Privacy Policy
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Virtual Surveys knows how important your privacy is, and we are committed to making protection of your privacy a top priority. The key principles of professional market research are founded on honesty, objectivity, confidentiality and transparency. We are therefore committed to protecting your privacy and the information you provide throughout your time on our web site and whilst filling out our surveys which may be hosted on other web sites on our behalf.
What is the purpose of the surveys?
They are to find out what people think and feel about things. They are not trying to sell or promote anything. We will not mislead you about the nature of the research or the use that will be made of the findings.
How did you select me for interview?
We have either been supplied your name by our clients or we have randomly selected you as a person who fits certain criteria of people we are seeking to interview. For example, we commonly run surveys on web sites and typically select every 5th-10th person who visits the site and show them a survey.
What information do you collect automatically on your site?
Our web servers record which pages you visit and also the IP address of all our visitors. We only ever use this information in aggregate form to determine such things as popular pages, routes to our site, etc. This information is used for internal review only and to improve the content of our web site. Note, as part of this process we do not recognise your email address. We also sometimes monitor your browser type, the size of your screen and whether you use cookies. We use this information to help us determine why some people but not others have problems with web sites.
Do you use "web bugs"?
The only time we use these is when monitoring the effectiveness of our online advertising. Here their usage is purely to tell us which sites are most effective in generating eligible surveys. We never link the "web bug" to your survey and personal data. See our paper on Cookies and Web Bugs for more information.
What do you do with personal information you collect on your site and during your surveys?
During web surveys we often ask for personal information such as age, sex, occupation, etc. This information is collected by us for analysis purposes and is only used in aggregate basis to determine which groups of people think certain things more than others. It is not identified to you personally. The answers you give will be treated as confidential unless you specifically give your consent to the contrary.
How did you get my email address?
In some surveys we email people directly to fill out surveys. We only ever email people who have given their address to our clients and have agreed to be interviewed for market research purposes. We do not "spam" or send emails to people who have not given their permission.
If you have been sent an email by Virtual Surveys and you do not believe you have given your permission or just wish your name to be removed from the database, let us know and we will ask the list provider to remove it.
Why do you ask for an email address on web site surveys?
On web site visitor surveys we often ask if you are interested in giving your email address. However we only ask you to give this if you are willing for the information you have given and the address itself to be passed on to the client sponsoring the research. In this case, Virtual Surveys or the sponsor's may contact you again concerning this or other research projects. Virtual Surveys and the sponsoring client will never use this email address for any other purpose apart from genuine research. Furthermore it will not be passed on to third parties.
If after completing such a survey you decide that you would like your email address removed from this database, please email info@virtualsurveys.com, clearly stating the day on which the survey took place and the site on which the survey was triggered from and we will ensure your email address is removed.
Can I delete my survey data afterwards?
As with all forms of market research, your co-operation is voluntary at all times. You are entitled at any stage or subsequently to ask that part or all of the record of your interview be destroyed or deleted. Wherever reasonable and practical, we will carry out such a request if the data has not already been sent to the client.
Children
We try our best not to interview children under 15 without first getting the permission of their parents before the interview commences.
What about cookies and how do you use them?
Virtual Surveys often uses "Cookies", in order to provide you a better service. One of the main reasons we use them is to ensure that you are not hassled by surveys more than once.
A "cookie" is a small piece of information which a web site stores via your web browser on your PC and which can later be retrieved. Cookies cannot be read by a web site other than the one that set it. All our cookies are set to expire after a short period of time - often only days. None will contain information that will enable anyone to contact you via telephone, e-mail, or any other means.
You can configure your browser to notify you when cookies are being placed on your computer. You can also turn them off and delete cookies you do not want.
If you have changed your settings so your machine won't accept cookies, you may see the same survey each time you visit a site or particular sections of a site. If you would prefer this not to happen you might consider turning cookies back on.
What do you do to ensure security and quality?
Virtual Surveys has appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against loss, misuse or alteration of information.
Virtual Surveys is committed to meeting the requirements of the following laws and codes:
- Data Protection Act 1998
- Market Research Society's (MRS) Code of Conduct
- ICC/ESOMAR (European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research) International Code of Marketing and Social Research Practice
Virtual Surveys makes no representations or warranties of any kind about the information contained on this web site. Virtual Surveys accepts no liability for the accuracy or completeness of the information contained on this web site or for any claims or losses of any nature arising directly or indirectly from use of, or reliance on, such information. Please also be aware that any third party web sites that you may link to from here are out of the control of Virtual Surveys and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such web sites.
Do you transfer data internationally?
Given that the Internet is a global environment, using the Internet to collect and process personal data necessarily involves the transmission of data on an international basis. Therefore, by browsing this web site and communicating electronically with us in our surveys you acknowledge and agree to our processing of personal data in this way.
Company Internet and Email Policy
In addition to the above Privacy Policy, Virtual Surveys operates the following Internet and Email Policy:
- Company emails and Internet connections must only be used for business purposes personal usage must be via personal accounts.
- Internet usage and email usage must conform to relevant national and international legislation.
- All individuals shall ensure that they do not engage in activities that could bring the company's name into disrepute; such proscribed activities shall be deemed to include but not be limited to: personal or corporate abuse, defamation, anti-competitive behaviour, and deceit.
- The company cannot accept responsibility for Internet or Email usage by individuals that falls outside the guidelines set out in this policy.
- All employees and contractors will lodge with the company an up to date record of their Internet and Email security measures, for example listing their virus protection software, their updating process, and their settings.
- In order to monitor compliance with this policy the company may monitor incoming and outgoing emails and Internet usage.
Any other questions?
If you require any further information about this Privacy Statement contact:
- Phone
- +44 (0)161 242 1100
- Fax
- +44 (0)161 242 1111
- Post
- Andy Smith
Virtual Surveys Limited
Faulkner House
Faulkner Street
Manchester M1 4DY
UK
