Answerpoints Privacy Policy
Introduction
Answerpoints is a division of Aurora Market Research Limited.
Aurora Market Research is a full service market research agency. We use the personal data you provide to contact you and run relevant market research surveys through our Answerpoints panel to find out about what you think so that our clients can improve the products and services they offer.
This privacy policy is served by Aurora Market Research and applies to the personal data that Aurora Market Research collects and processes in the context of its Answerpoints online panel services.
We have a separate privacy policy (“Aurora Market Research General Privacy Policy”) which applies to the personal data that we collect and process from the use of Aurora Market Research’s company website (auroramr.com) and from conducting surveys from sources other than our Answerpoints panel. The Aurora Market Research General Privacy Policy can be found here: http://www.auroramr.com/privacy_statement.html
This Answerpoints Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect and process about individuals through the use of the Answerpoints panel, how and why we use it, who we disclose it to and how we protect your privacy. We only share your data with third-parties engaged by us to store or process the data we hold. We will never sell your personal data.
References in this privacy policy to “Aurora Market Research”, “Answerpoints”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean Aurora Market Research Limited (a company registered in England and Wales with registration no 4342163 and registered office at Causeway House, 13 The Causeway, Teddington, TW11 0JR).
You have the right to withdraw your consent to participate in the Answerpoints panel at any time, please see the section “your rights” below for how to do this.
Third-Party Partner Surveys
Please note, this policy does not apply to the processing of your personal data in the context of surveys administered on our Answerpoints panel by third-party partners.
Aurora Market Research would not be responsible for running the survey or collecting data via the survey data collection tool. This means that the survey data will be controlled by the third-party partner running the survey and you will need to refer to the third-party partner’s privacy policy for information about their privacy practices.
Coverage of this privacy policy
The privacy policy covers:
- Data Controller
- What we mean by personal data
- The Information we collect about you
- How we use your personal data
- Legal basis for collecting and processing your personal data
- Surveys involving Children
- How we share your personal data
- International Transfers
- Your rights and choices with respect to your personal data
- How we protect the security of your personal data
- How to contact us to update your contact information or ask questions about our privacy practices
- Updates to this privacy policy
1. Data Controller
Aurora Market Research is the “Data Controller” for the purposes of the UK Data Protection Act 1998 (as amended or replaced), the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the “GDPR”) and other applicable European data protection legislation (together the “Data Protection Legislation”).
We control the ways your personal data are collected on the Answerpoints panel and the purposes for which your personal data are used.
2. What we mean by personal data
When using the term “personal data” in our privacy policy, we mean any information that relates to you and allows us to identify you, either directly or in combination with other information that we may hold.
All personal data we collect that you provided is given voluntarily with consent by you. In all cases you have the right to withhold any personal information.
The personal data we collect from you will be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Market Research Society (MRS) Code of Conduct, ESOMAR (European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research) and International Code of Marketing and Social Research Practice
Unless you provide your explicit consent we only share data in aggregated form with our third-party clients.
3. The Information we collect about you
We collect information voluntarily provided by you (with your consent) as well as information we collect by automated means.
Personal data provided to us by you:
The personal data we collect from you is as follows:
i) We ask you to provide certain personal data when you register to be a member of Answerpoints through our website, including your name, address, email address, phone number, date of birth, occupation, education, and gender, working status household composition
ii) We collect additional personal data when you participate in a survey. Where applicable, we indicate why we need to collect personal data and how we will use it. We will never sell your data. We will only ask for information such as postal address when it is necessary as part of the research that we send something to you in the post, for example if you have won a prize.
iii) Occasionally, our surveys may ask you for personal information that enables you to be identified - such as your name or email address - for the purposes of a prize draw notification, or a follow-up survey. When this information is requested, we will clearly state the reason we are asking for it, and ask you for your permission to use it for the purposes stated. In the relatively few instances where we ask you for permission to pass data on in a form which allows you to be personally identified, we will do all that is reasonable to ensure that the information will be used only for the purposes stated.
iv) We may collect content that you submit to our surveys such as photos and videos
v) When you send an email to us to report a problem or to submit an enquiry using the contact details posted on the Answerpoints website
Special categories of data
In the course of providing services to you, we may collect information that could reveal your racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, political opinions physical or mental health, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership or genetic or biometric data. Such information is considered “special categories of data” under the GDPR and other data protection laws. We only collect this information where you have given your explicit consent.
