Privacy & Consent Notice

This page explains what we collect, why, how we protect it, and your choices. It applies to website visitors and to research participants (e.g., interviewees). This is general information, not legal advice.

1) Who We Are

This site is a non-commercial, research-only project operated by an F-1 student in the United States. Contact: hi@businessleaders.ai.
Mailing location: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.

2) What We Collect

A) From Website Visitors

• Technical data: IP address, device/browser info, pages viewed, timestamps (via server logs and privacy-preserving analytics, if enabled).
• Form data: name, email, organization, and the message you submit.
• Cookies: only those needed to run the site; if any non-essential cookies are used, we’ll show a banner and let you opt out.

B) From Research Participants (Interviews / Case Submissions)

• Contact & scheduling: name, email, role, company, timezone, preferred meeting times.
• Consent records: your signed/checked consent and any preferences (e.g., anonymity).
• Interview data: audio/video recordings (if you agree), transcripts, notes.
• Shared materials: documents you provide (e.g., policies, templates), only if you have rights to share them.
• Metadata: interview date/time and related tags (e.g., function, industry).

We do not intentionally collect sensitive data (e.g., health, financial account numbers). Please do not submit confidential or proprietary information without authorization.

3) Why We Collect It (Purposes)

• Operate and secure the website (logs, basic analytics).
• Coordinate research participation (scheduling, reminders, consent).
• Conduct academic research (interviews, analysis, case studies, dissertation).
• Publish aggregated insights (papers, presentations, practitioner briefs, book).
• Comply with requests (access/correction) and maintain records.

4) Our Non-Commercial Status (F-1 Compliance)

This site is non-commercial. We do not sell products or services, accept compensation (money or gifts), run ads/sponsorships/affiliates, or solicit paid work. Participation is voluntary.

5) Consent & Your Choices

A) Website Visitors

• Submitting a form = you consent to us using that info to reply and manage your request.
• If we ever use non-essential cookies, we’ll ask for consent via a banner.

B) Research Participants

Before any interview, we request written consent (checkbox/signature). That form will state:

• The research purpose and what participation involves.
• Whether the session will be recorded (only with your permission).
• Options for anonymity or attribution (default is anonymity).
• Your right to decline or stop recording at any time.
• Your right to withdraw participation before publication. (After publication, we may not be able to retract already-published aggregated material, but we’ll honor reasonable future removal requests from our own repositories.)

Two-party consent approach: We treat all sessions as if two-party consent laws apply—record only after you affirm permission.

6) Anonymization & De-Identification

• We generally remove names, direct identifiers, and any details that reasonably link a statement to a specific person or company (unless you request attribution).
• If needed, we aggregate or mask details (e.g., “a mid-size US manufacturer” instead of a company name).
• We store any re-identification key separately and restrict access.

7) How We Protect Data (Security)

• Encryption at rest and in transit where supported.
• Access controls (need-to-know), multi-factor authentication, and audit trails where possible.
• Limited processors/vendors with appropriate data protections (see below).

8) How Long We Keep Data (Retention)

• Raw audio/video: typically 12–24 months (or per university policy) to complete accurate transcription and analysis.
• Transcripts/notes/anonymized datasets: typically 5–7 years (or per university policy/publication requirements).
• Consent records & minimal metadata: retained as long as needed to document research integrity.
• Website logs/form submissions: as short as feasible for operations/security.

We review retention annually and delete or further de-identify where possible.

9) Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell data. We may share:

• Anonymized/aggregated insights in academic and practitioner outputs.
• Vendors/Processors that help us operate (e.g., scheduling, video, storage, transcription).
• University/IRB officials for ethics oversight (if required).
• Legal compliance (if we must respond to lawful requests).

Typical Vendors (examples; may change)

• Scheduling/video: Calendly, Zoom/Google Meet
• Storage: Google Drive/OneDrive (university or enterprise accounts preferred)
• Transcription: OpenAI/Whisper/Otter (configured for privacy where possible)
• Site/analytics: Hosting provider + privacy-preserving analytics

We enable security features, disable ad/remarketing features, and sign Data Processing Agreements when available.

10) Cookies & Analytics

We aim to use no or minimal, privacy-preserving analytics. If non-essential cookies are ever used, we’ll provide a banner with options to accept or decline.

11) Your Rights & How to Use Them

Subject to applicable law and research integrity constraints, you may:

• Access: request a copy of your personal data we hold.
• Correct: ask us to fix inaccuracies.
• Withdraw (participants): withdraw before publication; request deletion of contact/recordings where feasible.
• Limit: ask us not to use your direct quotes in publications (we can keep anonymized notes for integrity).
• Complain: raise concerns with us; if applicable, with your institution’s IRB or relevant authority.

To exercise rights, email hi@businessleaders.ai with enough detail to locate your records (e.g., interview date/email used).

12) International Transfers

Your data may be stored or processed in the US or other locations where our vendors operate. We apply reasonable safeguards regardless of location.

13) Children

This project does not recruit minors. Please do not submit information about or from individuals under 18.

14) Third-Party Links

Links to other sites are for convenience; we don’t control their privacy practices. Review their policies.

15) Changes to This Notice

We may update this page. The “Last updated” date shows the latest version. Material changes will be highlighted for a reasonable time.

16) Contact

Questions about privacy, consent, corrections, or takedown requests: hi@businessleaders.ai
Please include relevant URLs and details so we can respond promptly.

Appendix A — Participant Consent (Plain-English Summary)

Purpose: To learn from real experiences of AI adoption (successes and failures) and publish anonymized insights (papers, briefs, dissertation, and a book).
What you’ll do: A voluntary interview (usually 45–75 minutes). Optionally provide non-confidential artifacts (policies/templates) you have rights to share.
Recording: With your permission only. You can decline, pause, or stop recording anytime.
Risks: Low; avoid sharing confidential/proprietary info. We anonymize and de-identify to reduce risk.
Benefits: Contribute to collective knowledge; shape better practices for responsible AI adoption.
Confidentiality: We anonymize by default. You can opt into attribution if you wish.
Withdrawal: You may withdraw before publication and ask us to delete recordings/contact data.
No compensation: This is a non-commercial, research-only project; no payments or gifts.
Questions/Concerns: hi@businessleaders.ai

Consent Checkbox (for your form)

I consent to participate in this research. I understand the purpose, that participation is voluntary, and that I can withdraw before publication. I agree to the Privacy & Consent Notice.

Optional Recording Checkbox

I agree that this session may be audio/video recorded for accuracy. I understand I can decline, pause, or stop recording at any time.

Optional Anonymity Preference

By default my participation will be anonymized.
☐ I prefer anonymity (default).
☐ I consent to attribution (name/title/company) in publications.

Confidentiality Reminder (display near the submit button)

Please do not share confidential or proprietary information without authorization.

Appendix B — Microcopy for Scheduling Pages / Email Footer

• Scheduling page note:
  Interviews are voluntary and may be recorded with permission. This is a non-commercial, research-only project operated by an F-1 student. Learn more: /legal/privacy-consent.
• Email footer:
  Research-only; no sales, ads, compensation, or sponsorships. Participation is voluntary and may be withdrawn before publication. Questions: hi@businessleaders.ai.