Is it possible to store the password that the users will type?

Question

Thank you for your answer.

Do you think it is possible to store the passwords that the users will type as variables into the data set? I would need this so that later on I can use the passwords (and more specifically) their strength for evaluation purposes.

My general idea is to show several groups different types of prompts (to make a more secure password) and in the end identify which prompt makes users come up with stronger passwords.

Answer 1

This is not a technical question, but an ethical one.

If you store passwords, you're responsible for them. Let's assume that someone uses the same password for different services. Now, you have that password. What if their Google account is hacked next week, and then someone uses that to buy good for 100.000 € online. Are you sure, it's not your fault? Maybe, someone has places a trojan on your computer?

You should only store passwords unencrypted, if you're 100% sure that these are not real passwords. Anything else would not be acceptable by means of IT security, and ethics.

Technically, just use a text input for the passwords, and SoSci Survey will store them in the dataset. You could use JavaScript to switch these inputs to the typical password inputs that only show dots instead of what is written.

Comments

Thank you for your answer, those are very important remarks to have.

My idea is not to collect any personal data related to possible accounts, neither names nor emails, usernames, existing passwords.

The participants would be asked to create a password after seeing different types of prompts (here probably would be a good place to explicitly advise the participants not to use any existing passwords of theirs).

I hope this concept is something that wouldn't violate any ethics, still I will definitely consult with security experts at my university before launching such en experiment.

 It was important for me to know whether from technical perspective something like this is possible to implement in SoSciSurvey.