We at the Department of Computer Science 1 at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) are investigating, as part of the research project "Digital Forensic Profiling Using Demographic Attributes", whether personal characteristics such as age and gender can be inferred from chat messages. To this end, we have developed a chat simulator that captures text and voice messages under realistic conditions (background noise, natural language) for various situations. This data forms the basis for our research.
The chat simulation takes approximately 5-10 minutes and is intended for all individuals aged 18 and over who are proficient in English, including non-native speakers.
At the beginning, we will ask for your year of birth, gender, educational background, native language, and the region that has influenced your language use, so we can validate our analysis. All information is voluntary! Your name and address will not be collected, so no conclusion can be drawn about the identity of the study participants afterwards (anonymity).
After that, different situations and an initial message will be provided. You will respond with one or more text or voice message(s). The input format expected by the simulator can be recognized by the following symbols:
It is important to us that you respond as you would in a realistic chat situation - using your own words and in your own way. You may also send multiple messages per situation. However, the simulator will not reply to your messages. (This is not a chatbot!).
Click the "Next" button (top right) to proceed to the next scenario. After six randomly selected scenarios, you can either end the study or continue with additional scenarios. However, you may also discontinue the study at any time without providing a reason. If you wish to have your data deleted at a later date, you can request this from us using the participant ID displayed on the screen.
If you have any questions about the study or are interested in the results, please contact the research director Marion Liegl at marion.liegl@fau.de.
Thank you very much for your participation!
Participation ID:
To ensure the effective and proper conduct of research on chat messages as part of the research project “Digital Forensic Profiling with Demographic Attributes,” Friedrich- Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), as the data controller, processes your personal data. The processing takes place exclusively on the FAU’s internal IT infrastructure in Germany.
The legal basis for the processing is Art. 6(1)(a) and Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR.
The collected data will be stored for a period of 10 years in accordance with FAU’s Statutes on the Assurance of Good Scientific Practice and subsequently deleted.
Your data will not be used for any other purposes and will not be disclosed to third parties.
People under the age of 18 are not eligible for the study!
As part of the aforementioned research, the following personal data / categories of data are collected:
We do not store IP addresses or tracking metadata!
You have the right to request from the data controller information regarding the personal data in question , as well as the right to have such data corrected or deleted, to restrict its processing, or to object to its processing. You also have the right to data portability and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. To exercise these rights, please contact the research director.
I consent to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of research on chat messages to the extent described above. I may revoke this consent at any time in writing or in text form, effective for the future, by providing my participant ID to the research director:
Marion Liegl, M. Sc.
IT Security Infrastructures Lab
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)
Martensstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen
E-Mail: marion.liegl@fau.de
If you have any question regarding data protection, please contact: datenschutzbeauftragter@fau.de
A working microphone is required to participate in this study.
Only click "Continue" if your microphone works and the recording is audible.
After answering a situation, the button „Next →“ will appear in the top right corner to proceed to the next situation.
Thank you for participating so far.
You have completed situations.
Would you like to complete two more situations?
Participant ID:
After the study ends, your data can still be deleted by providing your participant ID. Please contact marion.liegl@fau.de.
What would you like to do?