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GfK PRIVACY STATEMENT

PRIVACY STATEMENT FOR
KNOWLEDGEPANEL® MEMBERS

Effective date: 08/10/2000
Last updated: 04/10/2013
KnowledgePanel® Members have been invited to take part in a major national research effort.
Members may complete surveys to provide feedback and opinions on a range of political, lifestyle,
advertising and other questions, and may contribute other types of data along with other Panel
Members. Active Panel Members receive certain benefits from GfK Custom Research, LLC in
exchange for participating in surveys.
OUR PRIVACY COMMITMENTS
GfK Custom Research, LLC respects the privacy of every Panel Member. This Privacy Statement
outlines the information GfK will collect and how we will use that information. This Statement will
also tell you how you can verify the accuracy of your Personal Information (defined below)
submitted to GfK and how you can request that we delete or update your Personal Information.
We've developed our privacy policy from industry guidelines and standards, and local, national,
and international laws and requirements. All privacy practices and methods described in this policy
apply only insofar as permitted by the applicable standards, laws and requirements.
Thanks again for placing your trust in GfK.
GfK has been awarded TRUSTe's Privacy Seal signifying that this privacy policy and practices
have been reviewed by TRUSTe for compliance with TRUSTe's program requirements including
transparency, accountability and choice regarding the collection and use of your personal
information. TRUSTe's mission, as an independent third party, is to accelerate online trust among
consumers and organizations globally through its leading privacy trustmark and innovative trust
solutions. If you have questions or complaints regarding our privacy policy or practices, please
contact us at [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with our response you can
contact TRUSTe here.
The TRUSTe program covers only information that is collected through GfK’ Web sites except as
specifically provided for in this Privacy Statement, and does not cover information that may be
collected through software downloaded from this site.

Documentation for Human Subject Review Committees: GfK Key Company Information, Past External Review, Confidentiality, and
Privacy Protections for Panelists, © 2013

INFORMATION COLLECTED AND HOW WE USE IT

WHAT WE COLLECT:
A) PERSONAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
During the KnowledgePanel® recruitment process, GfK collects personal information, that is
information that could personally identify you, such as your name, address, email address and the
names and ages of members of your household (such personally identifiable information being
referred to as "Personal Information”);" Personal Information excludes Demographic Information,
as defined below). In addition, GfK frequently asks Panel Members for characteristics that will not
generally by themselves personally identify you (such as health problems or consumer habits),
attributes, and demographic information (such as age, income, gender) (collectively, "Demographic
Information") via online surveys.
You are in control of the Personal Information and Demographic Information that you provide to
GfK. We rely on you to provide updates to your Personal Information and Demographic
Information. You can:
•
•
•
•

Ask for a copy of your Personal Information or Demographic Information.
Ask for your Personal Information or Demographic Information to be corrected or updated.
Ask us to remove your Personal Information or Demographic Information from your records.
To do this, please contact us using the links provided later in this statement. GfK will use
reasonable efforts to provide the requested information to you.

B) OPERATING INFORMATION
GfK may, in the course of interacting with Panel Members, gather other types of information from
Panel Members ("Operating Information"). For example, as a KnowledgePanel Member, you will
receive surveys from GfK on a regular basis. These surveys will ask questions about your
interests, needs, and attitudes. We will receive your responses to these surveys. If we offer
features, services, or programs in which you explicitly agree to participate, then GfK will receive
information from those features, services, or programs.
C) LOG FILES
As is true of most Web sites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files.
This information includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider
(ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data.
We use this information, which does not identify individual users, to analyze trends, to administer
the site, to track users' movements around the site and to gather demographic information about
our user base as a whole.
We do not link this automatically-collected data to Personal Information.
D) COOKIES
Documentation for Human Subject Review Committees: GfK Key Company Information, Past External Review, Confidentiality, and
Privacy Protections for Panelists, © 2013

