PRIVACY POLICY FOR RESPONDENTS

GRO FIELDWORK PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: – 05th September 2023

 

INTRODUCTION

GRO Fieldwork is an independent market research company with a registered address of 37 Belmont Avenue Donnybrook D04C9N4.

The primary purpose of why we collect information is to conduct market research on a range of different topics and products. We are committed to protecting your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal information you share with us and keep it safe and secure. 

 

WHAT IS A PRIVACY POLICY?

GRO Fieldwork collect certain information about you while operating our business. This privacy policy sets out how we process data, information on your rights and details regarding the ways in which your personal information is used and secured. We hope that we have made it as clear as possible, but should you have any queries please do email us at info@grofieldwork.com

 

WHO DOES THIS PRIVACY POLICY APPLY TO?

This policy applies to all parties whose personal data we process. This includes but is not limited to panellists, research participants, members of the public, job applicants, employees, clients, sub-contractors, and suppliers.

 

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

We adhere to applicable laws and industry codes pertaining to the protection of children’s privacy. We never ask children under the age of 16 to participate in research without obtaining consent from a parent or legal guardian. Parents and guardians have the right to access, review, correct, delete, or object to the processing of personal data of or about their child or children.

 

THIS POLICY OUTLINES THE FOLLOWING:

  1. What Information we collect
  2. What we will use the information for
  3. How secure is your information?
  4. Who we share your information with
  5. Data Retention
  6. What access you have to your data?
  7. Termination/Unsubscribing
  8. Your rights regarding your data

 

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect and process personal data as part of the services we provide. We limit the personal data that we process to what is required to undertake the market research. GRO Fieldwork panel collects data when you register to become a member.

 

Registration Choosing to join the GRO Fieldwork panel is entirely voluntary. We ask you to provide certain personal data when you register on our panel through our website. This will include Name, Contact Phone number, Email address, Age, location Occupation, Education, living status and identity.

We may also capture other information such as phone service, shopping and utilities providers and banking services

Sensitive data The EU General Data Protection Regulation recognises certain categories of personal information as sensitive and therefore require more protection, for example information about your health, ethnicity and religious beliefs, trade union membership, sex life or orientation. In instances where we are conducting research for example involving questions relating to sensitive data such as this, we will always ask for your informed explicit consent.

 

Active data collection is where for example during a survey or profile update you provide an answer, click on a statement, or write a response to questions or in corresponding with us. It includes information you provide such as when you register, enter competitions, or participate in discussion forums.

Passive data collection occurs automatically when you interact with a survey, the GRO Fieldwork website or GRO Fieldwork registration. This can include the time of the interaction, the IP address, internet browser and information about the device being used. This information is used to properly display surveys or information, as part of survey administration

 

GRO Fieldwork Profiles In order to invite members to suitable surveys, we use profile information such as that inputted during your GRO Fieldwork registration or during surveys which are identified as profile surveys. Processing profile information may use automated means, such as randomly selecting some of the GRO Fieldwork members who fit the basic criteria for a research study to send invitations.

 

Panel Surveys Participation in any survey is always voluntary, so you can choose not to take part in a survey or to opt out at any time by closing your browser and not returning to the survey. Only fully completed survey responses will be included. Survey results are only ever presented in anonymous form unless otherwise consented.

 

WHAT WILL WE USE THE INFORMATION FOR?

We use your information for the purpose of seeking your opinion and engaging you in market research.

The GDPR allows us to collect and process your personal information if it is reasonably necessary to achieve our or others’ legitimate interests (so long as that processing is fair, balanced and does not unduly impact your rights as an individual).

In broad terms, our “legitimate interests” is the running of Gro Fieldwork Panel and conducting Market Research projects on behalf of our clients as a commercial entity and ensuring the best possible user experience. We will not use your personal information for activities where our interests are overridden by the impact on you. 

 

We may contact you using telephone, email, SMS, post depending on the type of research that is being carried out. If there is a method by which you do not want us to contact you, please let us know. We could contact you to –

  • To invite you to participate in a survey.
  • To invite you to participate in a market research project.
  • To ensure that we have up to date and accurate personal data.
  • To validate some information as a result of a survey or interview.
  • To conduct Quality checks
  • To respond to inquiries and fulfil your requests
  • To administer and manage your incentive payments.

 

 

We will seek your consent depending on the type of research and data that we need to collect and store prior to participating in the research.

  • When recruiting children or vulnerable adults we seek the consent of a parent or guardian and ensure that the nature of the research is explained and understood.
  • This information will be shared with the client or company who has requested the research and GRO Fieldwork will only exchange this information with clients who have signed a Data Processing Agreement and are GDPR compliant.
  • The end client may share this information within their own organisation. GRO Fieldwork will have an agreement in place which require them to be compliant with the data legislation.
  • In many cases, we will not be able to disclose who the end client is to you in advance as this might bias the research, but this will be revealed in most cases during the research and where it has not been revealed you can request this information once the research is completed.
  • The information will notbe shared, sold, rented or traded with any third parties for promotional purposes.
  • We reserve the right to disclose any information that is gathered when we believe that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights and/or comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process served because of the data collection.
  • We will explain for each research project that is undertaken if the replies to questions are mandatory or voluntary.
  • We will explain for each research project that is undertaken if the information is to be anonymised and how.

