STATEMENT OF DATA PRIVACY
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aQity Research & Insights, Inc. (“aQity”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Statement of Data Privacy applies to the data we use, collect or receive in our normal course of business from our survey participants, clients, and data collection partners and vendors. These policies also pertain to any data obtained through the aQity website.
TYPES OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT Client Information aQity treats all information received from clients as confidential. We do not use this information for any purpose other than to fulfill our obligation to each client. We keep all client information secure at all times and prevent the misuse and unauthorized disclosure by our employees or any third parties. Research Participant Information To provide our services to clients, we may use client customer lists or third-party databases which include personally identifiable information (“PII”), usually names, email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and/or employer names. All responses to our research studies are completely confidential and are used for research purposes only. Research participant responses are never used by any entity for sales or marketing purposes and are never shared nor sold to outside third-parties. Participation in our research studies is voluntary. Respondents always have the opportunity to decline or opt out of a survey at any time. In some client satisfaction studies, we may ask research participants to allow us to share their PII (usually name, email or phone number, and/or employer name) in order to help our clients address specific service needs or requests based on survey feedback. In these cases, any sharing of PII is done only with prior respondent consent. For online surveys, we may process IP addresses for the legitimate business purpose of identifying and preventing duplicate respondents. We take reasonable and customary steps to keep IP address data safe and secure; it is never shared with clients or third parties. aQity also uses survey data provided by our data collection partners. Depending on specific study and design needs, these are usually online panels that allow panel members to participate in our online surveys. In keeping with our panel partners’ privacy policies, PII from panel survey respondents is not transferred to us from these partners. The data we receive consists of anonymous information which is not specific to any individual, such as zip code, age, gender, other demographic characteristics, and answers to survey questions. Website Data aQity will not collect any personal information from you via this website that you do not volunteer. When you use our online “Contact Us”, “Do Not Contact”, or “Do Not Sell My Information” forms, we ask you to provide your name, e-mail address, and information relevant to your request. We use this information only to provide you with services or actions that you request. Similarly, if you send an email to us outside of these forms, we will use your email address to respond to your inquiry or request. When you visit this website, some non-personally identifiable information may be sent by your browser, including your IP address, the pages you visit on the aQity website, referring web sites, and other information. This information is only used to measure and analyze our web traffic. If you submit a job application to aQity Research & Insights, we may use the personal information that you supply, such as your email address and phone number, to contact you about possible job openings. We may also contact previous employers and references provided. Security and Privacy of Your Personal Information Aside from our client sponsoring the research, aQity does not share, sell, or rent any personal information to any third party, ever. Your personal information will be securely stored for an indefinite period of time, unless you request otherwise. The information is protected from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Third Party Websites Some aQity online survey websites contain links to other survey provider websites. These third parties are obligated to follow the same PII privacy protection regulations as aQity Research & Insights, Inc. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). aQity complies with the CCPA to protect the collection, usage, and processing of personal information collected from California consumers, and protects their rights in relation to personal information that they share with aQity as research participants. Consumers seeking information about the type of PII that aQity collects as part of a research study, the aQity client who receives this information, or the source of their contact information can complete our Connect with Us request form. Consumers requesting to be removed from survey invitations, or who wish to opt out of a survey (even if they have completed some or all of the survey) can complete our Do Not Contact form. “Selling” this information is broadly defined under CCPA. It includes “…renting, releasing, disclosing, disseminating, making available, [and] transferring…” This includes sharing this information with our client who sponsors the research. Please know that aQity never sells or shares respondent information with any other third party, nor for any sales or marketing efforts. Consumers who wish to complete a survey but who do not want their PII shared with the aQity client can complete our Do Not Sell My Information form. EU-US Privacy Shield aQity complies with the EU-US Privacy Shield Frameworks as set forth by the US Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from European Union and the United Kingdom to the United States in reliance on Privacy shield. aQity has certified that it adheres to the Privacy Shield Principles with respect to such information. If there is any conflict between the terms in this privacy policy and the Privacy Shield Principles, the Privacy Shield Principles shall govern. To learn more about the Privacy Shield program and to view aQity's self-certification, please visit the Privacy Shield website. |
