Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated 9/30/2025

Effective Date: 7/3/2025

Last Updated: 11/7/2026

This policy explains how Harris Anthropological Research LLC collects, uses, and protects personal data, in keeping with ethical research standards and voluntary alignment with major privacy frameworks.

Harris Anthropological Research LLC, including its assumed names The Compass Institute for Human Inquiry and Pine and Presence Field Co. (“HAR,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), upholds privacy as a matter of dignity, stewardship, and ethical responsibility. This policy also covers Herbal Inquiries, HAR’s herbal education service. The data HAR handles often carries cultural, ecological, and personal dimensions, and HAR treats it as a form of knowledge that calls for ethical care, contextual sensitivity, and methodological rigor. HAR’s approach follows applicable law and the professional codes described in its Terms of Use and FAQ, including those of the Register of Professional Archaeologists, the User Experience Professionals Association, the Society of Ethnobiology, and the American Herbalists Guild. This policy explains how HAR collects, uses, protects, and honors the data shared by clients, research participants, learners, students, customers, and website visitors.

1. Information Collection

HAR may collect personal information when you:

request a service quote or communicate with HAR directly
take part in research or complete a recruitment form
inquire about, book, or attend an Herbal Inquiries consult
enroll in a course through The Compass Institute for Human Inquiry
purchase from Pine and Presence Field Co. or join its refill program
create an account on this site or subscribe to HAR’s email list

This information may include your name, email address, phone number, mailing or shipping address, project specifications, demographic and consumer information for research, order history, and technical details such as your IP address. For Herbal Inquiries, it may also include your health history, the medications and supplements you take, your diet and daily habits, your wellness goals, and your answers to wellness check-ins. HAR collects this health information only with your consent. You do not need to share personal information to browse this site.

2. Collection Methods

HAR collects personal data through:

quote request, contact, and research participant recruitment forms, with extra encryption for sensitive fields
the Herbal Inquiries inquiry form, the informed consent and educational disclosure you sign before a first consultation, and the intake forms for your diet diary and your medication and supplement list
your health history, which HAR asks aloud during the first consultation, held by video, so that your story is heard in your own words and not left on a form
wellness check-ins on a secure online survey that only HAR can open, where you use only your alias
course enrollment on HAR’s learning platform
shop checkout on this website, and order details Etsy shares for Etsy purchases
account creation and email list sign-ups
automated traffic logs through Google Analytics
secure email correspondence through Proton Mail
in-person or remote communication and observation

HAR gathers sensitive participant and learner information only with informed consent, written or verbal, and never shares it without express permission.

3. Purpose of Data Collection

HAR collects data to:

respond to quote requests and inquiries
communicate with clients, participants, learners, and students
coordinate service delivery, scheduling, and course access
provide Herbal Inquiries consults, written wellness plans, and follow-up check-ins, and check each herb against the medications and supplements a learner takes
process, ship, and support shop orders and refill program memberships
meet regulatory obligations for research
improve website and service performance
send newsletters and shop updates to people who have opted in

HAR does not sell personal data or use it for behavior-based marketing. HAR uses order details from Etsy purchases only to fulfill and support those orders, and does not add Etsy customers to its email list without their consent. HAR does not use Herbal Inquiries information to market products or services to learners.

4. Data Storage and Sharing

HAR keeps data only as long as the work requires. HAR moves form submissions from Wix to a secure, encrypted Proton Drive account and deletes them from Wix within 30 days. If a client asks to use a different shared drive for convenience, the client assumes the privacy risks of that platform. Before sharing any spreadsheet or dataset, HAR removes personally identifiable information and replaces it with aliases or ID numbers. HAR keeps the key that links aliases to identities separately, in a secured, locked location.

Retention periods follow the kind of work:

User experience research. HAR deletes participant contact information and destroys the alias key within 30 days after all participant compensation has been paid. HAR keeps de-identified notes for one year before deleting them, unless the client agreement sets a different period.
Cultural heritage research. HAR keeps records for the period required by the relevant agency, permit, repository, or curation agreement, up to seven years after project completion.
Herbal education. HAR keeps session records, wellness plans, and check-in responses for [number] years after a learner’s last session, then deletes them, unless the law requires a longer period. Records carry an alias code in place of your name. Beyond the inquiry form and the email used to arrange a session, HAR keeps learner contact details on paper and does not store them in electronic records. Health information travels by encrypted email or secure portal only.
Shop orders. HAR keeps order and tax records for the period tax law requires.

On request, HAR will confirm deletion in writing.

HAR uses third-party providers, such as payment processors, Etsy, Faire, Thinkific, their website and course platforms, video platforms, survey tools, secure storage, and email tools, which operate under their own privacy terms. HAR does not share personal data with unaffiliated third parties except as the law requires or with explicit consent. HAR does not sell personal or sensitive data, and does not engage in targeted advertising or automated profiling.

5. Communication with Users

HAR may contact you by email, including automated order and scheduling messages, and through direct communication about your project, session, course, or order. HAR sends newsletters and shop updates only to people who opt in. You may unsubscribe from any non-service communication at any time.

6. Cookies and Tracking Tools

HAR uses Google Analytics to monitor site traffic, and Wix, the platform that hosts this site, uses essential cookies. Together these collect anonymized data such as page visits and time on site. HAR does not use behavioral trackers or advertising cookies, and does not display cookie banners. You may disable cookies in your browser settings.

To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites, visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

7. Participant, Learner, and Community Protections

All research participation and herbal education is voluntary and governed by informed consent. HAR never discloses personally identifiable information to clients unless the participant explicitly authorizes it. HAR collects, retains, or shares sensitive data, including locations, cultural descriptors, and photographs or video, only with appropriate permission. HAR redacts combinations of details that could compromise anonymity before presenting data to clients or the public, and removes location data embedded in photographs and digital files before sharing them.