 

 

HOW SECURE IS YOUR INFORMATION?

Your personal data is treated confidentially at all times and we have taken the appropriate technical and organisational security measures against accidental loss, unauthorised use, access, alteration, disclosure or unlawful processing of this data. To this purpose we use several security techniques including secure servers, firewalls and encryption, as well as physical safeguard of the locations where data is stored.

 

WHO DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL DATA WITH?
We may share your personal data with the following third parties:

Service Providers – we rely on trusted third parties to help us run our business and to provide us with specialised services. These can include companies that provide IT services (e.g., software providers), legal advisors, accountants, and consultants. Where our service providers have access to your personal data, we ensure they are subject to appropriate safeguards and that they only use the data as per our strict instructions.

Sub-contractors – we ensure that any sub-contractors that we use are subject to appropriate safeguards and that they only use the data as per our strict instructions.

Clients – GRO Fieldwork can only provide personal data captured in a survey or discussion to our clients if the participant has provided consent for us to do this.

Regulators – in certain circumstances GRO Fieldwork is obliged to provide information to a regulator (e.g., in the investigation of complaints).

Other third parties –GRO Fieldwork may share your information externally with other partners where you have provided your consent. We may be required to disclose personal information at the request of governmental or law enforcement agencies. We will only share this information when we have your valid consent or if we are legally obliged to do so. GRO Fieldwork may need to share personal data to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights.

Third parties whom we may choose to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or our assets. Alternatively, we may seek to acquire other businesses or merge with them. If a change happens to our business, then the new owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this privacy policy.

 
We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.

 

TRANSFERS OUTSIDE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (EEA)

 

DATA RETENTION

The data provided at the time of registration with the panel will be stored for as long as you remain on the GRO Fieldwork. You have the right to unsubscribe form the panel at any time. GRO Fieldwork operates administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect Personal Data and other information collected or disclosed by us against accidental, unlawful, or unauthorised destruction, loss, alteration, access, disclosure or use. Gro Fieldwork abides by the Market Research Society Code of Conduct. It is also compliant with the GDPR legislation and ensures that data is not kept any longer than is necessary. Any data collected as part of a specific project, such as sensitive data, audio or video recordings will be deleted upon completion of the project but no longer than 12 months. Any audio / video recording will be deleted using software that will permanently overwrite the contents so as they are not recoverable.

WHAT ACCESS DO YOU HAVE TO YOUR DATA?

You are entitled to know what information GRO Fieldwork is holding. You may contact info@grofieldwork.com at any time and this will be provided within 1 month free of charge.

You also have the right to complain to the Data Commissioner’s Office if you are not happy with how GRO Fieldwork have handled your data.

TERMINATION / UNSUBSCRIBING

If you no longer wish to be a member of the GRO Fieldwork, you have the option to have all personal data held on you, permanently deleted at any time, by sending an email to info@grofieldwork.com. You can also unsubscribe via survey invites at any time.

 

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR DATA?

The General Data Protection Regulation which is supported by GRO Fieldwork ensures that you have rights regarding your data:

  • To prevent automated decision-making and profiling
  • To prevent direct marketing
  • To have their personal data erased – the right to be forgotten
  • To ensure inaccuracies in their personal data are corrected
  • To access their processed personal data
  • Data portability

 

SUMMARY

  • That all personal data is collected with respondent consent.
  • We will not use personal data for any purpose other than that for which consent was given, respecting the respondent’s wishes about the use of their data.
  • We will make sure that respondents have access to their personal data upon request that we hold, and that we tell them how we use it.
  • We will protect personal data and keep it secure and confidential.
  • We will ensure staff understand that personal data is just that – personal – and ensure that it is treated with respect.
  • We will ensure that the vulnerable and under-age are properly protected by the processes we use for data collection.
  • We will manage our data supply chain to the same ethical standards we expect from our partners and clients and any suppliers that we engage.
  • We will ensure that all staff who have access to personal data are properly trained in its use.
  • We will not use personal data if there is uncertainty as to whether the Fair Data Principles have been applied
  • You may withdraw your consent at any point
  • Gro Fieldwork reserves the right to make changes to this privacy policy at any time without prior consultation

 

 

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
Our Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time and therefore we recommend that you review this Privacy Policy regularly. We include this in each project invite. See latest date noted.

It is important that the personal data that we hold about you is accurate and up to date therefore please let us know if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.

 

CONTACTS AND DATA ACCESS REQUESTS

If you have any queries in relation to your data or if you would like to make a data access request, please email us at info@grofieldwork. or write to us for the attention of Kate Gibson – Data Protection Officer, GRO Fieldwork, 37 Belmont Ave Donnybrook D04C9N4

A guide to your rights is available on the website of the Data Protection Commissioner https://www.dataprotection.ie/ 

You are also further entitled to make a complaint to the Data Protection Commissioner

 

By signing up to the GRO Fieldwork and taking part in the research, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

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