diff --git a/app/controllers/v0/devices_controller.rb b/app/controllers/v0/devices_controller.rb
index ff896ee6..4712ec16 100644
--- a/app/controllers/v0/devices_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/v0/devices_controller.rb
@@ -14,11 +14,13 @@ def show
 
     def index
       if params[:with_tags]
-        @q = Device.with_user_tags(params[:with_tags])
+        @q = policy_scope(Device)
+          .with_user_tags(params[:with_tags])
           .includes(:owner,:tags, kit: [:sensors, :components])
           .ransack(params[:q])
       else
-        @q = Device.includes(:owner, :tags, kit: [:components, :sensors])
+        @q = policy_scope(Device)
+          .includes(:owner, :tags, kit: [:components, :sensors])
           .ransack(params[:q])
       end
 
@@ -82,6 +84,7 @@ def fresh_world_map
           longitude: device.longitude,
           city: device.city,
           country_code: device.country_code,
+          is_private: device.is_private,
           kit_id: device.kit_id,
           state: device.state,
           system_tags: device.system_tags,
@@ -124,7 +127,7 @@ def world_map
 private
 
     def device_params
-      params.permit(
+      params_to_permit = [
         :name,
         :description,
         :mac_address,
@@ -138,6 +141,15 @@ def device_params
         :meta,
         :kit_id,
         :user_tags
+      ]
+
+      # Researchers + Admins can update is_private
+      if current_user.role_mask >= 2
+        params_to_permit.push(:is_private)
+      end
+
+      params.permit(
+        params_to_permit
       )
     end
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/v0/static_controller.rb b/app/controllers/v0/static_controller.rb
index 586f24fd..52004655 100644
--- a/app/controllers/v0/static_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/v0/static_controller.rb
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ def metrics
       render json: {
         devices: {
           total: Device.count,
+          private: Device.where(is_private: true).count,
           online: {
             now: Device.where('last_recorded_at > ?', 10.minutes.ago).count,
             last_hour: Device.where('last_recorded_at > ?', 1.hour.ago).count,
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 4bde34de..b7c88740 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ def is_admin?
   end
 
   def role
+    return 'researcher' if role_mask == 2
     role_mask < 5 ? 'citizen' : 'admin'
   end
 
diff --git a/app/policies/device_policy.rb b/app/policies/device_policy.rb
index 642affc4..291f2d7d 100644
--- a/app/policies/device_policy.rb
+++ b/app/policies/device_policy.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,34 @@
 class DevicePolicy < ApplicationPolicy
+  class Scope
+    attr_reader :user, :scope
+
+    def initialize(user, scope)
+      @user  = user
+      @scope = scope
+    end
+
+    def resolve
+      if user
+        if user.is_admin?
+          # Admins get everything
+          scope
+        else
+          # Non admins should get all non_private + the Devices they own
+          scope.where(is_private: false).or(scope.where(owner_id: user.id))
+        end
+      else
+        # not logged in
+        scope.where(is_private: false)
+      end
+    end
+  end
 
   def show?
-    true
+    if record.is_private?
+      update?
+    else
+      true
+    end
   end
 
   def update?
diff --git a/app/views/v0/devices/_device.jbuilder b/app/views/v0/devices/_device.jbuilder
index 6a653c6a..d381127d 100644
--- a/app/views/v0/devices/_device.jbuilder
+++ b/app/views/v0/devices/_device.jbuilder
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ json.(device,
   :hardware_info,
   :system_tags,
   :user_tags,
+  :is_private,
   :notify_low_battery,
   :notify_stopped_publishing,
   :last_reading_at,
diff --git a/db/migrate/20190819084816_add_is_private_to_devices.rb b/db/migrate/20190819084816_add_is_private_to_devices.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..09663943
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/20190819084816_add_is_private_to_devices.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+class AddIsPrivateToDevices < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.2]
+  def change
+    add_column :devices, :is_private, :boolean, default: false
+  end
+end
diff --git a/db/schema.rb b/db/schema.rb
index 61b95735..2bcad7bb 100644
--- a/db/schema.rb
+++ b/db/schema.rb
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 #
 # It's strongly recommended that you check this file into your version control system.
 
-ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 2019_02_22_130041) do
+ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 2019_08_19_084816) do
 
   # These are extensions that must be enabled in order to support this database
   enable_extension "adminpack"
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@
     t.datetime "notify_low_battery_timestamp", default: "2019-01-16 16:19:35"
     t.boolean "notify_low_battery", default: false
     t.boolean "notify_stopped_publishing", default: false
+    t.boolean "is_private", default: false
     t.index ["device_token"], name: "index_devices_on_device_token", unique: true
     t.index ["geohash"], name: "index_devices_on_geohash"
     t.index ["kit_id"], name: "index_devices_on_kit_id"
diff --git a/db/seeds.rb b/db/seeds.rb
index 9d81a29f..02b16daa 100644
--- a/db/seeds.rb
+++ b/db/seeds.rb
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 3.times do
   Kit.create(
     name: "Kit #{Faker::Educator.campus}",
-    description: Faker::Lorem.sentence(5),
+    description: Faker::Lorem.sentence,
     slug: 'sck:1,1',
     sensor_map: {"temp": 12, "hum": 13, "light": 14}
   )
@@ -89,10 +89,11 @@
 