Personal data we collect by automated means:
Answerpoints uses "Cookies" in order to provide you with a better service.
By joining our online research panel and taking part in our online research, you agree to our use of cookies and similar technologies and the collection of information from your PC/laptop or other computing device you may use whilst taking part in our online research activities as outlined below.
Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored on your computer, mobile phone or other device. We use cookies and other similar devices sparingly and generally to make our website faster and easier to use. We use cookies for quality control, validation, and to prevent repeat surveying.
We collect information about your computer or mobile device and its capabilities, such as device type and operating system, browser type, referring/exiting pages and IP address. This allows us to tailor our surveys appropriately and to report aggregate information to our client in a summarised form. This is statistical data about our users' browsing actions and patterns, and does not directly identify any individual.
No cookies used will contain information that will enable anyone to contact you via telephone, e-mail, or any other means. If you prefer not to receive cookies from our website you can disable their use in your browser settings.
You can configure your browser to notify you when cookies are being placed on your computer. You can also delete cookies by adjusting your browser settings. To find out more about cookies by visiting: www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/ By rejecting or disabling cookies, certain Answerpoints panel content or functionality may not be available to you.
As you use our website, you may encounter third-parties that make use of cookies and similar technologies. We are not responsible for those third-parties or what they may place in your browser.
Google Analytics
We use cookies for the Google Analytics service on the Answerpoints panel. The cookies used and the process of how you are able to opt out of sending your data to Google Analytics are described in Appendix A of this policy.
4. How we use your personal data
We use your data to make sure we’re talking to the right people to help our clients enhance their products and services.
Any answers you give to any survey run by Aurora Market Research will remain confidential unless you specifically give your consent to the contrary. No information is collected during any survey without your prior knowledge and consent.
We may use your personal data for a variety of purposes, including:
- To keep a record of all Answerpoints panellists
- To send you invitations to participate in research surveys and activities, administered by Aurora Market research or by third-parties, through our Answerpoints panel
- To administer, manage, fulfil, facilitate entry into, and communicate about our Answerpoints incentive scheme and prize draws
- To communicate with you regarding your membership of Answerpoints
- To provide a better survey experience, including quality control, validation, tracking of completed surveys or other completed actions
- To perform data analyses for Aurora Market Research purposes or for our clients. Personal data collected during online surveys is for analysis purposes only and will only be used in aggregated form. It is not identified to you personally
- With your explicit consent when asked in a survey, to pass your individual survey responses together with your personal information to the client who commissioned the survey. The client will use this information only for research purposes as explained in the survey. The client may also use this information to contact you to invite your participation in further research they conduct, but only where you have been informed of this and have explicitly consented to your information being used by the client for this purpose
- To create anonymous, statistical profiles of Panel membership based on the information provided by panellists
- To comply with our legal obligations, including, without limitation, tax obligations, or otherwise enforce or protect our rights
- To ensure safety and security and to detect and prevent fraud
We will NEVER use your information for any purpose other than research and as described in this policy. Other than in relation to this Panel, we will NOT try to sell you anything, nor use your information for marketing purposes. Nor will we ever pass your information to third-parties for marketing or advertising purposes
5. Legal basis for collecting and processing your personal data
Aurora Market Research Ltd is committed to the lawful, fair and transparent use of personal data.
