Readex Research Privacy Policy

Readex Research is a survey research company with all operations based in Stillwater, Minnesota. We have complete in-house capabilities to conduct mail and online surveys. We work for media companies that publish magazines and operate trade shows, member-driven organizations that need to conduct surveys of their members, and corporate clients that require assistance with all or parts of their survey research needs, in particular mail surveys.

This privacy statement covers the following websites operated by Readex Research: readexresearch.com, readexsurvey.com, readexsurvey.net, readexweb.com, and readexweb.net. Readex Research’s primary company website is readexresearch.com. readexsurvey.com, readexsurvey.net, readexweb.com, and readexweb.net (collectively referred to as “Readex Survey Websites”) are our survey websites, each used to host online surveys

Definition of Personal Information

“Personal Information” means information that (a) is about, or relates to, an identified or identifiable individual, (b) can be linked to that individual, and (c) is recorded. The term “Personal Information” does not include data that pertains to a specific individual but will not lead to the individual being identified.

“Sensitive Personal Information” is a subset of Personal Information that indicates an individual’s medical or health condition, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, ideological views or activities, information on social security measures, union membership, sexual orientation, administrative or criminal proceedings and sanctions, or actual or alleged criminal activity.

Survey Respondents: Confidentiality

As a survey research company, we collect data from study participants in order to help our clients understand the needs of their readers, subscribers, customers or members, as well as the general marketplace. This data is collected through mail and online surveys.

Readex’s survey activity yields data files, reports with data tables and summaries that are used by our customers, and in turn, may be used by our customers within their respective markets. These data are typically used to help inform decisions, understand the needs and interests of stakeholders, or to evaluate attitudes and opinions on issues of interest. In most cases, data that is collected from individual survey participants is reported back to our clients in combination with other participants.

In virtually every instance, these surveys use contact lists provided by our clients. However, there are a few occasions when a third party list provider is used or a panel provider is used. We do not maintain or offer for rental mailing lists or email address files. We only collect data via surveys.

Respondent confidentiality and the guarantee of confidentiality is the lifeline of our business. Readex Research and all employees of the company understand this concept and have agreed to abide by the principles and practices outlined within this statement.

Without explicit, freely-given permission, respondent data, respondent identity and/or respondent-identifiable information will not be released for anything other than legitimate, judicious follow-up research or further analysis by 1) the client’s research department or 2) possibly another research firm. When released for research purposes, Readex will reach explicit agreement with the receiving party about the limitations on use of such data. The use of said information for any purpose other than additional research or analysis, unless explicitly agreed to by respondents, is expressly prohibited. Personal Information provided when participating in an online sweepstakes or other online incentive program we host is used only for the purpose of fulfilling the given prize or incentive.

Survey Respondents: Information Sharing

Readex Research does not sell your Personal Information. We use the information you may provide to us for the survey research purpose only. No Personal Information is shared with other parties other than under the circumstances explained in the previous “Survey Respondents: Confidentiality” section of this policy statement.

We do occasionally host online surveys which provide respondents with the opportunity to share their information with the client conducting the survey. In these cases an opt-in provision to share information is included in the survey.

There are instances in which a client or third party does send invitations to a survey Readex Research hosts. In such cases, any Personal Information collected for the purpose of removing respondents from future survey invitations will be provided to the client or third party for that purpose only.

Readex Research’s websites may contain links to information on other websites. We do not have any control over these other websites, and therefore we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information that you provide while visiting those sites. Those websites are not governed by this privacy policy, and if you have questions about how a website uses your information, consult that site’s privacy statement.

Survey Respondents: Opting-Out of Survey Invitations

Readex Research uses email communications to invite you to participate in online surveys that we conduct for our clients. We respect your privacy and want to provide you with alternatives in the event that you do not wish to participate in surveys from that survey sponsor in the future.

To opt out of upcoming invitations from Readex on behalf of the sponsor of the survey you have been invited to participate in, please follow the opt-out directions on the bottom of the survey invitation you received.

Survey Respondents: Handling of Personal Information

All Personal Information is handled in accordance with the policies listed within this privacy policy. You may opt out of the collection of Personal Information by choosing not to respond to any questions asking for Personal Information, or by choosing not to complete the survey at all.

Readex Research Clients: How Survey Lists Are Used

When you submit a list to us for the purpose of conducting a survey, all contents of that list are kept confidential. We do not share details of any list that you send to us to any outside party. The only exception to this policy is in final report documents provided to you by Readex in which, for the purpose of full disclosure, details about the survey sample, i.e. the list, are included.

We only send survey invitations to sample members. List members not selected to receive survey invitations are kept confidential. In addition, any other business information that you may provide us during the course of a survey is kept secure and confidential.

Most of our online surveys provide respondents with the opportunity to enter a sweepstakes or receive some other incentive. In order to fulfill the incentive offer, respondents to the survey have their email addresses placed in a drawing for the chance to win the incentive offer. Once this drawing is made and the incentive fulfilled, the list and its contents are not used for any other purposes.

