CONSENT DOCUMENT FOR ENROLLING ADULT PARTICIPANTS IN A RESEARCH STUDY

Georgia Institute of Technology, Project Title: Rebuild Your Profile Photo

Investigators: Eric Gilbert, Ph.D.

Protocol and Consent Title: H11046

You are being asked to be a volunteer in a research study.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to better understand how we can create effective social signals online. We are testing the hypothesis of using computation to make signals more valuable. We will enroll as many people as come to our site in this study.

Exclusion/Inclusion Criteria

Participants in this study must have a Gmail account and must be 18 years or older to participate.

Procedures

If you choose to donate to the Red Cross, you will be given access to our "Rebuild Your Profile Picture software. This software will rearrange your profile photo as demonstrated on the project home page. You can then choose to change your profile photo to the rearranged version. Over the course of the next three days, our software will automatically change your profile photo to one that is closer to the original, thereby rebuilding it. The whole process should take you no more than 10 minutes.

Risks or Discomforts

The risks involved are no greater than those involved in daily internet activities.

Benefits

You may benefit from showing off that you donated to the Red Cross using our application.

Compensation to You

You will not be compensated for this study.

Confidentiality

• The following procedures will be followed to keep your personal information confidential in this study: The data collected about you will be kept private to the extent allowed by law.
• Your records will be kept in locked files and only study staff will be allowed to look at them. Your name and any other fact that might point to you will not appear when results of this study are presented or published. Your privacy will be protected to the extent allowed by law.
• During the period when the software is rebuilding your photo, our database will contain your Twitter username, your likeness (in the form of your profile photo) and keys that can be used to read and modify your Twitter account. During this time, it is possible that a subpoena may force us to reveal this information to authorities.
• To make sure that this research is being carried out in the proper way, the Georgia Institute of Technology IRB may review study records. The Office of Human Research Protections may also look over study records during required reviews.
• You should be aware that the backend of this experiment is being run from a 'secure' https server of the kind typically used to handle credit card transactions. This should mitigate the risk that unauthorized third parties sees your data. Our software will log your online pseudonym (i.e., your Twitter username) and the URL to your profile photo. In addition, during the time when the application slowly rebuilds your photo, we will keep track of keys that allow the application to access your Twitter profile photo. These keys will be destroyed when the rebuild is complete. However, we will keep records of who has used the application (a list of Twitter usernames) to study the diffusion of this application.

Costs to You

You must donate at least $10 to the Red Cross to participate in this study.

In Case of Injury/Harm

If you are injured as a result of being in this study, please contact Eric Gilbert, Ph.D., at telephone (404) 894-3146. Neither the Principal Investigator nor Georgia Institute of Technology has made provision for payment of costs associated with any injury resulting from participation in this study.

Participant Rights

• Your participation in this study is voluntary. You do not have to be in this study if you don't want to be.
• You have the right to change your mind and leave the study at any time without giving any reason and without penalty.
• Any new information that may make you change your mind about being in this study will be given to you.
• This url is your copy of the consent form to keep. As long as courteous.ly is up, this consent form will be here.
• You do not waive any of your legal rights by consenting.

Questions about the Study

If you have any questions about the study, you may contact Dr. Eric Gilbert at telephone (404) 894-3146 or gilbert@cc.gatech.edu.

Questions about Your Rights as a Research Participant

If you have any questions about your rights, you may contact



Ms. Melanie Clark, Georgia Institute of Technology

Office of Research Compliance, at (404) 894-6942.

or

Ms. Kelly Winn, Georgia Institute of Technology

Office of Research Compliance, at (404) 385- 2175.

By clicking the button below, you indicate your consent to be in the study. You will be taken to the Red Cross donation page.