This project involves the development of cryptographic protocols and techniques to enhance the security and privacy of the collection, storage, and processing of online survey data. Specifically, cryptographic protocols are designed for carrying out computations on online survey data in such a manner that only the approved output is revealed by the protocol, not the input data. The protocol therefore acts as a purpose-enforcement mechanism such that the data can be used only as authorized and can no longer be collected for one purpose and illicitly used for another. This approach has the benefit of protecting collected online survey data from hackers, spyware, misbehaving insiders, and accidental disclosure through the loss of a storage device. The security and purpose-enforcement in turn make it possible to potentially acquire higher quality responses to surveys on sensitive topics, a significant benefit in view of the increasing societal reliance on surveys from which important policy conclusions are often drawn in the health sciences, social and behavioral sciences, experimental economics, and other disciplines where the human subjects' individual responses are to be considered sensitive and kept private. The cryptographic protocols are tested through the administration of an online survey on Internet addiction. Protocols for data analysis techniques are developed to aid in the analysis of the collected data. The students involved in this project acquire a unique combination of inter-disciplinary talents. The results of this work are disseminated through the project Web site: www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/mja/secsurv/SecureSurv.html
