Search Extension: Privacy Policy
SEARCH EXTENSION is a free browser extension created by Tobias Salz and Audacious Software to help better understand people's web usage. This SERVICE is provided at no cost and is intended for use as is.
This document is intended to inform visitors regarding our policies with the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information if anyone decided to use our Service.
If you choose to use our Service, then you agree to the collection and use of information in relation to this policy. The Personal Information that we collect is used for collecting data to improve our understanding of depression and anxiety.
We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy and the Informed Consent Form that you received upon enrolling in the research study. This extension has been developed as part of a research study at MIT and Stanford University, led by Tobias Salz.
Information Collection and Use
While using our Service, we will require you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information, including an assigned study identifier. The information that we request will be retained by us as described in this Privacy Policy and your Informed Consent Form.
Log Data
We want to inform you that whenever you use our Service, in case of an error in the extension we collect data and information (through our own and third party products) on your device called Log Data. This Log Data may include information such as your device Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, device name, operating system version, the configuration of the extension when utilizing our Service, the time and date of your use of the Service, and other statistics. This Log Data is used for the purposes of troubleshooting problems and identifying potential improvements, as well as measuring web usage and engagement in both individual and aggregate contexts. Log Data containing engagement information is not transmitted to third parties and is only accessible by the Search Extension study staff.
Data Storage and Transmission
Data about your browser usage and surroundings will be cached on your personal device in order to facilitate proper operation of the Service. Furthermore, this information will be transmitted to a remote server wholly controlled and operated by the Search Extension research staff to enable research analyses of the Service and its users.
Service Providers
We may employ third-party companies and individuals due to the following reasons:
- To facilitate our Service;
- To provide the Service on our behalf;
- To perform Service-related services; or
- To assist us in analyzing how our Service is used.
We want to inform users of this Service that these third parties do not have access to your Personal Information.
Security
We value your trust in providing us your Personal Information, thus we are striving to use commercially acceptable means of protecting it. But remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure and reliable, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Children's Privacy
These Services do not address anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 18. In the case we discover that a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, we immediately delete this from our servers. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we will be able to do necessary actions.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Thus, you are advised to review this policy periodically for any changes. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy at this location. These changes are effective immediately after they are posted on this page.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or suggestions about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us. We may be reached via the following channels:
Tobias Salz – tobiassalz_survey@mit.edu
Last revised January 20, 2024.