Last updated: 24 August 2026
Privacy commitment. SCANNER Lens is designed to support research conducted under appropriate research ethics and governance arrangements, while giving participants clear information and practical control over the screen recordings they choose to contribute.
SCANNER Lens is a research application developed and maintained by Deakin University, Australia. The platform was designed to support public health and social science research by enabling participants to securely complete research activities and contribute digital content, including screen recordings.
SCANNER Lens is a research tool and is not a commercial product. Researchers and organisations using SCANNER Lens are required, as a condition of access to the platform, to ensure that research involving human participants has received approval from an appropriate independent research ethics committee or equivalent ethics review body, and that the study is conducted in accordance with applicable research ethics, governance and consent requirements.
SCANNER Lens may be used by Deakin University researchers and in collaboration with external research partners. Deakin University is responsible for the development, operation and governance of the SCANNER Lens platform.
Participation in research using SCANNER Lens is voluntary. Participants should be provided with study-specific information about participation, consent, withdrawal arrangements, data handling and privacy protections by the researchers responsible for the study.
Information collected through SCANNER Lens must be used and managed in accordance with the ethics, privacy, consent and research governance requirements applicable to the relevant study.
This Privacy Statement applies to:
The specific eligibility, consent and participation arrangements for each study are determined by the researchers responsible for that study and will be explained in the relevant study information and consent materials.
Questions about participation in a specific study, including consent, withdrawal, data use or complaints, should be directed to the research team responsible for that study using the contact details provided in the relevant study information and consent materials.
For questions about SCANNER Lens platform, including its operation, privacy features or technical issues, contact: scanner@deakin.edu.au
SCANNER Lens collects information needed to support the research study in which it is being used. The exact information collected will depend on the study and should be described in the relevant study information and consent materials.
Information collected through SCANNER Lens is used for the purposes of the research study in which the participant is taking part, as described in the relevant study information and consent materials.
Information collected through SCANNER Lens may include:
| Information type | What it may include | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Screen recordings | Content visible on the participant's screen while recording is active | Participant's device |
| Recording metadata | Timestamp, recording duration, task information and app identifier, where applicable | Automatically generated |
| Account information | Study-issued participant identifier and authentication credentials used to access SCANNER Lens | Study records and participant |
| Device and application information | Device model, operating system version, application version and technical information necessary to operate and troubleshoot the application. | Participant's device |
| Push notification information | A device notification token may be collected to enable push notifications. | Participant's device |
SCANNER Lens captures screen recordings only. It does not record microphone audio and cannot access the device camera.
Because screen recordings capture what is visible on the participant's screen while recording is active, they may incidentally contain personal, sensitive or identifying information. Participants are able to review and edit recordings before final submission, as described in section 5.
SCANNER Lens includes a range of features designed to give participants control over screen recording and reduce the risk of unintended collection or disclosure of personal information.
Screen recording occurs only when the participant actively initiates it. SCANNER Lens does not continuously record device activity. The application uses native operating-system screen recording mechanisms: Apple ReplayKit Broadcast Extension on iOS and MediaProjection foreground service on Android.
Participants receive the operating-system indication that screen recording is active and can stop recording at any time.
Recordings are stored within the SCANNER Lens application and are not saved to the device's photo library, gallery or camera roll. This reduces the risk of recordings being inadvertently accessed, shared or synchronised through other applications or cloud photo services.
The default option in SCANNER Lens is that screen recordings remain within the application while study activities are being completed and are automatically removed from the application once study tasks have been completed.
Before final submission, participants can play back recordings and use the available editing tools to trim, cut, combine and mark recording segments. These features allow participants to remove sensitive, personal or irrelevant content before it is submitted for research. If a recording is edited, only the edited version is retained within the app.
Researchers and organisations using SCANNER Lens are required, as a condition of access to the platform, to agree that they are responsible for maintaining appropriate independent ethics approval and for ensuring that participant recruitment, consent and research conduct comply with the requirements applicable to their study.
For research involving human participants, consent arrangements must meet the requirements of the relevant ethics approval and applicable law. This includes, where applicable, parent or guardian consent for minors.