HAR protects archaeological site information as required by Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 9 of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, applicable state law, and the user and data-use agreements HAR holds with state repositories and site file databases. HAR treats traditional plant knowledge as belonging to the communities who hold it, and documents or shares it only with their free, prior, and informed consent. HAR does not disclose the locations of sensitive or vulnerable plants.

In Herbal Inquiries, HAR asks for your health history only where no one else can hear, and moves the conversation if that changes. HAR does not record a session without your written consent. HAR asks where you are at the start of each session so that, in an emergency, it can call 911 for your location. HAR never shares learner information with anyone, including your physician or prescriber, without a separate signed consent, which you may revoke at any time and which HAR does not require for your consults, except where the law requires it. HAR writes facts, not judgments, in session notes, and you may see them. When HAR suggests that you see a licensed provider, it records the suggestion and asks you to initial the note, and it records any choice you make against the suggestion. When two people who share a kitchen are seen together, each is a separate client with a separate record, and HAR shares nothing between them without each person’s separate written consent. Follow-up visits at Brushy Creek Lake Park take place in a public space, which offers less privacy than a closed room, and you choose whether to meet there. With your written permission, HAR may use a de-identified record of what a consult covered toward its American Herbalists Guild recognition. You may decline and still work with HAR.

8. Children’s Privacy

This site is intended for adults. Homeschool coursework through The Compass Institute for Human Inquiry is enrolled and managed by a parent or guardian, and HAR does not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. A parent or guardian may review or delete a child’s information at any time by contacting HAR. Herbal Inquiries serves adults, and a minor may take part only with a parent or guardian present and consenting.

9. Responsible AI Use

HAR views artificial intelligence as a helpful partner for developing ideas, drafting, and exploratory synthesis. HAR treats AI as a conversational tool with strong search and pattern-recognition abilities, never as a substitute for human research, disciplinary expertise, or ethical judgment.

HAR uses AI only for internal drafting and ideation that carries minimal ethical or privacy risk and involves no identifiable, legal, or culturally specific data. A human researcher reviews and edits every AI-assisted output before use. HAR’s AI use includes:

refining the tone, structure, and clarity of its writing
exploring alternative frameworks, typologies, and layouts
testing language for specific audiences through persona-based prompts
improving the readability of technical or scholarly content
reflecting on and strengthening internal documentation
surfacing publications and frameworks for literature reviews
cross-checking content against authoritative sources

HAR does not rely on AI to interpret laws or regulations, make legal or compliance determinations, or interpret culturally specific knowledge, practices, or meanings. AI may help locate statutes or sources, but a human researcher makes every legal, regulatory, and cultural judgment.

HAR never enters personally identifiable information, identifiable learner health information, restricted site data, or traditional knowledge into AI systems. HAR currently uses Claude, CoPilot, or even Gemini for drafting and ideation within secure environments, and updates this list as its tools change. In sum, HAR’s AI practices reflect its commitment to transparency, accountability, clarity, and precaution.

10. Voluntary Alignment with Privacy Frameworks

HAR is a small, Texas-based business that does not meet the thresholds for mandatory compliance with the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act, or the General Data Protection Regulation. HAR does not sell personal data, engage in behavioral advertising, or operate internationally. HAR follows Washington’s My Health My Data Act as described in Section 11.

These principles guide HAR’s privacy practices:

Transparency. HAR explains clearly how and why it collects, uses, and protects personal data.
Consent. HAR collects data through informed, voluntary participation.
Access. You may view, retrieve, or request copies of your personal data when feasible.
Correction. You may update or correct inaccurate or outdated information.
Deletion. HAR honors requests to remove personal data when it is no longer needed or when consent is withdrawn.
Data minimization. HAR collects only the information research or service delivery requires.
Purpose limitation. HAR uses data only for the purposes stated when it was collected.
Security. HAR safeguards data through encryption, secure storage, and confidentiality protocols.
Accountability. HAR documents its data practices and answers inquiries and concerns with integrity.
Non-discrimination. HAR never penalizes anyone for exercising their data rights.

11. Washington Consumer Health Data

Washington’s My Health My Data Act protects health-related information about Washington residents and anyone whose information is collected in Washington. HAR collects health information, such as health history, wellness goals, conditions, medications, supplements, and diet, only when a learner (a client receiving HAR’s herbal education through Herbal Inquiries) chooses to share it for a consult, and only with the learner’s separate written consent. HAR collects only what the consult needs, uses it only to provide the education the learner requested, and never sells it. HAR shares consumer health data only with service providers that store or transmit it on HAR’s behalf under contract, such as encrypted storage and secure email, or with the learner’s separate consent. You may ask HAR to confirm whether it holds your consumer health data, to see it, to withdraw your consent, or to delete it, by writing to harrisanthropologicalresearch@pm.me. HAR responds to these requests within 45 days.

Texas clients and Washington clients receive the same consent form and the same protections. Where a client is located in another state, HAR tells them before beginning that other rules may apply.

12. Privacy Policy Updates

HAR may update this policy to reflect changes in law, ethical standards, or operational practices. HAR posts each update on this page with a revised date, and notifies account holders, subscribers, and clients of significant changes where possible. Continued use of this site or HAR’s services after an update means you accept the latest version.

13. Contact Information

For questions or data-related requests, contact:

John S. Harris, Managing Member

Harris Anthropological Research LLC

harrisanthropologicalresearch@pm.me

406-207-3898