MilPasos
About MilPasos
MilPasos is a research application developed jointly by the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp and the Queen Astrid Military Hospital (Defense) in Brussels. The app is currently used for civil and military research projects in the medical field. The app enables researchers to collect valuable data via questionnaires and address crucial research questions. The MilPasos app is used for distributing and collecting research questionnaires. However, access to these questionnaires requires a personal identifier code.
MilPasos was supported by the research budget HFM 20-10; granted by the Royal Higher Institute for Defense, Brussels, Belgium.
FAQ
How do I receive a personal identifier code?
To obtain your personal identification code, you first need to sign up for a study on its dedicated study page on our website. Complete the Informed Consent Form (ICF) and sign it using your e-mail address. Once submitted, you will receive your personal identification code in your mailbox.
After downloading the MilPasos app, you will be prompted to enter a personal identification code. This unique code allows you to log in to the app and access the questionnaires for the specific study you have signed up for. Please note that this code does not grant access to all ongoing studies.
You can find an overview of ongoing studies on our website.
How can I access my profile?
After logging in with your unique code, you will be taken to the home page of the app. To change the language or access additional information about the app, tap the Profile button at the bottom of your screen.
In a study with multiple questionnaires, the app will send reminders when completion of a questionnaire is due. Besides these reminders, no other notifications are sent. Make sure to enable notifications in your phone settings to receive these reminders.
The app is available in Dutch, English, and French.
Does the app track my location?
No, the app does not track your location.
However, if required for a study, it may collect limited country-level information from your IP address. This means it can identify the country you are in but not your exact coordinates or full IP address. If such information is necessary, it will be disclosed in the Informed Consent Form, and your permission will be requested beforehand.
I have a question. Who should I contact?
Contact the study investigator.
You can find the contact details of the investigator of your study in the Informed Consent Form (ICF) that you signed before participating in the study.
I want to withdraw from a study. How do I proceed?
Contact the Study Investigator to request the deletion of your ICF form and the data that has already been collected.
You can find the contact details of the investigator of your study in the Informed Consent Form (ICF) that you signed before participating in the study.
Where can I find the Informed Consent Form?
After you signed the Informed Consent Form (ICF) through our website, a PDF copy of your form will be sent to your mailbox.
Privacy policy MilPasos
About the app and the purpose of the Personal Data processing
MilPasos is an app developed jointly by the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM, Antwerp) and the Queen Astrid Military Hospital (Defense, Brussels), who both act as the joint Data Controllers for the processing of your Personal Data. In order for you to be able to use the app and to be able to perform meaningful scientific research based on the input data of the users, we need to collect Personal Data from you (see below).
Categories of Personal Data we process from you
The types of Personal Data that the MilPasos app collects include:
Gender
Age category
Country of origin
Study-specific information (e.g., travel dates, duration, …)
We do not collect your name at any moment. We only collect your e-mail address for the purpose of sending you the log-in information and verification.
The lawful basis of Personal Data processing
The provision and processing of certain Personal Data is necessary to use the Services. By accepting the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, you give your consent to the processing of the Data in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
It is also possible that your Personal Data is used for future scientific research. The exception ground of Art. 9.2 j of the General Data Protection Regulation for the processing of sensitive Personal Data can also be invoked for scientific research purposes. In this case, your data will always be pseudonymised (your e-mail will be used to generate a code, however, the e-mail addresses and codes will be stored separately, which makes you not directly identifiable) and wherever possible, your data will be completely anonymised. Your name or identifiable information will also never show up in any publications arising from such research.
The Controllers may also process Personal Data relating to Users if such processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation as a legal basis incumbent on the Controllers.
Confidentiality and security
The processing of your Personal Data is done in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Controllers take appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorised access to, disclosure, modification or destruction of the Personal Data. The mobile app has been designed in compliance with high technical security standards and Privacy-by-Design and Privacy-by-Default principles.
The processing of the Personal Data takes place with the use of computers and/or IT tools, following organisational procedures and practices that are closely aligned with the stated purposes. In addition to the Controller, the Personal Data may in certain cases also be accessible to certain parties involved in the operation of the app or external parties appointed by the Controller as Data Processors (such as external technical service providers, hosting providers and the app developer). The updated list of these parties can be requested from the Controllers at any time. When data is transferred to Data Processors of the Controller, strict security measures and rules around confidentiality are contractually established.
Location of data processing
The Data is processed at the Controllers’ offices and other places where the parties involved in the processing are located, such as Combell Belgium which is responsible for the hosting of the app. Your Personal Data will not be transferred outside of the European Economic Area, unless it can be fully anonymised and only to allow for scientific research purposes.
Retention periods
Personal Data are processed and stored as long as necessary for the purpose for which they were collected. Your e-mail address will be retained for as long as you have an active account. After 6 months, all Personal Data will be deleted automatically.
After completion of a questionnaire, the data cannot be accessed anymore on the app (it will be stored in a separate server).
Personal Data may be completely anonymised to enable long-term scientific research. Based on this Data, it is impossible to identify you as the data subject any more.
Your rights as a data subject
In compliance with the GDPR, users may exercise certain rights in relation to their Personal Data processed by the Controllers.
In particular, you have the following rights:
Withdraw your consent at any time: Users have the right to withdraw their consent if they have previously consented to the processing of their Personal Data.
Access their Data: Users have the right to know about certain aspects of the processing and to obtain a copy of the Data being processed.
To verify and request rectification: Users have the right to verify the accuracy of their Data and request its updating or rectification.
To restrict the processing of their Data: Users have the right to restrict the processing of their Data under certain circumstances. In this case, the Controllers will not process their Data for purposes other than its storage.
To have their Personal Data erased or otherwise deleted: Users have the right, under certain circumstances, to have the Controllers erase their Data. After 6 months of completion of the questionnaires, all participants’ emails will be deleted and no right of deletion. Please note that once Personal Data is fully anonymised, the Data is no longer considered to be Personal Data and none of the above rights can still be exerted.
To receive their Data and have it transferred to another Controller: Users have the right to obtain their Data in a structured, common and machine-readable form and, if technically possible, to transfer that Data to another Party.
Requests to exercise User Rights may be addressed to the Data Controllers using the contact details provided below. These requests are free of charge and will be dealt with by the Data Controller as soon as possible and always within one month.
Cookie policy
MilPasos does not use Trackers.
Updates to the Privacy Policy
The Controller reserves the right to make changes to this privacy policy at any time by notifying its Users on this page and possibly within the MilPasos app - to the extent technically and legally feasible - by sending notice to Users via contact details available to the Controller. We encourage you to check this page frequently for any changes. The date of the last change is indicated at the bottom of the page. If the changes concern processing activities based on User consent, the Controller will obtain User consent again, to the extent required.
This privacy policy has been prepared based on provisions of various legislative rules, including Article 13/14 of European Regulation 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation).
Most recent update: 13/03/2024
Further information
If you have any questions about the processing of your Personal Data or wish to exercise your rights as a data subject, please contact the Data Controllers at:
Institute of Tropical Medicine
☎ +32 3 247 07 43
✉ privacy@itg.be
Queen Astrid Military Hospital
✉ dpo@mil.be
If you believe that Data Controllers are not processing your data appropriately, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority.