CASRO Tightens Internet Survey Rules
June 4 2007
The membership of US professional body CASRO has overwhelmingly approved a revision to the Internet Research section of the organization's Code of Standards and Ethics for Survey Research.
The Code revision covers the e-mail solicitation of survey respondents, the use of 'active agent' technology to capture behavioral data, and 'proper' procedure for communication and disclosure with members of online survey panels. CASRO President Diane Bowers says the near-unanimous support for the draft reflects the care taking in its drafting, which was the work of Survey Sampling International's Peter Milla and Larry Ponemon of The Ponemon Institute, along with CASRO's 'Online Task Force'.
The key provisions are as follows:
Email Solicitation
- Research Organizations (ROs) are required to verify that individuals contacted for research by email have reasonable expectation that they will receive email contact for research.
- ROs are prohibited from using any subterfuge to obtain email addresses of potential respondents, such as collecting the data from public domains, or doing so without individuals' awareness or under the guise of some other activity.
Active Agent Technology
Active agent technology is software or hardware that captures behavioral data about data subjects in a background mode, typically running concurrently with other activities.. The following are viewed as unacceptable practices that ROs should strictly forbid or prevent:
- Downloading software without obtaining the subject's informed consent, without providing full notice about the types of information collected; using keystroke loggers without consent; installing software that turns off anti-spyware, anti-virus or anti-spam software, delivers advertising content, or modifies computer settings beyond that which is necessary to conduct research.
When using Active Agent Technology, researchers should:
- ensure timely disclosure of active agents
- always receive permission prior to the download of such software, informing the subject of the types of data being collected
- pledge never to use personal information for secondary purposes or share it with third parties, and
- have a method in place to receive queries from end users.
The Code also strongly discourages ROs from collecting personal information. If collection is unavoidable, data should be destroyed immediately; if maintained, it should receive the highest level of data security available and should not be accessed for any purpose.
Online Panels- RO's must disclose to panel members that they are part of a panel, and obtain panelist permission to collect and store information about them. Upon client request, ROs must disclose panel composition information, recruitment practices, member activity, and incentive plans.
- A privacy policy relating to use of data collected from or relating to the panel member must be in place and posted online.
- ROs should take steps to limit the number of survey invitations sent to targeted respondents by email solicitations.
The complete Code of CASRO (The Council of American Survey Research Organizations) is at
www.casro.org/codeofstandards.cfm .
All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.