We have laid out below a table showing the legal basis for collecting the and maintaining your personal data:
Personal Data provide to us by you:
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| ||
What | Why | Basis of Processing | Legitimate Interest (if applicable) |
Your name | To communicate with you | Performance of contract | |
Your contact details (email address and mobile number) | To communicate with you | Performance of contract | |
Demographic information (e.g. age, gender, region, people in household, income, TV viewing, grocery shopping) | To be able to send relevant surveys to you To allow us to analyse data for our clients | Performance of contract Legitimate interest | Our business relies on the ability to use your personal data to produce research and insight for our clients. |
Demographic information: Special categories (e.g. ethnicity, religious belief, political affiliation, sexual orientation and health data) | To be able to send relevant surveys to you | Consent | |
Your responses to surveys | To provide your opinions to our Clients and to send further relevant surveys to you | Performance of contract Legitimate interest | Our business relies on the ability to use your personal data to produce research and insight for our clients. |
Your free text or verbatim response to surveys | To provide your opinions to our Clients | Performance of contract Legitimate interest | Our business relies on the ability to use your personal data to produce research and insight for our clients. |
The communications we have with you | To communicate with you about any surveys or any aspects of your membership | Legitimate interest | To assist our customer support team when dealing with enquiries |
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Personal Data we collect by automated means: | |||
Your mobile operating system (e.g. are you using an iPhone or an Android?) | To optimise surveys and for customer support purposes | Legitimate interest | To provide members with best possible survey experience and to verify users and prevent fraud |
Your IP address and HTTP referrer information | For customer support purposes and to verify your region | Legitimate interest | To provide members with best possible survey experience and to verify users and prevent fraud |
The type of mobile browser you use (e.g. are you using the Chrome or Safari browser?) | To optimise surveys for your use and for customer support purposes | Legitimate interest | To provide members with best possible survey experience and to verify users and prevent fraud |
6. Surveys involving children
In research involving children, we will conform to the terms of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998 and seek the verifiable permission of a parent or legal guardian before an interview commences.
7. How we share your personal data
We may disclose the personal data we collect about you as described below or otherwise disclosed to you at the time the data is collected, including with:
- Aurora Market Research and any of our affiliates
- Third-party service providers who perform services and process personal data on our behalf. Examples of our service providers include our panel hosting software providers (Focusvision), survey data collection platforms (Confirmit, Decipher and SurveyGizmo) and our approved online survey partner (Cint). We may also share your personal data with professional advisors (such as lawyers or auditors, accountants), technical support functions and IT service partners (Conosco Ltd.) responsible for our business technology systems. Third-parties will not be allowed to use your personal information for their own purposes. We also require them to have safeguards designed to protect the security and confidentiality of the personal data they process on our behalf
- Our clients for market research-related purposes with your explicit consent (including for the creation and validation of models, fraud detection and prevention, data market segmentation and database matching, and reward, incentive, or prize draw redemption, fulfillment and/or entry), to enable them to develop marketing campaigns, audience insights, look-alike models and/or to market third-party’s products/services to you, and for the purposes of identifying respondents for re-contact surveys or communications
- Our client or their customers, if we believe that you have or may violate the intellectual property rights of a third-party or our Terms of Service
- Tax, audit or other authorities, when we believe in good faith that the law or other regulation requires us to share this data (for example, because of a request by a tax authority or in connection with any anticipated litigation)
- a cloud-based storage provider
- a third-party who acquires or merges with Aurora Market Research Ltd., or acquires our assets
Surveys conducted by third-parties
You may be invited to surveys via links to and from the online properties our third-party partners (e.g. clients, advertisers and other third-parties). If you follow a link to any of these online properties, please note that these online properties have their own privacy policies and that we cannot and do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies or for any personal data that may be collected through these online properties. Please check these policies carefully before you click on any links and/or submit any personal data to these online properties.
We may also allow a client to collect personal data directly from you. You are free to provide them with your personal data. In these situations, we enter into a written agreement with our clients to, among other things, limit their use of the personal data.
