Macro is firmly committed to the principle that the confidentiality of individual data obtained through Macro surveys must be protected. This principal holds whether or not any specific guarantee of confidentiality was given at the time of interview (or self-response), or whether or not there are specific contractual obligations regarding confidentiality have been entered into, they may impose additional requirements which are to be adhered to strictly.
Procedures for maintaining Confidentiality
All Macro employees and field workers shall sign this assurance of confidentiality. This assurance may be suspended by another assurance for a particular project.
Field workers shall keep completely confidential the names of respondents, all information or opinions collected in the course of interviews, and any information about respondents learned incidentally during fieldwork. Field workers shall exercise reasonable caution to prevent access by other to survey data in their possession.
Unless specifically instructed otherwise for a particular project, an employee or files worker, upon encountering a respondent or information pertaining to a respondent that s/he knows personally, shall immediately terminate the activity and contact her/his supervisor for instructions.
Survey data containing personal identifiers in Macro offices shall be kept in a locked container or a locked room when not being used each working day in routine survey activities. Reasonable caution shall be exercised in limiting access to survey data to only those persons who are working on the specific project and who have instructed in the application confidentiality requirements for that project. Where survey data has been determined to be particularly sensitive by the Corporate Officer in charge of the project or the President of Macro, such survey data shall be kept in locked containers or in a locked room except when actually being used and attended by a staff member who has singed this pledge.
Ordinarily, serial numbers shall be assigned to respondents prior to creating a machine-processible record and identifiers such as name, address, and social security number shall not, ordinarily, be a part of the machine record. When identifies are part of the machine data record, Macro’s Manager of Data Processing shall be responsible for determining adequate confidentiality measures in consultation with the project director. When a separate file is set up containing identifiers or linkage information, which could be used to identify data records, this separate file, shall be kept locked up when not actually being used each day in routine survey activities.
When records with identifies are to be transmitted to another party, such as for keypunching or key taping, the other party shall be information of these procedures and shall sign an Assurance of Confidentiality form.
Each project director shall be responsible for ensuring that all personnel and contractors involved in handling survey data on a project are instructed in these procedures, have signed this pledge and comply with these procedures throughout the period of survey performance. When there are specific contractual obligations to the client regarding confidentiality, the project director shall develop additional procedures to comply with the project in these additional procedures. At the end of the period of survey performance, the project director shall arrange for proper storage or disposal of survey data including any particular contractual requirements for storage or disposition. When required to turn over survey data to our clients, we must provide proper safeguards to ensure confidentiality up to the time of delivery.
Project directors shall ensure that survey practices adhere to the provisions of the US Privacy Act of 1974 with regards to surveys of individuals for the Federal Governments. Project directors must ensure that procedures are established in each survey to inform each respondent of the authority for the survey, the purpose and use of the survey, the voluntary nature of the (where applicable) and the effects of the respondents if any, of not responding.
I herby certify that I have carefully read and understand the aforementioned policies and procedures and will cooperate fully with them. I will keep completely confidential all information arising from surveys concerning individual respondents to which I gain access. I will not discuss, disclose, disseminate, or provide access to survey data and identifiers except as authorized by Macro. In addition, I will comply with any additional procedures established by Macro for a particular contract. I will devote my best efforts to ensure that there is compliance with the required procedures established by Macro for a particular contract. I understand that violation of the privacy rights of individuals through such unauthorized discussion, disclosure, dissemination, or access may make me subject to criminal or civil penalties. I give my personal pledge that I shall abide by this assurance of confidentiality.
______________________________________
Print Name (Clearly Please)
______________________________________ ____/____/2001
Signature Date
______________________________________ ____/____/2001
Witness Signature Date
Please return this form to your supervisor after reviewing and signing.
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | David B. Bushor |
| Last Modified By | arp5 |
| File Modified | 2009-07-23 |
| File Created | 2009-05-01 |