Web tracking data are collected using a browser plugin designed, continuously maintained, and provided by GESIS for capturing browser-based online behavior on desktop computers and laptops. The plugin is compatible with the most widely used browsers in Germany — Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge — and offers a major advantage over other web tracking technologies: it records visited domains, full URLs and HTML snapshots of visited web pages as well as metadata such as durations and time stamps. These snapshots reflect the actual content displayed to participants at the time of their visit, enabling richer analytical insights than previously existing web tracking solutions.
Participation in the web tracking is voluntary. Only survey participants who reported using one of the three supported browsers as their main browser and accessed the Internet via desktop were invited to participate. Data collection is based on participants‘ explicit, informed, and freely given consent. Participants receive detailed information about the scope of data collection, data storage, data sharing within the research community, and potential privacy risks. To encourage participation, monetary incentives were provided, including €5 for installing the plugin within 14 days of the invitation, and an additional €5 per month for at least 15 active tracking days (i.e., days on which at least one website visit by the respective participant is recorded). Panelists can deactivate or uninstall the plugin at any time. A “Private Mode” feature allows participants to browse the Internet without recording domains, URLs, or HTML content; in this mode, only the occurrence of a visit is logged, offering an additional layer of user-controlled privacy.
The web tracking data include website visits‘ timestamps and — where permitted — domain, full URL, and HTML content. To protect participant privacy, a comprehensive blocklist was developed prior to data collection. This list, curated through both manual and automated validation processes, includes around 30,000 web hosts classified into thematic categories such as adult content, private communication, personal finance, and surveys. Based on these classifications, three levels of tracking restrictions are applied:
This approach ensures a balance between analytical depth and the protection of participant privacy. Domains are available for 96.0% of visits, full URLs for 52.8%, and HTML snapshots for 49.9%.
It will be possible to link the web tracking data with the survey data of the GESIS Panel.dbd Digital Behavioral Data Sample. The release of the web tracking data is still in progress. For the latest information, please visit our website or subscribe to our newsletter.