 #device has many sensors through components
 #has_many :components, as: :board
-5.times do
+
+10.times do
   Device.create(
     {
-      owner: User.first,
+      owner: User.all.sample,
       name: Faker::Address.city,
       city: Faker::Address.city,
       country_code: Faker::Address.country_code,
@@ -102,6 +103,7 @@
       latitude: 42.385,
       longitude: 2.173,
       device_token: Faker::Crypto.sha1[0,6],
+      is_private: [true, false].sample,
       notify_low_battery: [true, false].sample,
       notify_low_battery_timestamp: Time.now,
       notify_stopped_publishing: [true, false].sample,
@@ -128,6 +130,7 @@
 # belongs_to :sensor
 # Kit and Device have many Components, as: :board
 
+
 Component.create(
   board: Kit.first, sensor: Sensor.find(12)
 )
@@ -181,7 +184,8 @@
   report: {"random_property":"random_result"},
 )
 
-Device.find(1).update_attributes(
+d = Device.first
+d.update!(
   hardware_info: {
     "id": 1,
     "uuid": "7d45fead-defd-4482-bc6a-a1b711879e2d",
diff --git a/spec/requests/v0/devices_spec.rb b/spec/requests/v0/devices_spec.rb
index 99165f23..d3fc6971 100644
--- a/spec/requests/v0/devices_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/v0/devices_spec.rb
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
   let(:application) { create :application }
   let(:user) { create :user }
+  let(:user2) { create :user }
   let(:token) { create :access_token, application: application, resource_owner_id: user.id }
   let(:device) { create(:device) }
   let(:admin) { create :admin }
@@ -24,7 +25,49 @@
       # expect(json[0]['name']).to eq(first.name)
       # expect(json[1]['name']).to eq(second.name)
       expect(json[0].keys).to eq(%w(id uuid name description state
-        hardware_info system_tags user_tags notify_low_battery notify_stopped_publishing last_reading_at added_at updated_at mac_address owner data kit))
+        hardware_info system_tags user_tags is_private notify_low_battery notify_stopped_publishing last_reading_at added_at updated_at mac_address owner data kit))
+    end
+
+    describe "when not logged in" do
+      it 'does not show private devices' do
+        device = create(:device, owner: user, is_private: false)
+        device1 = create(:device, owner: user, is_private: true)
+        device2 = create(:device, owner: user, is_private: true)
+
+        expect(Device.count).to eq(3)
+        j = api_get "devices/"
+        expect(j.count).to eq(1)
+        expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+        expect(j[0]['id']).to eq(device.id)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe "when logged in as a normal user" do
+      it 'shows the user his devices, even though they are private' do
+        device1 = create(:device, owner: user, is_private: false)
+        device2 = create(:device, owner: user, is_private: true)
+        device3 = create(:device, owner: user2, is_private: true)
+
+        expect(Device.count).to eq(3)
+        j = api_get "devices/", { access_token: token.token }
+        expect(j[0]['id']).to eq(device1.id)
+        expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+        expect(j.count).to eq(2)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe "when logged in as an admin" do
+      it 'allows admin to see ALL devices' do
+        device1 = create(:device, owner: user, is_private: false)
+        device2 = create(:device, owner: user, is_private: true)
+        device3 = create(:device, owner: user2, is_private: true)
+
+        expect(Device.count).to eq(3)
+        j = api_get "devices/", {access_token: admin_token.token}
+        expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+        expect(j[0]['id']).to eq(device1.id)
+        expect(j.count).to eq(3)
+      end
     end
 
     describe "world map" do
@@ -87,6 +130,21 @@
       expect(response.status).to eq(404)
     end
 
+    it 'does not show a private device' do
+      device = create(:device, owner: user, is_private: true)
+      j = api_get "devices/#{device.id}"
+      expect(j['id']).to eq("forbidden")
+      expect(response.status).to eq(403)
+    end
+
+    it 'shows a non_private device' do
+      device = create(:device, owner: user, is_private: false)
+      j = api_get "devices/#{device.id}"
+      expect(j['id']).to eq(device.id)
+      expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+    end
+
+
     describe "mac_address" do
 
       it "filters mac address from guests" do
@@ -118,6 +176,19 @@
 
     let!(:device) { create :device, owner: user }
 
+    it "cannot update a device is_private attribute" do
+      api_put "devices/#{device.id}", { is_private: true, access_token: token.token }
+      expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+      expect(Device.find(device.id).is_private).to eq(false)
+    end
+
+    it "can update a device is_private attribute when user has role" do
+      user.update role_mask: 3
+      api_put "devices/#{device.id}", { is_private: true, access_token: token.token }
+      expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+      expect(Device.find(device.id).is_private).to eq(true)
+    end
+
     it "updates a device" do
       api_put "devices/#{device.id}", { name: 'new name', access_token: token.token }
       expect(response.status).to eq(200)
@@ -141,7 +212,6 @@
   end
 
   describe "POST /devices" do
-
     it "creates a device" do
       api_post 'devices', {
         access_token: token.token,