Privacy Policy
Overview
At Research House, respecting privacy is an important
part of our commitment to respondents and the general public.
When you participate in survey research conducted by our
organization, you can be confident that any personal information that you
share with us will stay with us.
Any time you participate as a respondent in one of our
surveys, whether in person or by telephone, mail or Internet, you can be
assured that your individual responses will be kept confidential and never
linked to your personal identifying information without your express permission.
Your personal identifying information will never be sold to anyone. You are
free to choose whether or not to participate in a survey, free to choose
not to answer any specific questions and free to discontinue participation
at any time.
The Research House Privacy Policy is a statement of principles
and guidelines describing the level of protection of personal information
provided by Research House to respondents and the general public. The objective
of the Research House Privacy Policy is to promote responsible and transparent
personal information management practices in a manner consistent with the
provisions of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents
Act (Canada).
Research House will continue to review its Privacy Policy
to make sure that it is relevant and remains current with changing industry
standards, technologies and laws.
Research House is a Gold Seal Member of the MRIA (Market
Research and Intelligence Association). This organization sets standards
to which members must adhere and which also protect your privacy.
If you have any concerns about how your privacy is protected
at Research House, please contact our Privacy Officer by mail at 1867 Yonge
Street, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M4S 1Y5
Scope and Application
The ten principles that form the basis of The Research
House Privacy Policy are interrelated and Research House shall adhere to
the ten principles as a whole. Each principle must be read in conjunction
with the accompanying commentary. As permitted by the Personal Information
Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada), the commentary in The Research
House Privacy Policy has been drafted to reflect personal information issues
specific to Research House.
- The Research House Privacy Policy applies to
personal information collected, used, or disclosed by Research House
in the course of commercial activities.
- The Research House Privacy Policy applies to
the management of personal information in any form whether oral,
electronic or written.
- The Research House Privacy Policy does
not impose any limits on the collection, use or disclosure of the
following information by Research House:
• non-personally identifiable information;
• the name, title, business address and/or
telephone number of an employee of an organization;
• other information about an individual that
is publicly available and is specified by regulation pursuant
to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents
Act (Canada).
- The application of The Research House Privacy
Policy is subject to the requirements and provisions of the Personal
Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada), the
regulations enacted thereunder, and any other applicable legislation
or regulation.
Definitions
Collection: The act of gathering, acquiring, recording,
or obtaining personal information from any source, including third parties,
by any means.
Consent: Voluntary agreement for the collection, use and
disclosure of personal information for defined purposes. Consent can be either
express or implied and can be provided directly by the individual or by an
authorized representative. Express consent can be given orally, electronically
or in writing, but is always unequivocal and does not require any inference
on the part of Research House. Implied consent is consent that can reasonably
be inferred from an individual's action or inaction.
Disclosure: Making personal information available to a
third party.
Employee: An employee of or independent contractor to
Research House.
Personal information: Information about an identifiable
individual, but does not include the name, title, business address or telephone
number of an employee of an organization, and does not include descriptive,
factual information about an organization.
Respondent: A member of the public who provides personal
information to Research House in the course of a survey conducted by Research
House. For example, a respondent is an individual who discloses personal
information to Research House in the course of quantitative or qualitative
marketing or social research.
Third party: An individual or organization outside of
Research House.
Use: The treatment, handling, and management of personal
information by and within Research House or by a third party with the knowledge
and approval of Research House.
The Ten Principles of Privacy
Principle 1 - Accountability
Research House is responsible for personal information
under its control and shall designate one or more persons who are accountable
for Research House's compliance with the following principles.
Responsibility for compliance with the provisions of the
Research House Privacy Policy rests with the Research House Privacy Officer
who can be reached by mail at 1867 Yonge Street, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario
M4S 1Y5. Other individuals within Research House may be delegated to act
on behalf of the Privacy Officer or to take responsibility for the day-to-day
collection and/or processing of personal information.
Research House is responsible for personal information
in its possession or control and shall use contractual or other means to
provide a comparable level of protection while information is being processed
or used by a third party.
