For Researchers

In November 2022, the NIO went into the field with its browser extension, and we have since collected browsing data from approximately 10,000 total participants, with a focus on activity up to and around the 2024 US election. Data collection is ongoing and we currently have an active panel of approximately 3,000 participants. The participants have agreed for their data to be provided for analytic access to scientific researchers, within a privacy-preserving framework.

We now request any interested academic researchers submit proposals for studies on this data.

The Web Browsing (a.k.a. Time On Page) data product provides researchers with information about the web pages visited by members of the NIO participant pool, specifically the amount of time they spent on each page before visiting a new page or URL. These data, in turn, can be linked to the demographics of the participants.

Eligible researchers must be from an academic research institution. Applicants will need to:

1. Take our self-guided ethics training (in addition to providing certification of human subjects training at their home institution)
2. Fill out a research intake form (similar to an IRB intake form)
3. Have their institutions sign a data use agreement

We note that, due to the sensitivity of the data, access to all data will be via a secure data enclave, utilizing Northeastern computational resources.

If you are interested in applying for access, please send an email to Michael Hoefling ( m dot hoefling at northeastern dot edu) and Libby Phillips ( el dot phillips at northeastern dot edu), and we will send you a complete description of the Web Browsing Data product and relevant application materials.

We will begin the review of proposals on September 15, 2025.