Update Timing Collector

Collects anonymous data about application updates.

This application is part of ongoing research at Franklin and Marshall College. It records information about when applications on your device are installed, uninstalled, or updated. By installing and running this application, you are consenting to participate in the “Update Timing Collector” research study. For the duration that you have the app installed or until the research project concludes, whichever comes sooner, data about your software updates will be collected and anonymously sent to the primary researcher listed below. Specifically, the following aspects will be studied and analyzed in detail:

- Which apps users update more quickly.

- The time between an update being available, and a user installing it.

- Predicting the time of the next app update becoming available.

- Security and vulnerability concerns of rapid app updates.

The study does not require any participation or involvement from you besides installing the application and running it one time (thereby “activating” it until it is uninstalled) The installation and first run of this app should take approximately 30 seconds. If you would like to stop participating at any time, with no penalty, you only need to uninstall the application. All data is collected anonymously and stored under a fake name. Data can be deleted or removed permanently by contacting the primary researcher (listed below).

The application can be found, freely available, on the Google Play store

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.fandm.enovak.updatetimingcollector

The application source code, for those interested, is freely available on GitHub

https://github.com/fmresearchnovak/updatetimingcollector

This project has been reviewed and approved by the Franklin & Marshall College Institutional Review Board. Questions concerning your rights as a participant in this research may also be addressed to Marcus Thomsen, Ph.D., Office of the Provost, 102C, Old Main, mthomsen "at symbol" fandm " dot" edu, (717) 358-4283.

Primary Researcher

Dr. Ed Novak

415 Harrisburg Avenue

Franklin and Marshall College

Computer Science Department

enovak "at sign" fandm.edu

Institutional Review Board Chair

Dr. Marcus Thomsen

415 Harrisburg Avenue

Franklin and Marshall College

Office of the Provost, 102C, Old Main

mthomsen "at" fandm.edu