Personal information: overview
As a corporate member of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, MBA Recherche respects the Code of conduct established by the Association, including the guidelines pertaining to online research.
MBA Recherche also subscribes to the MRIA Privacy code with respect to the protection of personal information. The objective of the Code is to favour the responsible and transparent management of personal information in accordance with current laws, including the Law on the protection of personal information and electronic documents (Canada).
In addition, in order to ensure that your privacy is protected by the strongest norms in the marketing research industry, MBA Recherche makes the following commitments towards its online panel members and all respondents:
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MBA Recherche is conscious of the value of your personal demographic information which is why it will never divulge, under any pretext, your personal information to anyone, whether they may be an individual, a company or an organization;
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MBA Recherche works in the marketing research sector. No one from our company will ever try to sell you anything;
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MBA Recherche always presents the results of its surveys to its clients in grouped form. As a result it is impossible to associate an individual answer with any respondent. This method respects your individuality and your anonymity;
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At MBA Recherche, we recognize the necessity for a secure website. Because of this, we have installed a technological infrastructure and security software amongst the most performant on the market.
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Your personal information will never be used to sell you anything and will never be passed on to a study's sponsors or any other company.
Declaration of confidentiality
Last revision: November 15, 2007
This declaration of confidentiality details the policies and practices of MBA Recherche ("we") regarding the treatment of personal information and informs you about the personal information that we gather about you via our website or by telephone when you take part in one of our focus groups or in one of our surveys.
It explains how we use and divulge this information, the choices open to you with respect to these uses and divulgations, and the manner in which you may correct the information we have in our possession.
We take the protection of your personal information to heart. We may sometimes update the declaration of confidentiality. This declaration is effective since the date of "Last revision" which figures at the top of this page. We will treat your personal information in accordance with the declaration of confidentiality in force at the moment at which that information is gathered and within our privacy policy except where we obtain your consent that such information be treated differently. This declaration of confidentiality applies to all information that we gather or receive about you, wherever it comes from.
This site is reserved for Canadian residents.
What is meant by personal information?
Personal information is defined as data which allows the identification of a specific person. This information can include your name, your age, your gender, your address, your telephone numbers, your E-mail address and in certain cases, your opinions and personal preferences.
How do we gather your personal information?
We always gather your personal information by legal and fair means (for example, when you complete one of our surveys). We collect your personal information when you give us permission or by other means as permitted by law.
We can receive your E-mail address via a third party or via a process of co-subscription. If you indicate that you wish to take part in our panel via the intermediary of one of our co-subscription partners, your E-mail address may be communicated to us in order that we may send you a link to our sign up page.
Our co-subscription partners can also simply direct you to a sign up page on our website, in which case your E-mail address will not be given to us until you have provided it at the appropriate step during our subscription process. The contractual agreements made between us and our co-subscription partners guarantee that your personal information will not be shared with anyone else or used for any other purpose.
How do we use your personal information?
One of the main uses that we make of your personal information is to conduct social and market studies via surveys and focus groups. We may also use your personal information in other ways as permitted by law. If you provide us with personal information of a delicate nature (for example about your medical or financial situation), we will ask for your explicit consent to collect, use and divulge such information.
In all cases, the identity of respondents is always protected.
How do we use your E-mail address?
We use your E-mail address to send you several different types of messages about your participation in our panel. In particular, we send you invitations via E-mail to take part in paid discussion groups and online surveys. It is necessary to receive survey invitations in order to participate in our survey panel.
When you register to participate in our survey panel, we will send you a message via E-mail to the E-mail address you have given us in order to confirm that you have received the information necessary for your registration. If you use the modification form on the website to update your profile, to find your password or to inform us of an intended absence, like a vacation, you will receive a message via E-mail that confirms your request. Our member's service team may also contact you via the E-mail address that you have provided to answer your questions.
How can I choose not to receive E-mail from you?
All of our E-mails clearly explain how you can choose not to receive communication via E-mail in the future. Our survey invitations always include a link to unsubscribe. By clicking on the unsubscribe link, you will go to a web page where you will be able to easily unsubscribe by following the on-screen process. You can also request to stop receiving E-mail or telephone messages by using the contact information provided in the "Contact" section of our website. We will treat your request to stop reception within a period of 10 working days after having received it.
Divulgation of personal information
We reserve the right to divulge your personally identifying information when the law requires it and when we determine that the divulgation of such information is necessary in order for us to conform to a judgement, a ruling or an act of justice made regarding our website.
How and when do we obtain your consent?
We obtain your consent before collecting and, in all cases, before using or divulging your personal information, including your E-mail address, for whatever purpose. Your consent may be obtained orally or in written form. For example, when you reply to a survey, you voluntarily consent to the use of your personal information, including your E-mail, to conduct social and market studies.
What measures have we put into place to protect your personal information?
We have put into place security measures which are physical, organisational, contractual and technological and which aim to protect your personal information, including your E-mail address, against loss, theft and non-authorized access, divulgation, copy, use or modification. The only employees who may access your personal information, including your E-mail address, are those whose tasks reasonably require such access.
We have put into place strong security measures to protect the database containing your personal information, including your E-mail address. The systems used are housed in secure data centres. We prevent electronic intrusion by using firewall technology. Employees who have been granted access to your personal information, including your E-mail address, may access it only by using secure connections and passwords within our networks.
Notice of modification
If we decide to modify our confidentiality policy, we will display the modifications within this declaration of confidentiality and in the areas that we judge appropriate in order that our users may always be informed about the type of information we gather, about the use that we make of it and the circumstances in which we divulge it in that eventuality. The personal information will be used in accordance with the privacy policy in effect at the time the information was collected.
In any case, if we intend to use member's personally identifying information, including their E-mail address, in a way which differs from those indicated at the time the information was gathered, we will inform the users by E-mail. The latter may accept or refuse their permission to use their personal information in the described manner. However, users who have cut off all communication with the website or who have deleted/deactivated their account will not be contacted and their personal information will not be used in the new manner described.
In addition, if we make significant changes to our confidentiality practices which do not affect the information already entered in our database, we will display a visible notice to that end on our website. In certain cases, in addition to displaying a notice, we will send an E-mail to users who have chosen to receive communication from us in order to inform them of the changes made to our confidentiality practices.