Sonova Data Privacy Notice

Dear visitor,

You are invited to join the Sonova private panel, managed by TestingTime, which serves as the Data Processor. This panel is a database of potential participants for future research studies conducted by Sonova AG, the Data Controller. This document explains what data is collected and how it is used.

In the event you freely decide to enroll in this panel, please note that every study is conducted in compliance with local law requirements, including but not limited to: the revised Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (“FDPA”), the Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (“GDPR”), and/or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) with regard to any personal data that qualifies as Protected Health Information.

In addition, we adhere to and respect the responsibility we have to non-disclosure in relation to your information and participation in our processes.

We kindly ask you to carefully read the following declaration before consenting to enroll in the panel of individuals to be contacted for future studies by clicking below.

1. 1. Sonova will only collect strictly necessary personal data in order to evaluate your eligibility for participating in future studies. This activity is based on your free consent to enroll in this database.
   2. To evaluate your eligibility for future studies, the following personal data will be processed: First and last name, Date of birth, Gender, Country, Postal code, Time zone, Languages, Profile picture (optional), Email (mandatory for validation), Mobile phone number (mandatory for validation through double sign-up), Hearing ability (self-reported by Consumers only), Use of assistive devices (requested from Consumers only), (Expected) usage of hearing app features (requested from Consumers only), Professional title (requested from hearing care professionals only), Type of practice (requested from hearing care professionals only), Frequency of fitting patients (requested from hearing care professionals only),  Percentage of sales consisting of Sonova brands (requested from hearing care professionals only), Employed by Sonova (requested from hearing care professionals only), Operating system, IP address, Date and time of registration    
   3. Any financial information necessary to compensate for the participation is collected and processed by TestingTime solely. This means that Sonova will not receive nor process this information.
   4. Before participating in any specific study, you will be provided with a consent form for the study.
   5. All collected personal data, including health data, which is gathered during a study, will be analyzed, and are collected for the purpose of improving and further developing the quality and functionality of our hearing devices and accessories, in line with the information provided by the specific consent form describing the study.
   6. All collected personal information is treated carefully and is only accessible for the members of Sonova`s study team. Additionally, some of these studies also fall under regulations of the Cantonal Ethics Committee and collected data may also be audited by the competent authority Swissmedic.
   7. In addition, results may be furthermore used for scientific meetings or publications. In this case, all information is presented in a summarized form. This means that individual information is not identifiable. Anonymized data may be shared with others for study purposes or to verify results to other researchers; any researchers; any data that is shared does NOT include the names of participants.
   8. Sonova AG may share Personal Data, subject to your consent and/or on a relevant legal basis, with the following third parties:
      1. Other companies in the Sonova group, such as subsidiaries and affiliated companies
      2. Trusted business partners providing services on our behalf, such as, for technical support, or for other types of service delivery.
      3. Governmental authorities and public authorities, as far as this is necessary to provide any services that have been requested or authorized, to protect customers, contractor and partners’ rights, or our or others’ rights, property or safety, to maintain the security of our services or if we are required to do so because of Applicable Law, court or other governmental regulations, or if such disclosure is otherwise necessary in support of any legal or criminal investigation or legal proceeding

      Depending on Applicable Law, we implement contracts with some third parties to ensure that Personal Data are processed based on our instructions and in compliance with this Policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.

   9. If Personal Data are not processed within the European Union/European Economic Area, and in the event Personal Data are disclosed to third parties located outside the Data Subject’s jurisdiction, Sonova AG will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect Personal Data by implementing appropriate legal mechanisms. Those mechanisms may differ depending on the country and relevant Applicable Law.
   10. Your personal data will be retained for a minimal period proportional to the time required to fulfil the purpose of the Study. For example, your personal data is processed until you revoke the consent you freely decided to give us, and, in any case, we keep your data in the Sonova’s recruitment tool no longer than 10 years after the last study is conducted.
   11. Within the framework of the collection and processing of your personal data, and as per applicable law, you may have the right to request access, rectification, erasure of your personal data, or restriction of processing. In addition, you may object to the processing, request data portability and withdraw your consent at any time. According to your country, you may have other rights such as providing instructions for how your personal data should be processed posthumously.
       For example, as a participant of the research recruitment you have the right to review the collected data concerning your person and inform us in case, we have to update your personal information. Please, either send an email to your study manager at uxresearch@sonova.com or at privacy@sonova.com.
       In case you do not consent to the use of your personal data in the context of a study, and we would not be allowed legally to delete your personal data, you can directly address your concerns to the responsible data protection authority^.
   12. Sharing information about the content of studies or showing hearing devices to hearing aid acousticians or competitors is prohibited for all participants.