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AQITY WILL STRIVE TO COMPLY WITH THE FOLLOWING PRIVACY SHIELD PRINCIPLES:
Notice aQity shall inform an individual of the purpose for which it collects and uses the personal information and the types of non-agent third parties to which we disclose or may disclose that information. We shall provide the individual with the choice and means for limiting the use and disclosure of their personal information. Notice will be provided in clear and conspicuous language when individuals are first asked to provide personal information to aQity, or as soon as practicable thereafter, and in any event before we use or disclose the information for a purpose other than that for which it was originally collected. Choice aQity will offer survey respondents the opportunity to choose (opt out) whether their personal information is (1) to be disclosed to a third party, or (2) to be used for a purpose other than the purpose for which it was originally collected or subsequently authorized by the individual. For sensitive personal information, we will give individuals the opportunity to affirmatively or explicitly (opt out) consent to the disclosure of the information for a purpose other than the purpose for which it was originally collected or subsequently authorized by the individual. We shall treat sensitive personal information received from an individual the same as the individual would treat and identify it as sensitive personal information. Accountability for Onward Transfer aQity does not typically work with third parties such as subcontractors in the normal course of business. In the event that disclosure of personal information to a third party becomes necessary, aQity shall notify the individual of such disclosure and allow the individual the choice (opt out) of such disclosure. We shall ensure that any third party to which personal information may be disclosed subscribes to these principles or is subject to law(s) providing the same level of privacy protection as is required by these principles and agrees in writing to provide an adequate level of privacy protection. aQity recognizes that it may be legally liable for third parties who fail to adhere to these principles. Security aQity shall take reasonable steps to protect the information from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. Likewise, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information from loss, misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, alteration, or destruction. aQity sends and receives encrypted client-supplied PII via our secure SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) channels. However, aQity cannot and does not guarantee the security of information on or transmitted via regular non-secured email via the Internet. Data Integrity and Purpose Limitation aQity shall only process personal information in a way that is compatible with and relevant for the purpose for which it was collected or authorized by the individual. To the extent necessary for those purposes, we shall take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is accurate, complete, current, and reliable for its intended use. Access aQity shall allow an individual access to their personal information and allow the individual to correct, amend, or delete inaccurate information, except where the burden or expense of providing access would be disproportionate to the risks to the privacy of the individual in the case in question, or where the rights of persons other than the individual would be violated. Individuals may access, amend, or delete information by contacting aQity at: aQity Research & Insights, Inc. 820 Davis Street, Suite 502 Evanston, IL 60201 privacy@aqityresearch.com Recourse, Enforcement and Liability aQity provides a way to verify compliance and process complaints. In compliance with the EU-US Privacy Shield Principles and subject to enforcement of the Federal Trade Commission, aQity commits to resolve complaints about your privacy and our collection or use of your personal information. European Union individuals with Inquiries or complaints regarding this privacy policy should first contact aQity at: aQity Research & Insights, Inc. 820 Davis Street, Suite 502 Evanston, IL 60201 privacy@aqityresearch.com aQity has further committed to refer unresolved privacy complaints under the EU-US to the Insights Association Privacy Shield Program, a non-profit alternative dispute resolution provider located in the United States and operated by the Insights Association. If you do not receive timely acknowledgment of your complaint, or if your complaint is not satisfactorily addressed, please visit the Insights Association support page for more information and to file a complaint. These dispute resolution services are offered at no cost to you. Under certain limited conditions, individuals may invoke binding arbitration before the Privacy Shield Panel to be created by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the European Commission. Be advised that personal information obtained from or relating to clients or former clients is further subject to the terms of any specific privacy notice provided to the client, any contractual arrangements with the client, and applicable laws and professional standards. In addition, aQity may be required to disclose personal information in response to a request from national security or law enforcement authorities. Changes to this Policy aQity will occasionally update this Privacy Policy. Please check periodically for changes. If you have any questions or concerns about this Policy, please email privacy@aqityresearch.com. |
