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Is passive data collection better

One of the key questions around passive data collection is understanding when it should replace other forms of ‘active’ data collection. The reality is that passive data can provide different types of data from those collected actively. It is therefore not a straight replacement. Research has indicated that passive data collection can be much better then asking questions that relate to recall of online activity–for example which website has been visited.²¹ Due to the nature of passive data collection it is therefore more suited to the types of objective data that would be normally associated with poor recall by respondents.
Given this, researchers might believe that passive data collection comes with no practical cost. If the participant has agreed to take part in research then researchers might as well collect as many data points as is possible. However, passive data collection carries with it some limitations and some risks. The most significant is that passive data collection can only be legitimately collected from those who agree to their behaviour on their mobile device being monitored.²² Because of growing public concerns over privacy, combined with general issues over declining response rates, researchers should be aware that requiring passive data collection will make the sample less representative of a general population. This is because some research participants will decline to take part due to privacy concerns.