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National Internet Observatory

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The National Internet Observatory (the NIO) invites residents of the United States to participate in a scientific study to understand the role the Internet plays in modern society. The objective of the Observatory is to shed light on people’s experiences online.

The Observatory works in a two step process: (1) Collecting data from participants on their online experiences. This involves loading software on computers that sends information back to the Observatory. (2) Providing privacy-preserving access to researchers to study the Internet.

The NIO welcomes participants from all backgrounds. Researchers will use these data to understand how the Internet affects individuals and society more generally.

After participants consent to participate in this study, the NIO Mobile app will collect the following pieces of data: 

- Metadata about network traffic: The NIO app will rely on a VPN to collect network level information about app's internet communications. This does not include the content of network communications. 

- Data about app usage: The NIO app will have access to the number of times each app is opened on a given time interval and how much time it was used by the participant. 

- Location data: The NIO app collects location data for: 1) regulatory compliance reasons, as we only collect data from participants that are physically in the US; and 2) offering surveys specific to participants on a given region.

On screen content: Our app uses the accessibility services to support research on how people use the Internet on mobile devices. Specifically, accessibility services allow us to gather on-screen content such as posts to social media and articles viewed, and to understand how participants interact with apps and text on their devices. This functionality is essential for accurate data collection and understanding usage patterns as part of our research objectives. As described in detail during the participant consent process and in our privacy policy, the data we collect is securely stored, cannot leave our servers, and is made available to qualified researchers without any identifying information. Accessibility services are only enabled with the user's explicit consent, and their use is strictly limited to the purposes described. For more details, please refer to our privacy policy or contact us directly.

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