Principle 2 - Identifying Purposes for Collection
of Personal
Information
Research House shall identify the purposes for which personal
information is collected at or before the time the information is collected.
Research House collects personal information from the
public only for the following purposes:
- to conduct quantitative or qualitative marketing
and social research;
- to understand respondent opinions to establish
suitability for further quantitative and qualitative marketing and
social research; and
- to meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Further reference to "identified purposes" mean
the purposes identified in this Principle.
Research House shall specify orally, electronically or
in writing the identified purposes to the respondent at or before the time
personal information is collected in a survey. Upon request, persons collecting
personal information shall explain these identified purposes or refer the
individual to a designated person within Research House who can explain the
purposes.
When personal information that has been collected is to
be used or disclosed for a purpose not previously identified, the new purpose
shall be identified prior to use. Unless the new purpose is permitted or
required by law, the consent of the respondent will be acquired before the
information will be used or disclosed for the new purpose.
Research House may provide clients or other third parties
with information from any survey, in aggregate form. In aggregate form it
is impossible to identify an individual respondent's personal information
Principle 3 - Obtaining Consent for Collection, Use or
Disclosure of Personal Information
The knowledge and consent of an individual are required
for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information, except where
inappropriate.
Participation by respondents in survey research is always
voluntary. When a respondent agrees to participate in a survey, he/she gives
consent to the interview by participating.
Generally, any personal information collected in the course
of an interview is not disclosed to third parties. However, occasionally,
a client sponsoring a research project may want to contact respondents directly.
In these cases, Research House always explains the reason for the disclosure
to the respondent and obtains express permission from the respondent before
making any such disclosure.
A respondent is always free to choose whether or not to
participate in a survey, free to choose not to answer any specific questions
and free to discontinue participation at any time.
In obtaining consent,
Research House shall use reasonable efforts to ensure that a respondent is
advised of the identified purposes for which personal information will be
used or disclosed. The identified purposes shall be stated in a manner that
can be reasonably understood by the respondent.
Generally, Research House shall seek consent to use and
disclose personal information at the same time it collects the information.
However, Research House may seek consent to use and/or disclose personal
information after it has been collected, but before it is used and/or disclosed
for a new purpose.
In determining the appropriate form of consent, Research
House shall take into account the sensitivity of the personal information
and the reasonable expectations of its respondents.
The participation of a respondent in a quantitative or
qualitative marketing or social research study may constitute implied consent
for Research House to collect, use and disclose personal information for
the identified purposes.
Principle 4 - Limiting Collection of Personal Information
Research House shall limit the collection of personal
information to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by Research
House. Research House shall collect personal information by fair and lawful
means.
In conducting surveys, Research House limits the amount
and type of personal information it collects. We collect only the amount
and type of information needed for the purposes identified to individuals.
Research House collects personal information about an
individual primarily from that individual or a member of that individual's
household. Except as permitted by law, Research House will only collect personal
information from external sources, such as client organizations, if individuals
have consented to such collection.
Principle 5 - Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention
of Personal Information
Research House shall not use or disclose personal information
for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the
consent of the individual or as required or permitted by law. Personal information
shall be retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those
purposes.
Research House may disclose a respondent's personal information
to:
- a client of Research House where the respondent
has consented to such disclosure;
- a third party engaged by Research House to perform
functions on its behalf;
- a public authority or agent of a public authority
if, in the reasonable judgment of Research House, it appears that
there is imminent danger to life or property which could be avoided
or minimized by disclosure of the information; or
- a third party or parties, where the respondent
consents to such disclosure or disclosure is required or permitted
by law.
Only Research House's employees with a business need-to-know,
or whose duties reasonably so require, are granted access to personal information
about respondents.
Research House shall keep personal information only as
long as it remains necessary or relevant for the identified purposes or as
required by law. Depending on the circumstances, where a respondent may have
to be re-contacted for purposes of clarifying responses to a survey, or to
seek additional responses, Research House shall retain the personal information
for a period of time that is reasonably sufficient to allow this re-contact.
