How does machine-fingerprinting work?
Approximately 100 machine information points are analyzed from a respondent’s computer and processedthrough patent-pending deterministic algorithms that assign a digital fingerprint to each unique computer.

How accurate is OptimusID?
OptimusID has been tested on over 2 million computers with a 98% accuracy rate. By comparison, cookies were only accurate 60% of the time over the same period.

Is any software installed or downloaded to the respondent’s computer?
No. No software of any kind (ActiveX, Applications, .exe, etc) is
downloaded or installed. OptimusID works through redirects, and does not install any program or software onto the respondent’s computer.

Where is the OptimusID redirect URL implemented?
The OptimusID redirect URL is implemented where the URL for invites are generated.

Can OptimusID work in all countries?
Yes. However OptimusID is not as efficient in Internet Cafes.

Is the respondent experience altered in any way?
No. OptimusID works in the background through redirects and is invisible to the respondent. No pop-ups, installs,or downloads. No screens of any kind are shown to the respondent.

Can I simply flag respondents and not block them?
Yes. You can set controls to only record data and flag particular suspect respondents and not block them. This allows you to observe data quality without impacting any live projects.

What is the definition of a “Suspect” Respondent?
There is no standardized industry definition. OptimusID operates on the principle of methodological independence – that is within broad parameters, you can set your own definitions of what constitutes a suspect respondent. OptimusID will then operate based on your definitions and settings.

Can I see data on a per-respondent basis?
Yes. OptimusID allows you to see row-by-row information on each respondent passing through your surveys, in addition to aggregate, project and supplier information.

Can I match OptimusID data with my Survey data?
Yes. By matching machine fingerprints with respondent IDs on your system, you can match and compare OptimusID data to actual survey responses.

What kinds of Suspect Respondents does OptimusID detect?
Duplicates, Hyperactives (also referred to as Professionals), Speedsters, Repeat Offenders (respondents with a bad suspect activity history), GeoIP violators and Cross Panel Accounts (respondents belonging to too many panels
before showing up in your survey).

Can OptimusID work with multiple sample sources?
Yes. It is designed to apply your filters and settings to multiple sources in real-time.

Can OptimusID stop Suspect Respondents at the start of the survey?
Yes, for most problematic respondent types such as Hyperactives, Duplicates and Geo-Ip violators. Such respondents will not register as completes, saving you time and money by not having to pay for suspect sample, or cleaning the data post-project.

How redundant is your technical infrastructure?
OptimusID is built on a state-of-the-art network that is fully redundant with no single point of failure. Over 100 machines are housed in 2 datacenters – one in San Francisco, CA and another in New Jersey, NY. Multiple bandwidth providers – Savvis, Sprint, Telia, Level3 and NLayer. DNS and DDoS protection. Expected 98% uptime on the OptimusID service, and even when a rare downtime occurs, the survey traffic remains unaffected, and the respondents simply move through OptimusID and on to the survey.

If a respondent turns off JavaScript, can we still identify the machine?
Yes.

Are there certain cases where OptimusID does not work?
OptimusID does not currently work on mobile phones. Certain rare configurations of old Unix and Linux systems may not be compatible.

How is the average Length of Interview calculated?
The Average Length of Interview (LOI) can be passed through the URL for each project. If the Average LOI is not passed through the URL, OptimusID waits for 50 survey completes after which it automatically calculates a median of the total durations for the completes recorded so far and uses that as the Average LOI to detect speedsters.

How often is the anonymous Proxy list and IP database updated?
GeoIP databases are updated daily. Anonymous and Open Proxy lists are updated weekly. This is to ensure up-to-date protection against more sophisticated cheaters.

Is my information kept confidential?
Absolutely. The data generated by your surveys is accessible only by you, and is never shared with anyone else. You have the option of sharing the information you upload on suspect respondents with other researchers if you choose to do so.

Is SSL encryption available for passing information?
Yes. SSL 128-bit encryption is available for greater security.

If I delete my cookies and change my IP address, will OptimusID still be able to identify my computer?
Yes. Digital Fingerprinting adds an extra layer on top of traditional identification methods, allowing you to identify respondents who have deleted their cookies or changed panel accounts.

Can OptimusID work with my existing survey software?
Yes, OptimusID can work with most existing platforms – Confirm it, SPSS, ZTel as well as platforms developed inhouse. As long as any survey software supports redirection, OptimusID can be integrated easily.

How long does OptimusID take to implement?
OptimusID can be setup in 1 – 3 days. The process is simple and straightforward, and only involves some extra redirects. It does not require any major changes to your survey platform.

What type of algorithm is OptimusID based on?
OptimusID is based on a deterministic algorithm, not probability.

Does OptimusID identify any attributes on my computer?
No, OptimusID only identifies attributes that are found within the “sandbox” of your browser. This is to ensure a layer of privacy so as not to collect any personally identifiable information.

Can clients review the information that is analyzed?
Yes, we offer clients the opportunity to review network filters to see what is stored and what isn't.

Does OptimusID comply by industry standards?
Peanut Labs is a member of CASRO, ESOMAR, CMOR, ARF, and as such complies with industry guidelines and codes. OptimusID is also certified by the US Department of Commerce.

Does OptimusID comply with the European Directive on Data Protection?
Peanut Labs OptimusID is certified by the US Department of Commerce to be in compliance with the EU Safe Harbor Program. This certification is available on the Department of Commerce website: www.export.gov/safeharbor under the ‘Safe Harbor’ List.

Does OptimusID collect any personally identifiable information?
No, OptimusID does not collect any information that can be used to contact or identify an individual. No names, emails, phone numbers, addresses etc. are collected at any point. OptimusID analyzes technical information to identify only the respondent’s computer, not the respondent. OptimusID only identifies attributes that are found within the “sandbox” of your browser. This ensures a layer of privacy so as not to collect any personally identifiable information.

What information does OptimusID analyze exactly?
OptimusID analyzes approximately 100 information points, which are pieces of technical information about the respondent’s computer. Some examples of such information include: OS version, browser types, plug-in information, TTL of DNS, machine timestamp etc. A detailed list of these machine information points is available upon request. It is important to note that the information is not stored, rather, it computes into a nonsensical string.

Can clients review the information that is analyzed?
Yes. We offer clients the opportunity to review network filters to see what is stored and what isn't.

Does OptimusID use IP addresses and cookies?
Yes. In addition to machine fingerprinting, OptimusID also uses traditional techniques such as recording IP addresses and placing cookies (as a failsafe to store the survey URL and Machine ID on the respondent’s computer). OptimusID uses IP addresses to also identify Geo-IP suspects. Cookies are used to provide an extra layer of redundancy and reliability of identification to researchers. Data is partially collected by cookies, of which there are two kinds. Standard cookies are small data units, which are stored on the hard-drive of your computer. Most web browsers accept cookies automatically; however, your browser may be programmed in such a way that your computer will not accept cookies since you always have the option to deny the installation of a cookie on your computer. OptimusID also uses the second type of cookie: so-called "session based cookies." These are used for the navigational assistance described above and are only stored in the working memory of your computer. Session cookies are deleted off of your computer after you close your browser.

Will my respondents see anything different?
No. OptimusID is designed to be completely invisible and non-obtrusive to respondents. It works in the background through redirects, and respondents go into your surveys as usual. Redirects take between 0.5 – 1 second in most cases. No pop-ups or security dialogs.