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Redirect hashing validates that return redirects from your survey platform to Research Desk were not tampered with. Without this protection, fraudsters can fabricate complete URLs and collect incentives without taking surveys.
Redirect hashing requires implementation in your survey programming platform. Contact clientsuccess@repdata.com to enable hashing on your account or if you do not see Enable Hashing on Return Redirects on surveys.

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Why it matters

Return redirects (arrow #3 in the respondent flow — from your survey back to Research Desk) are the primary vulnerability for ghost completes. Hashing secures this connection so only redirects generated with your account’s secret key are accepted. Research Desk also supports COMPLETE API respondent validation for accounts that need server-side validation. See Admin and User Management for secret key access.

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How hashing works

1

Generate hash

Your survey platform hashes the full redirect URL including the secret key (sk). Research Desk supports SHA-256 or SHA-512.
2

Send hash

Append the hash as parameter hk on the redirect URL sent to the respondent. The secret key must not appear in the final URL.
3

Verify

Research Desk independently hashes the URL (with sk) and compares it to the received hk value.
4

Accept or terminate

Matching hashes allow the respondent through. Mismatches terminate the session.

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Step-by-step setup

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1. Get your secret key

Find your secret key in Admin — see Admin and User Management. Keep it confidential.

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2. Build the URL to hash

Construct the complete redirect with the respondent’s RDUD and your secret key:
Use the correct inbound_code for each outcome (1000 complete, 2000 terminate, 3000 security, 4000 over-quota).

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3. Hash the URL

Pass the entire URL string (including https through the end of sk) through SHA-256 or SHA-512. Example SHA-256 output:
Validation tools: SHA-256 · SHA-512

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4. Redirect without the secret key

Send the respondent to Research Desk with hk instead of sk:

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5. Enable hashing on the survey

Toggle Enable Hashing on Return Redirects to ON in the New Survey or Edit Survey modal.

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6. Test end-to-end

Run a complete path through Test Survey in an incognito window. Research Desk confirms successful hashing on the end page. An error page usually indicates a setup issue with the hash algorithm or URL construction.

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Platform implementation

Every programming platform implements hashing differently. If you need help: