Terms & Conditions

Your Privacy Matters

Important: EZCap processes all videos locally in your web browser. Your videos are never uploaded to our servers and are not stored anywhere. All motion analysis happens on your device, ensuring complete privacy and data security.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using the EZCap platform ("Platform," "Service," or "Software"), you accept and agree to be bound by the terms and provision of this agreement. If you do not agree to these Terms & Conditions, please do not use this Platform.

These Terms & Conditions apply to all users of the Platform, including researchers, healthcare professionals, physical therapists, students, and any other visitors or users of the service.

2. Description of Service

EZCap is a web-based motion capture and biomechanical analysis platform developed by the University of Essex. The Platform provides:

Real-time pose estimation and motion analysis using computer vision
Biomechanical assessment tools for clinical and research purposes
Joint angle calculations and movement quality feedback
Video analysis capabilities for uploaded or recorded content
Export functionality for analysis results in CSV format

Privacy-First Architecture

The Platform is designed with privacy as a core principle:

Client-Side Processing: All video analysis is performed locally in your web browser using TensorFlow.js
No Video Upload: Videos are never transmitted to our servers
No Cloud Storage: No video data is stored in any cloud storage or database
Temporary Processing: Videos are processed in real-time and discarded immediately after analysis
Local Results: All analysis results are computed and displayed locally on your device

3. Research and Educational Use

EZCap is provided as a research and educational tool. The Platform is intended for:

Academic research in biomechanics, physical therapy, and sports science
Educational purposes in healthcare and exercise science programs
Clinical assessment as a supplementary tool (not as a replacement for professional medical judgment)
Personal fitness and movement quality assessment

Medical Disclaimer

NOT A MEDICAL DEVICE: EZCap is not a certified medical device and should not be used as the sole basis for clinical diagnosis or treatment decisions. The Platform provides motion analysis data that should be interpreted by qualified healthcare professionals in conjunction with other clinical assessments.

Always consult with a licensed healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

4. User Responsibilities

As a user of the Platform, you agree to:

Use the Platform only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms
Not use the Platform in any way that violates any applicable national or international law or regulation
Not transmit or procure the transmission of any advertising or promotional material without our prior written consent
Obtain appropriate consent from any individuals appearing in videos you analyze on the Platform
Comply with all applicable data protection and privacy laws when using the Platform
Not attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or extract the source code of the Platform
Not use the Platform to develop competing products or services

5. Data Collection and Privacy

5.1 Video and Image Data

Zero Storage Policy: The Platform does not collect, store, or transmit any video or image data. All video processing occurs locally in your web browser using client-side JavaScript and TensorFlow.js. When you close your browser or navigate away from the page, all video data is permanently discarded.

5.2 Analysis Results

Motion analysis results (joint angles, pose estimates, etc.) are computed locally on your device. If you choose to download analysis results as CSV files, these files are saved directly to your device and are not transmitted to our servers.

5.3 Anonymous Usage Analytics

We may collect anonymous, aggregated usage statistics to improve the Platform, including:

Page views and navigation patterns
Browser type and version
General geographic location (country/region level only)
Feature usage frequency (e.g., which analysis tools are most popular)
Performance metrics (e.g., analysis speed, error rates)

This data is collected anonymously and cannot be used to identify individual users or reconstruct any video content.

5.4 Cookies

The Platform may use essential cookies for functionality (e.g., saving your preferences for assessment type). We do not use tracking cookies or third-party advertising cookies. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect some Platform features.

6. Intellectual Property Rights

6.1 Platform Ownership

The Platform and all its original content, features, and functionality are owned by the University of Essex and are protected by international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

6.2 User Content

You retain all rights to any videos or content you analyze using the Platform. Since videos are not uploaded to our servers, we never gain possession or ownership of your content.

6.3 Open Source Components

The Platform utilizes open-source libraries including TensorFlow.js, which are subject to their respective licenses. These components remain the property of their respective owners.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law:

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied
We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any motion analysis results
We shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Platform
Our total liability to you for any claims arising from the use of the Platform shall not exceed £100 (one hundred pounds sterling)

8. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the University of Essex, its affiliates, and their respective officers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, or expenses arising from:

Your use of the Platform
Your violation of these Terms & Conditions
Your violation of any third-party rights, including privacy rights
Any claim that your use of the Platform caused damage to a third party

9. Research Use and Publications

If you use the Platform for research purposes and publish results:

We encourage you to cite the Platform in your publications
Please acknowledge: "Motion analysis performed using EZCap (University of Essex)"
If you publish findings using the Platform, we would appreciate a copy for our records (optional)

10. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree NOT to use the Platform to:

Analyze videos of individuals without their informed consent
Violate any individual's privacy or data protection rights
Collect, store, or process videos of minors without appropriate guardian consent and ethical approval
Engage in any form of surveillance or monitoring without legal authorization
Use the Platform for any discriminatory or harmful purposes
Attempt to identify individuals in videos through facial recognition or other biometric means

11. Ethics and Informed Consent

Users conducting research or clinical assessments must:

Obtain appropriate ethical approval from their institution's ethics committee or IRB
Obtain informed consent from all participants whose videos will be analyzed
Inform participants that their data is processed locally and not stored by the Platform
Comply with all applicable data protection regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.)
Ensure participants understand how their data will be used and stored by the researcher

GDPR Compliance

For users in the European Union, the Platform is designed to be GDPR-compliant:

Data Minimization: We process only the minimum data necessary (none of your videos are stored)
Purpose Limitation: Any anonymous analytics are used solely for Platform improvement
Storage Limitation: No personal video data is stored
Transparency: We clearly explain what data (if any) we collect
User Rights: Since we don't store your videos, there's no data to request, correct, or delete

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms & Conditions at any time. Changes will be effective immediately upon posting to the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page when changes are made.

13. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Platform at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including if we believe you have violated these Terms & Conditions.

14. Governing Law

These Terms & Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

15. Funding and Acknowledgment

This Platform was developed with support from Innovate UK as part of the 5G4PHealth project. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Innovate UK.

16. Contact Information

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions about these Terms & Conditions, please contact us:

Email: dh25587@essex.ac.uk

Address:
University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester, CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these Terms will otherwise remain in full force and effect.

18. Entire Agreement

These Terms & Conditions, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and the University of Essex regarding the use of the Platform and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

                 By Using EZCap, You Acknowledge:
                You have read and understood these Terms & Conditions
You agree to be bound by these Terms
You understand that your videos are processed locally and never stored
You will obtain appropriate consent for any videos you analyze
You will use the Platform responsibly and ethically

            