providers supporting AI functionality, model access or related technical infrastructure.

Our AI-related service providers currently include AWS Bedrock and OpenRouter, through which Tapien may access third-party AI models. The particular AI models used may change from time to time as our services are updated or improved.

We require service providers to process Personal Data only for authorized purposes and to implement appropriate confidentiality, data protection and security measures, as applicable.

4.3 Legal and regulatory disclosure

We may disclose Personal Data where required by applicable law, legal process, court order, regulatory requirement or lawful request from competent authorities, or where necessary to protect our rights, safety, property, users or the public.

4.4 Corporate transactions

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, restructuring, divestiture, bankruptcy, dissolution or other transfer of all or part of our business or assets, Personal Data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards and applicable legal requirements.

Where We Store and Process Personal Data

Tapien’s primary server infrastructure is located in the United States. Personal Data collected through Tapien is primarily stored and processed in the United States for purposes including interview administration, research analysis, system operation, security management and provision of related services.

We may use cloud infrastructure, AI, technical support and other service providers to support the operation of Tapien. We require such service providers to implement appropriate security measures and process Personal Data only for authorized purposes, as applicable.

How We Protect Personal Data

We adopt technical and organizational measures designed to protect Personal Data against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, misuse or destruction.

These measures may include access control, encryption, transmission security, logging, security monitoring, internal authorization management, confidentiality obligations, employee training and vendor management.

We require service providers processing Personal Data on our behalf to implement appropriate security measures and to process Personal Data in accordance with applicable contractual obligations.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If a Personal Data breach occurs, we will take appropriate remedial measures and notify affected individuals and competent authorities where required by applicable law.

Retention of Personal Data

We retain Personal Data only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including to conduct and analyze research interviews, provide deliverables to the Commissioning Client, maintain business records, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce agreements.

The specific retention period may vary depending on the nature of the research project, the type of data, applicable legal requirements and contractual arrangements with the Commissioning Client.

When Personal Data is no longer required, we will delete, anonymize or otherwise dispose of it in accordance with applicable law and our internal data retention procedures.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your state of residence and applicable U.S. privacy laws, you may have certain rights regarding your Personal Data, including the right to:

(a) request access to or confirmation of the Personal Data we process about you;

(b) request correction of inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data;

(d) request a copy of certain Personal Data in a portable format;

(e) obtain information regarding certain categories of Personal Data we collect, use or disclose;

(f) withdraw consent to certain processing where applicable;

(g) opt out of certain processing activities, including the sale of Personal Data, targeted advertising or certain profiling activities, where applicable;

(h) limit or withdraw consent to certain processing of sensitive Personal Data where provided by applicable law;

(i) appeal our decision on a privacy rights request where applicable; and

(j) exercise applicable privacy rights without unlawful discrimination.

We do not currently sell Personal Data or use Personal Data for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Tapien may use AI-assisted tools to generate transcripts, summaries, tags, themes, insights and other research outputs. We do not use such tools to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on Participants, unless separately disclosed and permitted by applicable law.

These rights may be subject to limitations and exceptions under applicable law. For example, we may be required or permitted to retain certain information for legal, security, contractual or evidentiary purposes.

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the contact details set out in Section 12. We may ask you to provide information necessary to verify your identity and process your request. Authorized agents may submit requests where permitted by applicable law, subject to applicable verification and authorization requirements.

Where copies of your Interview Data have already been provided to the Commissioning Client in accordance with this Privacy Policy or applicable project-specific materials, such copies may be outside our direct control. Where required by applicable law or reasonably practicable, we may forward or facilitate your request with the relevant Commissioning Client.

Children and Minors

Tapien is not intended for children under 13 years of age, and children under 13 may not participate in interviews through Tapien or provide Personal Data through the service.

Before entering an interview, you will be required to confirm that you are 13 years of age or older. If you do not provide such confirmation, you will not be permitted to proceed with the interview.

We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from children under 13, and Commissioning Clients are not permitted to knowingly use Tapien to conduct interviews with children under 13.

If we become aware that we have collected Personal Data from a child under 13, we will take reasonable steps to delete such information or otherwise handle it as required by applicable law.

If you are 13 years of age or older but have not reached the age of majority, your participation in a particular research project may be subject to additional requirements under applicable law or project-specific terms.

Updates to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, processing activities, technologies, legal requirements or business operations.

The updated version will be made available through Tapien or other appropriate channels.

Where required by applicable law, we will provide additional notice or obtain your consent before making material changes that affect your rights or our processing of your Personal Data.

Third-Party Links and Services

Tapien may contain links to third-party websites, platforms or services.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to Personal Data processed independently by third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy notices of such third parties before providing Personal Data to them.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions, comments or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our processing of your Personal Data, please contact us at:

TAPIEN TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Address: 573 BELLEVUE ROAD, SUITE D NEWARK, DE 19713

Email: support@tapien.com

Supplementary Provisions

This Privacy Policy forms part of the privacy and data protection terms applicable to your participation in research interviews conducted through Tapien.

If any project-specific notice, consent form or interview instruction is provided to you, such document will apply together with this Privacy Policy. Where the Commissioning Client provides its own privacy policy, privacy notice, terms, participation instructions or other project-specific materials in connection with the relevant research project, such materials will apply to the Commissioning Client’s processing of your Personal Data and other aspects of the research project within its responsibility. The Commissioning Client is responsible for complying with its obligations and commitments under such materials and for the conduct of the relevant research project to the extent determined or controlled by it.

In the event of any inconsistency, the project-specific notice or consent form will prevail to the extent it provides more specific information about the relevant research project. The Commissioning Client’s privacy policy or notice will govern its own processing activities and will not replace or limit this Privacy Policy with respect to Personal Data processed by Tapien.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy limits or excludes any rights you may have under applicable privacy laws.

If any dispute arises regarding our processing of your Personal Data, we encourage you to contact us first so that we may seek to address your concerns.