Research House shall maintain reasonable and systematic
controls, schedules and practices for information and records retention and
destruction which apply to personal information that is no longer necessary
or relevant for the identified purposes or required by law to be retained.
Such information shall be destroyed, erased or made anonymous.
Principle 6 - Accuracy of Personal Information
Personal information shall be as accurate, complete, and
up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.
Personal information used by Research House shall be sufficiently
accurate, complete, and up-to-date to minimize the possibility that inappropriate
information may be used to make a decision about a respondent.
Research House shall update personal information about
respondents and employees as necessary to fulfil the identified purposes
or upon notification by the individual.
Principle 7 - Security Safeguards
Research House shall protect personal information by security
safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
Research House shall protect personal information against
such risks as loss or theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use,
modification or destruction, through appropriate security measures, regardless
of the format in which it is held.
Research House shall protect personal information disclosed
to third parties by contractual agreements stipulating the confidentiality
of the information and the purposes for which it is to be used.
All of Research House's employees with access to personal
information shall be required to respect the confidentiality of that information.
Principle 8 - Openness Concerning Policies and Procedures
Research House's shall make readily available to individuals
specific information about its policies and procedures relating to the management
of personal information.
Research House shall make information about its policies
and procedures easy to understand, including:
- the title and address of the person or persons
accountable for Research House's compliance with its Privacy Policy
and to whom inquiries and/or complaints can be forwarded;
- the means of gaining access to personal information
held by Research House;
- a description of the type of personal information
held by Research House, including a general account of its use; and
- a description of what personal information is
made available to related organizations (e.g. subsidiaries).
Principle 9 - Individual Access to Personal Information
Upon request, Research House shall inform an individual
of the existence, use, and disclosure of his or her personal information
and shall give the individual access to that information. An individual shall
be able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information and
have it amended as appropriate.
Upon written request to the Privacy Officer, Research
House will inform an individual of the existence, use and disclosure of his/her
personal information and shall be given access to that information
In certain situations, Research House may not be able
to provide access to all the personal information that it holds about a respondent.
For example, Research House may not provide access to information if doing
so would likely reveal personal information about a third party or could
reasonably be expected to threaten the life or security of another individual.
Also, Research House may not provide access to information if disclosure
would reveal confidential commercial information.
In order to safeguard personal information, a respondent
may be required to provide sufficient identification information to permit
Research House to account for the existence, use and disclosure of personal
information and to authorize access to the individual's file. Any such information
shall be used only for this purpose.
Research House shall promptly correct or complete any
personal information found to be inaccurate or incomplete. Any unresolved
differences as to accuracy or completeness shall be noted in the individual's
file. Where appropriate, Research House shall transmit to third parties having
access to the personal information in question any amended information or
the existence of any unresolved differences.
Respondents and employees can obtain information or seek
access to their individual files by contacting the Research House Privacy
Officer.
Principle 10 - Challenging Compliance
An individual shall be able to address a challenge concerning
compliance with the above principles to the designated person or persons
accountable for Research House's compliance with the Research House Privacy
Policy.
Research House shall maintain procedures for addressing
and responding to all inquiries or complaints from its respondents regarding
Research House's handling of personal information.
Research House shall, on written request, inform its respondents
about the existence of these procedures as well as the availability of complaint
procedures.
The person or persons accountable for compliance with
the Research House Privacy Policy may seek external advice where appropriate
before providing a final response to individual complaints.
Research House shall investigate all complaints concerning
compliance with its Privacy Policy. If a complaint is found to be justified,
Research House shall take appropriate measures to resolve the complaint including,
if necessary, amending its policies and procedures. The respondent shall
be informed of the outcome of the investigation regarding his or her complaint.
Additional Information
For more information regarding the Research House Privacy
Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer by mail at:
1867 Yonge Street,
Suite 200,
Toronto, Ontario M4S 1Y5
Please visit the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's website
at www.privcom.gc.ca.