Readex Research Website Visitors and Users

We passively collect information to make your browsing experience more pleasant, and to understand what areas of our sites are more popular, what areas may require improvement, and what technologies are being used by visitors to our sites. This information helps us to update and improve our sites. We also use this information for security purposes, such as to detect and to block security breaches, and to detect violations of our quality standards, for example, detecting multiple survey responses from the same user.

Cookies are small text files stored on your computer by a website that assigns a numerical user ID and stores certain information about your online browsing. When we use cookies, we do so to help us recognize you as a prior user of this site. The cookie file does not store your Personal Information.

When visiting Readex Survey Websites, cookies are used to allow you to resume your survey where you left off. These cookies are used for no other purpose, and are essential to the functionality of our website.

If you prefer not to receive cookies from our websites you can disable their use in your browser settings. By doing so you may reduce the functionality of the web pages you view.

As is true of most websites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information includes Internet Protocol addresses, browser type, Internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and click stream data. This information is essential in detecting and preventing fraud and unauthorized access, and in maintaining the security of our systems. These logs are stored in a safe and secure manner, kept only as long as required to ensure our systems are secure, and will never be used for any other purpose.

When visiting certain areas of our websites, you may be provided online forms to contact us with any questions or comments, or to inquire about further information on our products or services. Responses to such inquiries will be sent via email as soon as possible after receipt.

Any Personal Information you provide via these forms will be used only to contact you, and will not be repurposed. To change or modify any Personal Information you have provided, or opt-out of any mailings you have signed up for, send an email directly to info@readexresearch.com. Responses to such inquiries will be sent via email or regular mail within 30 days upon receipt.

While navigating Readex Research websites you may be directed to content or functionality that is hosted by a third party supplier, not on a Readex Research owned domain. When information is collected on behalf of Readex Research exclusively, the Readex Research privacy policy will be referenced on the site and will govern how your information is used. For other, non-Readex Research sites, the site owner’s privacy policy will be referenced.

CAN-SPAM Voluntary Compliance

Although not covered by the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (“CAN-SPAM Act”), Readex Research voluntarily complies with key privacy and disclosure provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act, including:

• providing a physical address for Readex Research or the Readex Research affiliate sending the email message; and,

• providing a clear and simple opt-out method which is always honored.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection ACT (COPPA)

Please be aware that we never intentionally conduct surveys with children under the age of 13. Those under the age of 18 but at least 13 years of age may only participate in surveys under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian. Children under the age of 13 may not complete our surveys.

If a parent or guardian learns that a child of theirs who is under the age required by the national laws where they reside has provided us with Personal Information without their permission, such parent or guardian may contact us at the email address or mailing address listed at the bottom of this page if he or she would like this information deleted from our records. We will use reasonable efforts to delete the child’s information from our databases.

Legal Disclaimer

Though we make every effort to preserve user privacy, we may need to disclose Personal Information when required by lawful requests by public authorities, including such requests in conjunction with national security or law enforcement matters.

Safety and Security

We employ advanced technology and internal processes to protect the information our clients release to us. Additionally, only select, authorized employees have access to the data collected for processing and maintain the database that stores list information.

Readex Research also safeguards all information it collects through its websites from unauthorized access. Only authorized Readex Research employees or agents carrying out permitted business functions are allowed to access this information. In addition, each employee of Readex Research is required to sign a confidentiality agreement requiring him or her to keep confidential all Personal Information of survey respondents. Employees who violate the confidentiality agreement are subject to disciplinary actions, including termination when appropriate.

In the unlikely event that Readex Research suffers a breach of its security systems and an individual or entity gains unauthorized access to any information stored on Readex Research servers, Readex Research will immediately investigate the security breach, and will provide prompt notice to any individual whose information was affected.

Readex Research as a Data Processor

We are involved with the deployment of many surveys each year on behalf of clients, most often acting as Controller. As such, we work with our clients to provide the services they have requested including the design and deployment of surveys and handling of incoming data.

When Readex Research acts as a Data Processor, we exert no control over the purpose or means of the data processing effort. We process all data per the choices and instructions of our client, with no direct relationship with the individuals whose personal data we are collecting or processing.

We will retain your personal data for as long as our client has instructed us to in order to fulfill our contractual duties with said client. Any requests to revoke your consent or to access, modify, or delete your data should be directed to the client sponsoring the survey, as they are the Data Controller. If we receive any such requests from a client, we will do so within a reasonable timeframe.

EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and to the rights of EU and UK individuals and Swiss individuals.

Readex Research complies with the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (EU-U.S. DPF) and the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (Swiss-U.S. DPF) as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Readex Research has certified to the U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (EU-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of personal data received from the European Union and the United Kingdom in reliance on the EU-U.S. DPF and the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF. Readex Research has certified to the U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of personal data received from Switzerland in reliance on the Swiss-U.S. DPF. If there is any conflict between the terms in this privacy policy and the EU-U.S. DPF Principles and/or the Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles, the Principles shall govern. To learn more about the Data Privacy Framework (DPF) Program, and to view our certification, please visit https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/.

