Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions.
Why participate?
You participate by making your purchasing data available for researchers, so that they can combine your data with health information from the Danish registries and create new knowledge. Since such information can be collected over a long period of time, we may be able to find general patterns that may lead us to the cause of a number of diseases and may even make it possible to prevent the diseases. Better general knowledge about diseases is expected to benefit you and/or your loved ones within a few years.
Since information about your identity is always separated from information about your purchase and any illnesses, it is not possible to provide individual advice aimed at each individual participant in My Purchases. If, in connection with registration, you have agreed to receive news from the project, you will, however, receive general information and recommendations.
Since information about your identity is always separated from information about your purchase and any illnesses, it is not possible to provide individual advice aimed at each individual participant in My Purchases. If, in connection with registration, you have agreed to receive news from the project, you will, however, receive general information and recommendations.
Does participation involve any risks?
There are no health risks associated with participation in My Purchases.
The security of your data is important to us. As a consequence, data is stored on secure servers with comprehensive protection against theft and destruction, and which comply with guidelines for the processing or storage of personal information, including logging of access.
The security of your data is important to us. As a consequence, data is stored on secure servers with comprehensive protection against theft and destruction, and which comply with guidelines for the processing or storage of personal information, including logging of access.
Which receipts are collected?
If you sign up for My Purchases, we will receive all your receipts from Storebox. The receipts come from the stores that send electronic receipts to Storebox. See which stores are registered for Storebox here.
We receive all your receipts from the time you signed up for Storebox, and receive receipts on an ongoing basis until you wish to unsubscribe from My Purchases, or My Purchases has come to an end. Receipts that you upload yourself or have uploaded to Storebox are not included. You must therefore sign up for electronic receipts from Storebox in order to participate.
See the personal data policy from Storebox here.
We receive all your receipts from the time you signed up for Storebox, and receive receipts on an ongoing basis until you wish to unsubscribe from My Purchases, or My Purchases has come to an end. Receipts that you upload yourself or have uploaded to Storebox are not included. You must therefore sign up for electronic receipts from Storebox in order to participate.
See the personal data policy from Storebox here.
Why can't you just use anonymous data?
If data were anonymous, we would not be able to find correlations between individual person's health and the same person's purchase. We need personally identifiable information about diseases from the Danish registries, which we can link with information about what the same people eat, drink, use as moisturizers and clean with. This linkage is the key that makes the My Purchases project so unique.
The information is pseudonymised when researchers start their analyses. The pseudonymization ensures that data can still be connected with other data. At the same time, the researchers cannot, based on the pseudonymised information alone, identify the persons who have provided the information or from whom it originates.
The information is pseudonymised when researchers start their analyses. The pseudonymization ensures that data can still be connected with other data. At the same time, the researchers cannot, based on the pseudonymised information alone, identify the persons who have provided the information or from whom it originates.
Why don't you just ask me what I eat?
The solid knowledge we have about the importance of lifestyle for our health is largely based on questionnaires regarding diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol, etc. In My Purchases, we believe that we can find out even more by using information about purchasing habits instead of information from questionnaires.
Purchase data can be collected automatically over time, without bothering you, and it contains information that is in many ways more accurate than questionnaires. Questionnaires typically take a long time to complete and it is easy to forget small but perhaps significant details. In addition, it can be difficult to remember exactly which products you buy over a long period of time.
Purchase data can be collected automatically over time, without bothering you, and it contains information that is in many ways more accurate than questionnaires. Questionnaires typically take a long time to complete and it is easy to forget small but perhaps significant details. In addition, it can be difficult to remember exactly which products you buy over a long period of time.
What kind of information is obtained from the Danish registries?
In My Purchases, we receive information of importance to your health. This may, for example, be information about disease, medicine intake, test results and contacts with the healthcare system. It can also be information about e.g. your level of education and place of residence. We may also use information from other research projects that can pass on collected data to other research into health and disease.
Where is my data stored?
When you sign up with MitID, your social security number is stored in a secure database at the Sundhedsdatastyrelsen (Danish Health Data Agency). When the researchers start analysing, data can be uploaded to Statistics Denmark, Forskermaskinen or Computerome (one of Denmark's supercomputers). Here, data will be linked with other data and provided with a serial number, which means that the researchers cannot see your social security number or your contact information.
Read more about the researcher scheme at Statistics Denmark
Click here to read more about the researcher scheme at Denmark's Statistics: https://www.dst.dk/en/TilSalg/Forskningsservice/Dataadgang
Read more about the Forskermaskinen (Health Data Agency)
Click here to read more about Forskermaskinen: https://sundhedsdatastyrelsen.dk/da/english
Read more about Computerome
Click here to read more about Computerome: http://www.computerome.dtu.dk/Services1/Secure-Cloud
Why do I have to sign with MitID?
We ask you to sign with MitID to be sure of your identity. In addition, we use your Danish cpr- number (social security number) to be able to connect information about shopping habits with, for example, information about diseases from the Danish registries and maybe also data from other research projects.
Can the researchers see who I am and what I buy?
In My Purchases, your information is pseudonymised before the researchers have access to analyse it. This means that the researchers will never learn your identity when analysing data. Your purchase receipts are kept separate from your social security number as well as your contact information, and the information can only be linked using a serial number.
Does Storebox have access to my social security number?
Storebox does not get access to your social security number. They only have access to your purchase receipts and the contact information you provide when registering.
Do you give data about me to companies?
No, we only use your data for research.
Can other researchers access data about me?
Yes, data can be passed on to other researchers if their project has been approved by all relevant bodies and if the project's purpose falls within the overall purpose of the My Purchases project.