Information on Data Protection
Information on Data Protection for Respondents in our Surveys
In the following, we would like to inform you as a respondent in our surveys about the way in which we process your personal data. Please note that this statement is very general and is designed for all our surveys. We will provide you with more specific information on data protection within the context of the respective survey.
Handling of Data in Market and Social Research
Purpose and Legal Basis of the Processing of Personal Data
We process your data for purposes of market and opinion research on behalf of our customers. We will inform you of the specific purposes and objectives of the study within the framework of the respective study.
Voluntariness and Anonymity
Participation in our surveys is always voluntary and anonymous. By participating, you agree to the processing of your data provided in the survey (survey data). Your details will of course be treated in strict confidence. The evaluation is anonymous and aggregated.
Categories of Personal Data and Origin of Data
Mostly we collect the data directly from you within the context of a survey. These so-called “survey data” are your voluntary information/answers.
In addition, it is often necessary in market and opinion research to identify and address different groups of people, e.g. in order to obtain representative findings. For this purpose, contact data or other characteristics of the persons or households to be interviewed that are necessary for the purpose of the survey are collected and processed in advance of the study and/or during the survey. Data that we do not collect directly from you in individual cases are e.g. contact data (e.g. name, address, telephone numbers, e-mail address) or other structural characteristics required for the purpose of the survey, such as age group, gender, and in the case of employee surveys, e.g. area of activity, location, department, etc. In particular, we rely on the following sources:
a) For some surveys we receive your contact data and other characteristics relevant to the survey from our clients. This may be the case, for example, if you are a customer or employee of our client. In these cases, the client provides us with data by way of a so-called contract for data processing in accordance with Art. 28 DSGVO, which we use and process for the purposes and for the duration of the survey.
b) ADM sampling procedure with random number generation for telephone surveys. In these cases, the telephone number at which we contact you was not obtained from anyone, but generated randomly.
c) Obtaining data from address directories/service providers or other generally accessible sources.
d) Provision on the basis of your consent: In individual cases, it is possible that we may receive data relating to your person from other responsible parties to whom you have given your consent to forward your data to us.
Recipients of personal data
Within the scope of our activities, we may use service providers (contract processors) who work on our behalf, depending on the requirements. These include:
– So-called “field service providers”, who carry out the interviews themselves
– Service providers who analyse answers and results or, for example, also translate.
– Software vendors and IT service providers who, for example, manage our online surveys.
We have concluded contracts with all service providers with data access for data processing by order in accordance with Art. 28 DSGVO.
Due to our commitment to the guidelines and professional codes of conduct of the Association of German Market and Social Researchers (BVM) and the Arbeitskreis Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforschungsinstitute (ADM) for handling data in market and social research, our clients and other third parties receive results in anonymized form. It is therefore not possible for you to identify which person has provided certain information.
Type and Duration of Storage of Personal Data
In general, the so-called “Pseudonymization” of the survey data is carried out first, which means that – if this information is available at all – name and address (also email address) are separated from the data collected during the interview (survey data) at the earliest possible point in time. The final anonymization of the survey data is carried out after the completion of the respective study and the implementation of the necessary quality controls. For this purpose, your address data and other identifying features are deleted so that the survey data collected cannot be linked to you personally (e.g. also not via an interview number). The final deletion of personal data takes place after the expiration of the legal, statutory or contractual retention periods. If the data concerned are not affected by this, they will be deleted after an appropriate control period if the mentioned purposes of processing no longer apply.
Incentives and Raffles
In some of our surveys, we offer participants so-called incentives (e.g. money or vouchers) or the opportunity to participate in a raffle as a reward for participation. The voluntary information collected in this context, such as name, address, etc., is necessary for the successful completion of an incentive or raffle. They will be separated from the survey data as soon as possible and stored independently. The data will be deleted as soon as the stated purposes of processing no longer apply.
Your Rights
You can assert your rights to information, correction, deletion, restriction or opposition of the processing as well as data transferability (Art.15-21 DSGVO) against TSM, as far as applicable and if there is any personal relation. Please note that the withdrawal is only effective for the future. Processings, which took place before the revocation, are not affected. According to Art. 13 DS-GVO ff. you also have the right of information, correction, deletion, restriction of processing, data transferability and complaint to the data protection supervisory authority at the location of your residence.