# Anonymous and compliance mode

Canonical page: https://www.questionpunk.com/support/anonymous-mode

Collect responses without IP addresses or geolocation for IRB compliance.

Time: 1-2 minutes

Level: Beginner

Audience: Researchers, Academics, Compliance teams

## Steps

### 1. Open survey settings

Click the **Settings** button in the survey editor.

### 2. Enable anonymous mode

Toggle **Anonymous Mode** on. When enabled, QuestionPunk will not collect or store IP addresses, geolocation, or device fingerprints for that survey.

### 3. Review other privacy and access settings

Check cookie consent settings and session resumption options. For maximum anonymity, disable session resumption so no persistent identifiers are stored. You can also block incognito browsers, restrict unknown browsers, and prevent multiple submissions from the same device.

## Details

Anonymous mode is designed for IRB-compliant academic research where collecting identifying information is not permitted.

When enabled, response records contain no IP address, geolocation, or device information. Only the survey answers themselves are stored.

You can combine anonymous mode with other privacy settings like disabling session resumption and enabling cookie consent prompts.

Additional access controls include blocking incognito/private browsers, restricting unknown browser types, and preventing multiple submissions from the same respondent. Session resumption can be configured with a custom time-to-live (TTL, from 1 hour to 7 days) so respondents can return to finish a survey within a set window.

The **respondent surface policy** in Settings lets you control where your survey can be taken: **Both** (web browser and mobile app), **App only** (requires the QuestionPunk mobile app), or **Web only** (browser access only). Use App only when your study requires native device features like screen sharing on iPhone.

## Related articles

- [Data retention](https://www.questionpunk.com/support/data-exports-retention.md)
- [Create your first survey](https://www.questionpunk.com/support/create-your-first-survey.md)