Readex Research does adhere to the Data Privacy Framework Principles of Notice, Choice, Accountability for Onward Transfer, Security, Data Integrity and Purpose Limitation, Access, and Recourse, Enforcement and Liability.
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Notice

When we collect Personal Information from you, we will notify you of the purpose for which we are collecting and using your Personal Information. Any Personal Information will be stored solely for the purpose of the research and only kept as long as necessary to complete the research.

Choice

We do not share Personal Information or Sensitive Personal Information with third parties, the only exceptions being when required to do so by law, to protect an individual’s safety, rights or property or when a third party performs a specific task under our instruction such as survey hosting or special statistical analysis.

As is always the case, any survey respondent has the choice to not participate in a study.

Accountability for Onward Transfer

Third party agents who work with Readex Research on studies involving personal data of EU and Swiss citizens are contractually obligated to provide at least the same level of privacy protection as required by the Principles. Readex Research has potential liability in cases of onward transfer to third party agents in accordance with the accountability for onward transfer principle.

Data Security

Access to your Personal Information is restricted and limited to Readex Research staff members and third parties who have an explicit need to access such information for a legitimate business purpose, such as sending email invitations, hosting an online survey, or processing data. We take reasonable precautions to protect Personal Information in our possession from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.

Data Integrity and Purpose Limitation

All research data we collect is kept strictly confidential and never shared for any reason outside of the expectations for the research or as may be required by law or legal action. We only collect Personal Information that is relevant to the purposes for which it is to be used.

Access

If we still have any data supplied by you from a survey, meaning it has not been deleted, we will make available to you your Personal Information in our custody or control that we have collected, to the extent required and/or permitted by applicable law once this request is received by us. This will be done so that you can correct, amend, or delete information where it is inaccurate or has been processed in violation of the Principles, except where the burden or expense of providing access would be disproportionate to the risks to the individual’s privacy in the case in question, or where the rights of persons other than the individual would be violated.

Recourse, Enforcement, and Liability

Readex Research uses a self-assessment approach to ensure compliance with this privacy policy and periodically verifies that the policy is accurate, comprehensive for the information intended to be covered, prominently displayed, completely implemented and accessible, and in conformity with existing regulations as are applicable.

In compliance with the EU-U.S. DPF and the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF and the Swiss-U.S. DPF, Readex Research commits to resolve DPF Principles-related complaints about the collection or use of your Personal Information. EU and UK Individuals and Swiss individuals with inquiries or complaints regarding our handling of personal data received in reliance on the EU-U.S. DFP and UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF and the Swiss-U.S. DPF should contact the Readex Research Security & Privacy Officer:
DataProtectionOfficer@readexresearch.com

If you wish to contact an independent entity regarding a complaint or dispute, Readex Research has selected EU data protection authorities (DPA), the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Swiss Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) as independent dispute resolution resources. designated to address complaints and provide recourse free of charge to individuals.

In compliance with the EU-U.S. DPF and the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF and the Swiss-U.S. DPR, Readex Research commits to cooperate and comply respectively with the advice of the panel established by the EU data protection authorities (DPAs), and the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) with regard to unresolved complaints concerning our handling of personal data received in reliance on the EU-U.S. DPF, the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF and the Swiss-U.S. DPF.

For more information about the Data Privacy Framework, you may visit https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Readex Research is committed to maintaining the levels of security and privacy necessary to comply with the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In survey research projects for which we collect data, we may ask for your Personal Information. When this is necessary, we will inform you of the ways in which it is planned to use your data, and seek your consent before collecting it. There are times when we may ask you for Sensitive Personal Information. When this is necessary, we will inform you of the ways in which it is planned to use your data, and seek explicit consent before collecting this special subset of Personal Information.

For the majority of our studies, your data will only be used in an aggregate form, generating summary reports and tabulations. Without explicit, freely-given permission, respondent data, respondent identity and/or respondent-identifiable information will not be released for anything other than legitimate, judicious follow-up research or further analysis by 1) the client’s research department or 2) possibly another research firm. When released for research purposes, Readex will reach explicit agreement with the receiving party about the limitations on use of such data. The use of said information for any purpose other than additional research or analysis, unless explicitly agreed to by respondents, is expressly prohibited. If we ever need to use your data for a purpose other than that listed here, we will first describe that purpose to you and ask for your consent.

You may at any time revoke your consent. Once we verify your identity we will delete any data you have supplied. To do so, you may contact us using the contact information located on the survey website, or contact our Data Protection Officer (contact details below). Whatever your request, we will respect it and do our best to comply in a reasonable amount of time. We will work to share your request with the client with whom we’ve shared your data (if such a client exists). For the quickest resolution, we suggest you contact said client directly.

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