Data Protection MeTag
- General information
The MeTag app is part of a scientific software for keeping media diaries, a data collection method especially in communication science. Interested scientists can use the backend MeTag Analyze (https://www.kommunikative-figurationen.de/metag) to create studies and determine which data they would like to collect using the MeTag-App according to their research interest. For further information please refer to the manual at https://www.kommunikative-figurationen.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Arbeitspapiere/CoFi_EWP_No-34_Hohmann_et_al.pdf.
As a rule, this includes at least one medium used and the corresponding time of use. In addition, further data can also be collected, such as the context of use, the communication partner(s) or an evaluation of media use. Which information this is in detail depends on the individual research projects and is at the discretion of the responsible researchers and therefore beyond our sphere of influence as developers of the App MeTag.
In principle, we take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data, insofar as it is collected, confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this data protection declaration. Additionally, the researchers have the possibility to set up system notifications as reminders for filling out the media diary. To be able to send these notifications, we store the device ID of the corresponding smartphone and use Google’s Firebase service to send the notifications. However, receiving the notifications can be turned off within the system settings of the smartphone by the user.
This privacy policy applies to the mobile MeTag iPhone and Android apps (in the following simply „App“) and the backend MeTag Analyze. It describes the type, purpose and scope of data collection within the framework of the app usage as far as possible.
We would like to point out that data transmission and storage on the Internet can have security gaps. A complete protection of the data against access by third parties is not possible.
Responsible office
ZeMKI – Center for Media, Communication and Information Research
Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp, Alessandro Belli and Florian Hohmann
Linzer Str. 4
28359 Bremen
eMail: metag@uni-bremen.de
2. What personal information is collected?
If you install this app on your smartphone, no personal data will be stored by us initially. Only when you take part in a scientific survey and receive a login from the responsible scientist will the time of login and the email address used for login be saved for each login. Additionally, your device ID might be used in Google’s Firebase service to send system notifications to your smartphone if the scientist has set this up and you have allowed the app to receive system notifications.
In addition, all information that you provide within the framework of the research project and the associated data collection in the app – and thus your media diary – will be saved. As a rule, this includes the medium used, the time of media use and any other information dependent on the respective research project. These may include:
- an evaluation of the media use
- possible communication partners
- the motivation to use media
- the context of media use
- and much more
Which information this is depends on the respective research project and its question(s) and cannot be influenced by us as the developer of the app. The respective scientist is responsible for answering any questions that may arise.
3. How is the collected data used?
All data collected by the app will be used by the responsible scientists for their respective research projects and possibly related publications. As a rule, this is done anonymously and without being able to draw conclusions about individual research participants. However, the respective researchers are responsible for details of the specific use and should be able to provide information on this. The device ID can also be used to send system notifications.
In accordance with the specifications of the German Research Foundation, the data will be archived for at least 10 years in accordance with the rules of good scientific practice.
4. How is the collected data protected?
All collected data is securely stored in a database on a separate server in the „Zentrum für Netze“ of the University of Bremen. They can only be viewed by the responsible scientists of the respective research project and by the system administrator. This means that all data are assigned to their respective research projects and, with the exception of the administrator mentioned above, can only be read and used by those responsible for this research project.
5. What rights are granted to the users of the app?
The users of the app – and thus voluntary participants in a media diary study – can completely edit and delete all their own entries during the entire study period. During the study period, you can therefore determine which data should be transferred to the server or which data already transferred should be deleted. This option is available until the end of the examination period. After that, it is no longer possible to edit the research data for reasons of good scientific practice.
6. Supplementary information
All data collected by means of this research software shall be used exclusively for scientific purposes. How exactly this app is used as a survey tool, however, is not at the discretion of the developers, but the responsibility of the respective scientists. A separate declaration of consent for each individual research project before the start of the study is therefore recommended.
Any changes to this privacy statement will be posted on the developer’s website.
For further questions: metag@uni-bremen.de