Participants should be provided with study-specific information about participation, the nature and purpose of the research, study procedures, relevant risks and benefits, consent, withdrawal arrangements, data handling, any sharing of information with third parties, contact details for questions, and privacy protections before deciding whether to take part.
Access to SCANNER Lens is restricted to invited participants. A temporary password is generated when a participant is invited to access the application. After logging in, the participant has the option to change the password. Uploads are authenticated.
Screen recording occurs only when the participant actively starts it. Participants control when recording starts and stops, and SCANNER Lens does not continuously monitor or record device activity.
After recordings are created, they remain accessible within SCANNER Lens while the participant completes the required study activities. Participants can review their recordings and use the available editing tools to remove personal, sensitive or irrelevant content before final submission.
After completing the required study activities, the participant is asked to confirm that they wish to finalise their submission.
Before final submission, participants are informed that their recordings will then be transferred for research processing and that, depending on the study arrangements, withdrawal of those recordings may no longer be possible once processing has commenced. The participant must actively confirm before final submission occurs.
Any additional study-specific consent or withdrawal arrangements, including how information already provided will be handled, should be explained in the relevant study information and consent materials.
Access to information collected through SCANNER Lens is limited to authorised members of the relevant research team and other persons authorised under the arrangements for the relevant study.
De-identified or appropriately protected data may be shared with collaborators, partner organisations, funders or service providers where this is permitted under the ethics, governance and consent arrangements applicable to the study.
Where information is shared with an authorised third party, appropriate privacy, security, contractual and governance arrangements must be in place to require protection of that information to a standard consistent with this Privacy Statement and the requirements applicable to the relevant study.
Researchers and organisations using SCANNER Lens are responsible for ensuring that information collected through the platform is accessed, used and disclosed only in accordance with the ethics, governance and consent arrangements applicable to their study.
Participant information is not:
Deakin University is committed to protecting information collected through SCANNER Lens.
SCANNER Lens incorporates a range of technical and organisational measures designed to reduce risks to participant privacy, including:
Research information is retained for the period specified in the approved study protocol and Participant Information and Consent Form, consistent with applicable institutional, legal and funding requirements. Study-specific documentation will explain how research information is retained, managed and securely disposed of. Participants may request withdrawal or deletion of information by contacting the research team identified in the relevant study information and consent materials.
Some studies using SCANNER Lens may involve researchers, collaborators or service providers located outside Australia.
Where information is handled internationally, the researchers or organisation responsible for the study should inform participants of the relevant arrangements and ensure that appropriate privacy, contractual, security, ethics and governance requirements are met.
The rights available to participants will depend on the arrangements and legal requirements applicable to the relevant study. Subject to those arrangements, participants may be able to:
Some rights may be limited where information has been de-identified, incorporated into analysis, retained under an approved research protocol, or must be kept to meet legal or research-integrity requirements.
Study-specific information and consent materials should explain the rights and withdrawal arrangements applicable to the relevant study.
Researchers using SCANNER Lens are expected to take appropriate steps to protect participant privacy and confidentiality.
Information may nevertheless need to be disclosed where required by law or under the arrangements applicable to the relevant study, including where there is a serious safety or wellbeing concern.
Any study-specific limits to confidentiality, including mandatory reporting obligations, should be explained to participants before consent is obtained.
Questions or concerns about participation in a particular study, including concerns about the ethical conduct of the research, should be directed to the research team or organisation responsible for that study using the contact details provided in the relevant study information and consent materials.
Questions or concerns specifically relating to the operation or privacy features of the SCANNER Lens platform may be directed to: scanner@deakin.edu.au
Where Deakin University is the organisation responsible for the research study, participants may also use the applicable Deakin University research ethics or privacy complaints processes.
Depending on the nature of the concern and the applicable jurisdiction, participants may also have the right to contact an appropriate privacy, research or regulatory authority.
This Privacy Statement may be updated to reflect changes to SCANNER Lens, research governance requirements or applicable law.
The current version will be made available through the application or relevant website. Where a material change affects active participants, the researchers responsible for the relevant study should communicate the change and, where required, seek updated consent in accordance with the arrangements applicable to that study.