What respondents are told about Cipher

Respondents are told that a survey uses integrity checks. This article covers what they see, what Cipher records, and what you, as the survey owner, are responsible for.

The integrity notice

When Cipher is on and Collect behavioral data is switched on, a short notice appears at the bottom of the published survey:

This survey uses automated response-integrity checks. Surbee records how the form is used and a technical identifier for this device to detect fraudulent submissions.

It ends with a link, How this works, and how to object, which opens Surbee's privacy policy in a new tab. The policy explains the fraud-detection data Surbee processes and how a respondent can exercise their rights, including objecting to processing, by contacting Surbee.

If you switch Cipher off, or switch off Collect behavioral data, the notice is not shown. See Cipher settings and plans.

What Cipher records

While someone fills in a survey, Cipher may record:

• How the form is used. Time spent on each question, mouse movement, scrolling, clicks, and when the respondent leaves the tab and comes back.
• Typing rhythm. The timing of key presses. The letters and numbers typed are masked in this record, so it captures rhythm and corrections. The answers themselves are saved as part of the response, as with any survey.
• Paste events. That text was pasted into an answer, and how much.
• A technical identifier for the device. Characteristics of the browser, screen and hardware, used to recognise automation and repeat submissions from the same device.
• The IP address the response was sent from.
• On phones and tablets, touch and swipe movement, use of the on-screen keyboard, and motion sensor readings where the device makes them available.
• The result of the invisible bot check.

On Pro and above, the question and answer text of written answers is sent to Surbee's AI to judge whether each answer responds to the question, how much effort it shows, and whether it looks AI-written or copied.

People who don't finish

If someone leaves partway through, Surbee keeps a summary of the session so you can see where people drop off: which questions were answered, how long answers were, timings and attention. This summary does not include the text of any answer. It powers Where people left in the Funnel view.

What Cipher doesn't see

• Other tabs, sites or apps. Browsers only report that the survey tab lost focus, never where the respondent went.
• Where pasted text came from. Cipher sees that something was pasted. The source cannot be captured.
• The camera, microphone or screen. Cipher never asks for or uses them.

Cipher never contacts or interacts with respondents, never ends a survey early, and never refuses a response because of its score. Every response reaches you, with any flags attached.

Your responsibilities as the survey owner

You are the controller of the responses you collect. That means it is up to you to tell respondents how their data will be used.

• If your survey has a consent page or an introduction, mention that responses are checked for quality and fraud.
• If you are running research under an ethics approval, check that your protocol covers automated quality checks and device information.
• If you survey people under 18, you are responsible for getting any parental or guardian consent the law requires.