Thank you for downloading the CSMaP URL Historian. Your data will support research on political knowledge, online behavior, and public opinion.

Participation in web browsing collection is voluntary. You can delete data for up to one week via the extension. To delete data farther back than one week, please contact nyu-smapp-engineers@nyu.edu 

For any questions regarding the use of the extension, the data we collect, or the research that your data will be used in, please contact csmap-surveys@nyu.edu. 

URL Historian is a Chrome extension that enables the collection of web browsing activities in real-time. It collects browsing data from research participants who opt-in to share their browsing history for research purposes. Collected data is securely stored using AWS and only accessible to the CSMaP research team. The extension is available in the Chrome Web Store and accessible via invitation only.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What if I install and forget to activate the extension?

• The extension will send you a reminder 5 minutes after installing and every 30-minutes  until you activate it.

2. How do I pause and reactivate the extension?

• Slide the toggle button to the left to pause, and to the right to reactivate the extension. 
• The extension will send you reminders after you have paused the extension for 60 minutes. After the first reminder, it will send follow-ups in 4-hour intervals.

3. Can I delete data collected from me?

• Yes, we currently allow users to delete data within the past 7 days. (You can contact our research team at nyu-smapp-engineers@nyu.edu to request data deletion beyond the 7-day time frame.)
• You can delete data by selecting a date or selecting a time range in “Delete browse history.” 
• To delete by date:
  • Click on by Date.
  • Select the TimeZone you were in (Default: Eastern Time (US and Canada)). You can also search for a time zone using keywords (e.g. Eastern, -04).
  • Select a Date.
  • Click on Delete. All your data collected on the selected date will be permanently deleted from our storage.

• To delete by time:
  • Click on by Time.
  • Select the TimeZone you were in (Default: Eastern Time (US and Canada)). You can also search for a time zone using keywords (e.g. Eastern, -04).
  • Select a Date.
  • Then,
    • select a StartTime (inclusive) and an EndTime (inclusive) to specify a range of hours, OR
    • select a Time to specify a single hour.
    • You can reset all fields using the Reset button.
  • Click on Delete. All your data collected within the specified time frame will be permanently deleted from our storage.

4. How can I prevent the extension from recording visits to websites that I wish to keep private?

• You can set up a list of web domains that you wish to keep private in “Blacklist a website.” 
• Enter a domain name in this format: www.paypal.com, and click on Add. The URL will be added to the list of “Current Blacklisted Sites.” When you visit any of these sites, we will not record the URLs. 

• You can remove a blacklisted website from “Current Blacklisted Sites” by clicking on the red “x” next to a domain name. 

5. What should I do if I forget my login ID?

• You can always find your User ID in your survey. 
• You have 5 login attempts to activate the extension. With each failed attempt a notification message will popup. 
• After 5 failed login attempts, the extension will auto uninstall, you should contact us at nyu-smapp-engineers@nyu.edu for assistance.

6. What do I do if the extension uninstalls itself and not because of failed attempts

• This is meant to happen based on the study 
• A notification will popup informing you that the extension will auto uninstall

7. Who should I contact for further information?

• For any questions on using the extension, requesting data deletion or other technical problems, please reach out to nyu-smapp-engineers@nyu.edu 

For any questions regarding the use of the extension, the data we collect, or the research projects that your data will be used in, please contact csmap-surveys@nyu.edu