Patent ID: 8769080

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a data collection agent (DCA) that: records web browser click events across a plurality of web sites, identifies a subset of pertinent web browser click events, produces transformed web browser click events from the pertinent web browser click events by removing user personal information from the web browser click events, wherein removing user personal information comprises replacing, on a character by character basis, personal information in the web browser click events with a plurality of characters, wherein personal information includes at least one of: a user name, a password, or an account number, and transmits a click-stream of the transformed web browser click events to a data collection server (DCS) that resides on a computer, the DCA embodied as a web browser plug-in on a user client station; receiving the transformed web browser click events from the DCA, as a click-stream, at the DCS to record and provide a user usage pattern; and based on the user usage pattern and a presentation parameter, inviting a user to participate in a survey, in which the presentation parameter at least in part determines a frequency of survey invitations to the user; and the presentation parameter can be controlled by the user.