Dear Members of the Network of Centers,

 

On behalf of the Global Data Justice research group at TILT, Tilburg University, I am writing to invite you to participate in the first global study on the web tracking practices and networks. We are conducting research to explore what third-party trackers loaded through particular websites can tell us about the firms, networks and transfers that make up the global data market. Very little is known about the size and nature of this market on the global level, although many studies have been conducted on higher-income countries, and this study aims to begin to fill this gap in the research. We are seeking collaborators who can conduct a simple, fairly non-technical, 10-minute piece of web research using simple tools that will analyse what trackers load when they visit a) a news website and b) a mobile phone operator’s website, each based in their own country. (For more information, see the brief ‘info for participants’ file attached).

 

When we have a set of files showing which trackers load from similar searches in different countries, we will use this as the basis from which to anlayse more complex features of the data market such as links between firms, processes of data brokerage, and how the market for tracking data operates in different countries and regions. We aim to do this study yearly over the next five years, so if you would be interested in collaborating over the longer term, you can indicate this on the consent form (attached in pdf and word). We will keep your details private, but we will inform you of all findings from the study, and the eventual global dataset of trackers by country will be released as open data for researchers worldwide.

 

If you would be willing to participate, or can recommend someone else who might, please reply to this email with a signed consent form (signing electronically is fine) and you will receive the protocol for the study. The team is happy to discuss further: please send any questions to info@globaldatajustice.org.

 

Yours,

 

Leonie de Jong

Managing Director