8. International transfers
We do not transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
9. Your rights and choices with respect to your personal data
Your personal information is kept for as long as you are an active member of the Answerpoints panel.
Right to request a copy of your information: You can request a copy of the personal data we maintain about you (this is known as a subject access request).
Right to correct any mistakes in your information: You can require us to update and correct inaccuracies in your personal data in your information which we hold.
Right to request we stop processing your information: You can withdraw any consent you previously provided regarding the processing of your personal data, at any time and free of charge. We will apply your preferences going forward and this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before your consent withdrawal.
Right to request deletion of your information: You can ask us to delete the information we hold (also known as the “right to be forgotten”) by contacting our Data Protection Officer, at privacy@auroramr.com
We will delete your profile information that is held on our general servers and the servers of any third-party service providers as soon as is possible and in any event within 30 days.
You also have the right to ask us to destroy a record of your response to a survey after you have submitted your answers on the Answerpoints Panel (where we are the data controller) and we will ensure that your response is not used in our analysis provided that we have not already shared it in an aggregated form with our third-party clients.
Right of data portability: You have the right to transfer your personal data between data controllers in certain circumstances.
Right to lodge a complaint: If you have any complaints about the way in which we collect, store and use your information, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority in the United Kingdom, the Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
Rights regarding automated decision-making and profiling: We do not carry out any automated decision-making or profiling with the information we hold on you.
10. How we protect the security of your personal data
We take our responsibilities to keep your personal information secure very seriously. As such we take every reasonable precaution to ensure your information is protected from loss, theft or misuse. These precautions include appropriate physical security of our offices, controlled access to computer systems, and use of secure, encrypted internet connections when collecting personal information. Employees or agents of Aurora Market Research can only access data by use of authorised user name, passwords and two-step verification
All of our employees and data processors (i.e. those who process your personal information on our behalf, for the purposes listed above), who have access to, and are associated with the processing of personal information, are obliged to respect the confidentiality of the personal information of all users of our Services.
Despite the safeguards we implement, transmissions over the Internet or a mobile network are not totally secure. We will do our best to protect your information, but we cannot guarantee the security of your data. Any transmission is at your own risk. We are not responsible for any errors by individuals in submitting personal data to us.
We also take measures to delete your Personal Data or keep it in a form that does not permit identifying you when this information is no longer necessary for the purposes for which we process it, unless we are required by law to keep this information for a longer period. When determining the retention period, we take into account various criteria, such as the nature and length of our relationship with you and mandatory retention periods provided by law and the statute of limitations.
11. How to contact us to update your contact information or ask questions about our privacy practices
If you have any questions or comments regarding our privacy practices or this privacy policy or if you would like to opt out of certain uses of your personal data, exercise your rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you or make a complaint about our privacy practice, please feel free to contact us:
Aurora Market Research Limited: write to us at privacy@auroramr.com or write to Causeway House, 13 The Causeway, Teddington, TW11 0JR. Attention: Data Protection Officer.
12. Updates to this privacy policy
We may need to update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our personal data practices. Any changes to this policy will be posted on this page. Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our privacy policy.
This privacy policy is effective 30th May 2018.
Appendix A: Google Analytics
The Google Analytics cookies used on the Answerpoints website are described in the table below:
Cookie | Title | Description |
__utma | Google Analytics | These cookies are used to store information, such as what time your current visit occurred, whether you have been to the site before, and what site referred you to the web page. Google stores the information collected by these cookies on servers in the United States. Google may transfer this information to third-parties where required to do so by law, or where such third-parties process the information on Google’s behalf. |
Opt-out
In order to provide website visitors with more choice on how data is collected by Google Analytics, Google has developed the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js) to stop data being sent to Google Analytics. The Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on does not affect usage of the website in any other way. A link to further information on the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on is provided below for your convenience.
http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=None
For more information on the usage of cookies by Google Analytics please see the Google website. A link to the privacy advice for this product is provided below for your convenience.
http://www.google.com/analytics/learn/privacy.html