A cookie is a small text file that is stored on a user's computer for record-keeping purposes. We
use persistent cookies on the GfK panel member site. Persistent cookies are used when you
register as a Panel Member or log into our site, and are used to store information such as your
email address and password. We use these cookies to recognize Panel Members when they
participate in surveys and to record information about the survey, such as when the survey is
completed and how much of the survey has been completed. A persistent cookie remains on your
hard drive for an extended period of time. You can remove persistent cookies by following
directions provided in your Internet browser's "help" file. If you reject cookies, you may still use our
site, but your ability to use some areas of our site, such as contests or surveys, will be limited.
In addition, we may detect advanced cookies that may exist on your hard drive or be placed there
by third parties. By detecting these cookies, we may also track certain information regarding your
activity on our or a third party’s website, which we use to conduct research on Panel Members’
demographics, interests, and behavior. We do not link the information we store in cookies to any
Personal Information you submit while on our site. We do not have access to, or control over, any
of these types of cookies that may exist on your hard drive or be placed there by third parties, and
we cannot control how they may be used by other parties or otherwise have any control over the
type of content that may be included with any tags incorporated in those cookies.
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION:
A) PERSONAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Personal Information is used to set up email accounts for each household member who is 13 years
of age or older (if you do not have Internet access at the time of recruitment), to communicate with
you and your household members, and to assist you with questions that you may have about the
KnowledgePanel procedures. It may also be used for panel recruitment, contest entry processing
or delivery of free gifts to KnowledgePanel Members, and delivery of our quarterly newsletter,
which you are automatically enrolled to receive via email.
(To opt out of the newsletter, go to: http://members.knowledgepanel.com/Profile.aspx.) Personal
Information concerning location or address is also used to ensure that our panel accurately
represents the country's population as a whole.
Panel Members are asked for Demographic Information in order to pre-qualify members or
households for surveys that target specific groups. We also use this information to ensure that our
panel accurately represents the country's population as a whole.
GfK uses Personal Information and Demographic Information solely in the conduct of its research
business. Personal Information or Demographic Information may be combined with information
collected about you by GfK or third parties with your express permission, with information that is
collected about you from public records, or with information that GfK may acquire from third parties
that have a legal right to provide such information to GfK.
B) OPERATING INFORMATION
GfK uses Operating Information solely in the conduct of its research business. As is the case with
Personal Information and Demographic Information, Operating Information may be combined with
information collected about you by third parties with your express permission, with information that
is collected about you from public records, or with information that GfK may acquire from third
Documentation for Human Subject Review Committees: GfK Key Company Information, Past External Review, Confidentiality, and
Privacy Protections for Panelists, © 2013

parties that have a legal right to provide such information to GfK.
DATA SHARING AND TRANSFER
A) HOW WE MAY SHARE INFORMATION:
Except as detailed in this section of the Privacy Statement, Personal Information regarding Panel
Members will never be shared with any third parties without your express permission. We reserve
the right, however, to disclose your Personal Information as required by law and when we believe
that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights and/or comply with a judicial proceeding, court
order, or legal process served on GfK or its employees or agents.
In addition, occasionally GfK will share contact information, such as name and mailing address,
with third parties with whom we have partnered to provide specific services to GfK, or services on
behalf of GfK, specifically for the purposes of panel recruitment, panel communications, contest
entry processing or delivery of free gifts to KnowledgePanel Members. These partners have
agreed not to share or resell this data and they are contractually obligated not to use any Personal
Information except for the purpose of providing these services, unless you enter into a relationship
with them that would directly allow them to do so.
GfK collects and shares Demographic Information and Operating Information with its research
clients (“Clients”) in an anonymous form. We may share this information with our Clients on an
anonymous individual basis to provide your individual Demographic Information and Operating
Information (without specifically identifying you), and may provide this information on an aggregate
basis with respect to a group of our Panel Members to describe group demographics or interest
profiles (again, without specifically identifying any Panel Member). As discussed above under the
heading “Cookies,” certain web pages that you view may be tracked by third parties using
advanced cookies, and this tracking data may be provided by such third parties to our Clients, and
combined by our Clients with your Demographic Information and Operating Information for market
research purposes.
Our research Clients will never receive Personal Information of Panel Members, nor will they be
able to identify Panel Members, without your express permission.
GfK is an expanding business, and like other companies, we sometimes acquire or divest business
units or ourselves be acquired. As part of such transfers or mergers, we may convey the business
assets of the particular business unit, or the company as a whole, including Personal Information,
Demographic Information, or Operating Information of Panel Members. In that eventuality, you
would be notified via email.
B) DATA TRANSFERS:
Your Personal Information, Demographic Information, and Operating Information will generally be
stored in our GfK databases. For easier processing of email communications, contests,
sweepstakes, or other marketing purposes, or for panel recruitment or panel communications,
however, your Personal Information, Demographic Information, or Operating Information may be
sent to or accessed by GfK’ service providers and contractors who are obligated to keep such
information confidential in countries outside the United States or the European Union. GfK data
protection standards and those of its service providers and contractors are the same, regardless of
where your information is stored.
Documentation for Human Subject Review Committees: GfK Key Company Information, Past External Review, Confidentiality, and
Privacy Protections for Panelists, © 2013

