MIS Group Privacy Policy - Panel Research

In order to elicit feedback from consumers, as part of a market research study or scientific research, a company or a public body asked us (MIS Group) to conduct a research study.

Since 2001, MIS Group has been supporting large national and international brands, small businesses, research and consultancy firms, public institutions and universities/business schools with their marketing studies, with services such as online surveys, online discussion forums, consumer meetings and product tests.

In addition, as part of these activities, MIS Group has developed its own online panel (online consumer community) from “Panel Websites” which it owns.

To view the MIS Group Legal Notice: click here

1. If you come from one of the Panel Websites belonging to MIS Group:

Panel Websites owned by MIS Group are identifiable through the footnote: “Copyright MIS Group”.

MIS Group is the controller of the personal data that we collect directly from our Panel Websites, as per the allocation of roles outlined under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These data are collected from:

• users registered on our sites (“Online Panel Members” or “Panellists”);
• and users not registered on our sites (“Non-Members”).

The data referred to here are specifically from:

• contact forms, which can be accessed on our sites by all users, both registered and non-registered;
• registration forms for our sites, which can be accessed by our Online Panel Members when they register, and also from their personal area once they have registered;
• the 14 Profile questionnaires, which can be accessed by our Online Panel Members from their personal area, and which help us to learn more about them so that we can give them the opportunity to take part in research studies that are relevant to them.

All data collected from these profile forms and questionnaires are required for MIS Group’s activities. Only MIS Group will receive these data.

Therefore, we guarantee that, irrespective of whether you are registered on our sites, no other company or public body will be able to access the personal data collected from these profile forms and questionnaires.

The information set out above outlines just some of our main usage rules for personal data collected from our Panel Websites.
For more information, please visit one of our panel websites for the full version of our Privacy Policy (here: our website “PanelOpinion.co.uk”).

2. If you come from a website of a Partner Panel for MIS Group:

To meet specific needs for some of its research studies, MIS Group may enlist “Partner Panels”. These Partner Panels are selected by MIS Group only if they meet the GDPR requirements.

If you have been approached by one of our Partners to take part in this research study, please read their Privacy Policy for information about how they use personal data.

1. Questionnaires required

As part of its activities, every day, MIS Group distributes from its Panel Websites or to Partner Panels, on behalf of companies or public bodies:

• quantitative survey questionnaires (“Survey” questionnaires);
• and recruitment questionnaires for qualitative research (“Recruitment” questionnaires).

Each of the research studies conducted by MIS Group, either quantitative or qualitative, requires disseminating one or more online questionnaires in order to:

• elicit feedback from consumers (“Survey” questionnaires);
• and/or check whether their profiles are suitable for taking part in the research study (“Recruitment” questionnaires).

2. Allocation of roles

The company or public body that commissions the research study (such as this survey) and sets the objectives/goals of the research study is the controller of the personal data that we collect from the research study questionnaire(s), as per the allocation of roles outlined under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
MIS Group is the data processor here.

3. Types of questionnaires

“Survey” questionnaires:

These are online questionnaires which enable us to elicit feedback and opinions from participants on various subjects very quickly, and most often for statistical purposes only. These questionnaires are hosted by us and are intended for our Online Panel Members and/or Partner Panel Members. With a few exceptions, the answers collected from these questionnaires are processed anonymously, i.e., they are not linked to any of the participants’ personal data (see below).

“Recruitment” questionnaires:

These are online questionnaires which enable us to check whether the profiles of participants are suitable for taking part in the qualitative research studies that we run on behalf of companies and public bodies, and take the form of online discussion forums, consumer meetings and face-to-face or online interviews, in-home product testing or other formats. These questionnaires are hosted by us and can only be accessed by our Online Panel Members. When a participant's profile matches the required profile, they can then (at the end of the recruitment questionnaire) access a short contact form where they can fill in their details and give their consent to be contacted again and take part in the research study. MIS Group will then contact the respondent by email or telephone, as applicable.

4. Confidentiality of the answers collected

We guarantee that your answers collected from the “Surveys” and “Recruitment” questionnaires will be completely confidential:

• These answers are collected directly by MIS Group, and stored in a secure database hosted on an OVH server in France;
• Only MIS Group employees authorised to work on the research study may access these answers, depending on whether it is a quantitative or qualitative study. These authorised employees are the research managers from the department involved in the research study, staff from the IT department and the Data Protection Officer (DPO);
• The storage period for these answers is as short as strictly necessary for the purposes of the research.

In addition, only MIS Group may establish a link between:

• answers collected from questionnaires (hosted by us), which we distribute on our Panel Websites and/or to Partner Panels on behalf of companies and public bodies;
• and our Online Panel Members’ personal information, which they enter directly on our Panel Websites from profile forms and questionnaires.

If, for the specific purposes of a research study, we need to link your answers in a quantitative survey questionnaire with any personal data that you have entered on one of our Panel Websites as a Member (such as your first and last name), then you will be informed of this at the start of the questionnaire and your specific consent will be required. In addition, they will only be linked using an identifier.

The lawful basis for processing the personal data required for this research is Consent.
As one of our Online Panel Members or a Member of a Partner Panel, you have consented (when registering for the panel or later) to being asked to take part in these kinds of research surveys.

In addition, you are under no obligation to take part in the research studies, and you may leave the questionnaires in progress by exiting the page from your browser.

If you have any questions about how your personal data are processed in connection with this research, and/or if you would like to exercise your right of access, right to rectification, right to erasure and right to portability over your data, please contact us at this email address: Mr Michaël Saulnier - dpo@misgroup.io

Date of last revision: 16 February 2022

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