Plain language statement

Before you take the survey, please read the following information.
Note: This survey has been approved by NREC COVID-19 HRB (https://www.hrb.ie/covid-19-ethical-review/nrec-covid-19-overview).
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Study Title: “Irish attitudes to privacy in COVID-19 times”.  

Principal Investigators:
Dr. Irina Tal, School of Computing, Dublin City University (irina.tal@dcu.ie).
Dr. Rob Brennan, School of Computing, Dublin City University (rob.brennan@dcu.ie).
Dr. Malika Bendechache, School of Computing, Dublin City University (malika.bendechache@dcu.ie).
Dr. Edoardo Celeste, School of Law, Dublin City University (edoardo.celeste@dcu.ie).

DCU Data Protection Officer – Mr. Martin Ward (data.protection@dcu.ie  Ph: 7005118 / 7008257).

This survey is carried on in Ireland in order to investigate the Irish general public attitudes toward privacy during COVID-19 times. COVID-19 was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation on 11th March 2020 and many countries, including Ireland, are trying to control the spread of the disease using technology. An example of how technology is employed is the “contact tracing” applications that keep track of who a person has been in contact with recently so in case the person develops the disease, the person’s contacts can be easily alerted that they’ve been in contact with someone that has COVID-19.  

What is the reason for this study?:
This study aims to understand more about the attitudes of the Irish general public toward privacy during this pandemic. It aims to understand the influence of these attitudes on the usage of various technologies that may be employed in controlling the spread of COVID-19.  

Why am I being asked to take part? What are the benefits?:
Your answers will help us understand how people in Ireland feel about their privacy during these challenging times and if their concerns about privacy may prevent them from using technological solutions designed to control the spread of COVID-19. Your answers will help the policy makers, private and public actors (Government, Health authorities, relevant companies, etc.) to make informed decisions when employing technological solution to help control the spread of COVID-19 in Ireland.

What will you have to do?:
We are asking you to complete an anonymous survey. It should take approximately 10 minutes of your time.  Please note that if you decide to take the survey you may withdraw at any time without providing any reason by just closing the survey (the window/tab of the browser where the online survey opened).  

Are there any risks?:
We designed the survey to provide an option to record a neutral response to questions (if not decided what to answer), ‘I don’t know’, ‘I prefer not to say’  to avoid any stress when answering the questions. As the questions relate to a pandemic that we are living through if the questions become upsetting please quit the survey. If you need counselling and support please contact the one of the available services listed here: https://www2.hse.ie/services/mental-health-supports-and-services-during-coronavirus/.

Your answers will be completely anonymous. The answers will be stored securely using Dublin City University cloud storage. The analysis of the answers will be disseminated in publications, webinars and some of the data may be shared with relevant stakeholders (public or private institutions/companies). The ultimate goal is to provide a basis for informed decision making when designing technological solutions to help dealing with this pandemic.

If you are interested in the project results you may access in the next couple of months our website (www.privatt.ie). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the research team using the email addresses provided above.