Last Updated: March 9, 2026
This privacy policy outlines the data collection and usage practices for the browser extension developed by researchers at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, India and Carnegie Mellon University (USA). This extension is a specialized tool created for the single purpose of conducting an academic research study.
This tool is intended for use only by voluntary participants who have been recruited through a dedicated study platform and have provided informed consent. For this reason, the extension is unlisted and not available for public use.
The single purpose of this extension is to study how modifications to various website results affect user behavior and decision-making. As part of the experiment, the extension has the ability to alter the content you see on search pages.
To achieve the research objectives, the extension explicitly tracks user search behavior. All participants are informed that their browsing data will be tracked. The data we collect includes interactions with search engine pages namely:
The extension will collect a log of all the URLs that users visit along with the visit timestamps. Additionally, the extension will also collect the browsing history for the past 20 days from when the user installed the extension. We will use this information to determine if the user has had enough browsing activity to be eligible for the study.
The Data collected will temporarily be stored in the browser's local storage and will periodically be uploaded to a secure server. The server is a cloud-hosted and has been ensured to maintain data safety and protection. Before the data is used by the researchers, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as names or email addresses that may inadvertently be captured in URLs or search queries, is stripped or hashed before the data is integrated into the final research dataset. Access to the raw, non-anonymized data is restricted to the primary investigators and technical staff directly responsible for data maintenance. Data is handled solely for the statistical analysis of user behavior as defined in the study protocol and will not be used for commercial profiling or advertising.
Data is stored on encrypted, high-security cloud server. Temporary data stored in the browser’s local storage is cleared immediately following a successful upload to our secure servers. The anonymized datasets are stored for academic purposes only. We do not sell, trade, or rent participant data to third parties. Data may be shared between research teams via secure, encrypted channels for collaborative analysis.
Protecting your privacy is a primary concern. All data collected is anonymous. We do not collect personally identifiable information (PII) such as your name, email address (beyond initial registration), or IP address. Your activity is linked only to a randomly generated, anonymous identifier (ID).
The collected anonymous data is stored securely and will be used exclusively for academic research purposes.
Your participation in this study and the use of this extension are entirely voluntary. You can withdraw from the study and uninstall the extension at any time. Upon uninstallation, the extension will cease all data collection immediately.
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or the research study, please contact the research team at:
Dr. Saharsh Agarwal
Indian School of Business
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify participants of any significant changes.