Security concerns for web-based research survey

The wider availability of the internet and the World Wide Web provide easy access to a variety of computing resources including Web-based surveys. Tasks that were traditionally performed in a fixed setting, such as an office, can now easily be performed in arbitrary locations- anywhere and everywhere. The Internet has brought a variety of research initiatives including recruitment of participants, administration of interventions, and data collection. The explosive use of the internet has offered more opportunities for conducting web-based research as well as risks. However, online surveys and questionnaires present new risks to the validity and reliability of collected data, as well as the privacy and confidentiality of human subjects. This study will explore and analyse several of these new risks, outlining in detail the unique risk-creating situations presented by the online environment as well as guidelines to mitigate the risk will be discussed.