Browsing Study

NJIT Browsing Study Extension

Privacy policy

What the extension collects, how that information is used, and the choices you have. This policy applies only to the NJIT Browsing Study extension, led by Professor Nathan Malkin and reviewed and approved by the New Jersey Institute of Technology Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Effective date: September 9, 2026

In short: the extension never collects your passwords, what you type, the content of the pages you view, the specific web addresses (URLs) you visit, or your browsing history. It records your survey answers and general information about your browsing activity, as described below.
1. What we collect 2. What we don’t 3. Permissions 4. Storage & security 5. Use & sharing 6. Retention & ethics 7. Your choices 10. Contact

1. Information the extension collects

  • Your Prolific ID (a 24 character identifier from the Prolific research platform) and, optionally, a name you choose to enter. These identify your participation and let us administer your compensation through Prolific.
  • Survey responses to the onboarding, daily, and exit questionnaires you complete.
  • Number of open browser tabs.
  • Browsing activity timing: how long the browser was actively used, idle, unfocused, or paused, and which daily slowdown level was active during that time.
  • Basic technical diagnostics: your browser name and version, and, only if the study’s connection to the browser fails, a short error message, so we can keep the study working correctly.
  • A general category label for each site you visit (for example, “News” or “Shopping”). The category is determined on your own device, and only that label is sent, never the website address (URL) or any page content.

2. Information the extension does NOT collect

  • Passwords, credentials, or anything you type into web pages.
  • The content of the pages you view, or screenshots of them.
  • Specific website addresses (URLs) or your browsing history.
  • Your files, location, camera, or microphone.

3. Why the extension requests each permission

PermissionWhy it is needed
debuggerTo apply the temporary, artificial CPU slowdowns that are the subject of the study. (This is why the browser shows the “started debugging this browser” message.)
tabsTo count how many tabs are open and know which tab is currently active.
storageTo remember your participant ID and settings on your device.
alarmsTo schedule the daily questionnaire reminders.
notificationsTo let you know if the study connection was interrupted and is reconnecting.
Access to njitstudy.comTo securely send the study data described above to the research team’s server.
Content script on pages you visitTo detect whether you are actively interacting with a page (scrolling, clicking, typing) and to classify the site’s category on your device. It does not read or transmit page content.

4. How your information is stored and protected

Data is transmitted over an encrypted connection (HTTPS) to a server operated by the research team at njitstudy.com, where it is stored and backed up. Access is restricted to the research team. Any identifying information collected for compensation (such as a name and email) is stored separately from the research data.

5. How your information is used and shared

Your information is used solely for this research study and, through your Prolific ID, to administer your compensation via Prolific. We do not sell your information, and we do not share it with third parties except as required to operate the study (for example, Prolific for participant management) or as required by law. Research results are reported only in aggregate or anonymized form.

6. Data retention & research ethics

This study is conducted under the oversight of the New Jersey Institute of Technology Institutional Review Board (IRB) under protocol 2604066155, in compliance with its requirements for research involving human participants. Anonymized research data may be retained indefinitely for future research and replication. Identifying information collected for compensation is deleted after payment is distributed, and no later than 30 days after the study is completed.

7. Your choices

  • Pause anytime using the “Pause Study” button in the extension, which stops data collection and the slowdowns until you resume.
  • Uninstall the extension anytime to permanently stop all data collection.
  • Withdraw from the study by contacting the research team; you may request that your data be removed.

8. Children

The study and extension are intended only for adults (18+) recruited through Prolific and are not directed at children.

9. A fixed policy

This policy is final for the duration of the study. It forms part of the study’s approved Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol and will not be changed.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy or the study can be directed to the research team at tb358@njit.edu, New Jersey Institute of Technology.