GfK and other GfK companies comply with the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework and the U.S.Swiss Safe Harbor Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the
collection, use, and retention of personal information from European Union member countries and
Switzerland. GfK has certified that it adheres to the Safe Harbor Privacy Principles ("Principles”) of
notice, choice, onward transfer, security, data integrity, access, and enforcement. To learn more
about the Safe Harbor program, and to view GfK’s certification, please visit
http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/.
CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
GfK believes that it's especially important to protect children's privacy online and encourages
parents and guardians to spend time online with their children to participate and monitor their
Internet activity.
GfK complies with all applicable national and international children's privacy regulations. We do not
permit children who are under 13 years of age to become KnowledgePanel Members. We do not
collect any Personal Information from children under 13 years of age. As part of the registration
process for new Panel Members, we collect from the new Panel Member the names of each
individual in the Panel Members' household, which may include the names of children who are
under 13 years of age. Occasionally we may send a survey to a Panel Member who is a parent or
guardian of a child under the age of 13 that asks that Panel Member to have his or her child who is
under 13 answer the survey. We take reasonable steps to ensure parental consent to such
procedure by sending the survey to the parent or guardian's password-protected email address.
The information collected in response to such surveys is not combined with identifying information
about the child. In every case such survey does not collect Personal Information about the child.
We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998.
If a Panel Member has provided us with Personal Information about a child in the Panel Member's
household who is under the age of 13, a parent or guardian of that child may contact us at the
email address or mailing address listed at the bottom of this Privacy Statement 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.
If you would like to contact us about your or your child's Personal Information, or to find out how
you can have your child's Personal Information removed from our database, please see the
"Access To Your Information and Complaints" section later in this document.
DATA SECURITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
GfK is committed to keeping the data you provide us secure and will take reasonable precautions
to protect your Personal Information from loss, misuse or alteration. Vendors, contractors, or
partners of GfK who have access to your Personal Information in connection with providing
services for GfK are contractually required to keep the information confidential and are not
permitted to use this information for any other purpose than to carry out the services they are
performing for GfK.
GfK also safeguards Personal Information, Demographic Information, and Operating Information
from unauthorized access. Most Operating Information is maintained in databases that are
separate from those containing Personal Information and Demographic Information. Only
authorized GfK employees or agents carrying out permitted business functions are allowed to
access these databases. In addition, each employee of GfK is required to sign a confidentiality
Documentation for Human Subject Review Committees: GfK Key Company Information, Past External Review, Confidentiality, and
Privacy Protections for Panelists, © 2013

agreement requiring him or her to keep confidential all Personal Information of Panel Members.
Employees who violate the confidentiality agreement are subject to disciplinary actions, including
termination when appropriate.
While we strive to use industry-standard security technology, procedures and other measures to
help protect your Personal or Demographic Information, we cannot guarantee the security of the
information you transmit.
CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT
We may update this privacy statement to reflect changes to our information practices. If we make
any material changes we will notify you by email (sent to the email address specified in your
account) or by means of a notice on this Site prior to the change becoming effective. We
encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.
ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION AND COMPLAINTS
A) Accessing, Correcting, Updating and Preventing Use of Your Personal Information or
Demographic Information.
If you have submitted Personal or Demographic Information to GfK through KnowledgePanel or
otherwise, or if someone else has otherwise submitted your Personal or Demographic Information
to GfK, you can:
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Access, Correct, Update Your Personal or Demographic Information, by emailing your request
to: [email protected], or by sending us a letter to the address listed below. GfK
will use reasonable efforts to supply you with the information you requested to access and to
correct any factual inaccuracies in this information.

•

Prevent Further Use of Your Personal or Demographic Information, by emailing your request
to: [email protected]. Alternatively, you may call us at 1-800-782-6899 or send us
a letter to the address listed below. In each case, we will then use reasonable efforts to prevent
further use of your Personal Information or Demographic Information in our files.

•

We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide
you services. If you wish to cancel your account or request that we no longer use your
information to provide you services contact us at [email protected]. We will retain
and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes,
and enforce our agreements.

B) Complaints
GfK is committed to working with consumers to obtain a fair and rapid resolution of any complaints
or disputes about privacy. Please send us your questions or comments regarding our privacy
practices by emailing us at:[email protected], or send us a letter to:
Privacy Compliance Coordinator
GfK Custom Research
103 Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 303
Roseland, NJ 07068
Documentation for Human Subject Review Committees: GfK Key Company Information, Past External Review, Confidentiality, and
Privacy Protections for Panelists, © 2013

We value the opinions and feedback of Panelists to help improve our service. If your participation
in KnowledgePanel comes to an end, we may choose to send you a brief, voluntary exit survey
regarding your experience.

Documentation for Human Subject Review Committees: GfK Key Company Information, Past External Review, Confidentiality, and
Privacy Protections for Panelists, © 2013