MARKETING RESEARCH PRIVACY POLICY

HCD Research Privacy Policy

Health Care Direct, Inc., doing business as HCD Research, is a marketing research and consumer sciences company with its corporate headquarters in Flemington, New Jersey, USA. HCD Research provides research services that support the creation of better products, packaging and communications for consumers.

This policy defines the commitment of HCD Research to protect the privacy of personal information that is collected or used during the course of conducting HCD Research marketing research activities. HCD Research will, and will cause its affiliates to, establish and maintain business procedures that are consistent with this policy.

We respect the privacy rights of individuals.

HCD Research will respect the legal requirements that exist regarding the privacy of personal information and is committed to complying with all applicable laws. HCD Research will, from time to time, review its personal information collection, use, and disclosure practices in order to assure compliance with laws and regulations.

We get explicit consent for sensitive information/children.

HCD Research will maintain procedures to assure that information about children or other categories of sensitive information is only collected with explicit consent and is protected against improper use, consistent with applicable law. Prior to conducting a research project with children or young people, HCD Research will identify and comply with any applicable laws including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) which requires verifiable parental or legal guardian’s consent for interviewing children below the age of 13 years.

HCD Research adheres to the Principles of Notice, Choice, Accountability for Onward Transfer, Security, Data Integrity and Purpose Limitation, Access, and Recourse, Enforcement, and Liability with respect to personal information.

Notice

In the course of conducting our marketing research activities, HCD Research collects data from individuals who have agreed to participate in research after being informed about the nature and general objectives of the research. The purpose of our research is to provide answers and guidance to our clients as they relate to marketing and consumer science related questions. Data is often collected using marketing research surveys and interviews involving consumers, medical professionals and business professionals. In most cases, prior to being shared with a research client, the survey data is combined into aggregate form without any personally identifiable information. Similarly, in most cases, information from research interviews or focus groups is combined and summarized without any personally identifiable information being provided to our clients. In the event that personally identifiable information is to be shared with a research client or its affiliates, the participant will be notified prior and provided an opportunity to opt-out of participation or discontinue with the research, and no personally identifiable information will be shared.

HCD Research may disclose personal information, including personally identifiable information, collected during research activities to data controllers or data processors contracted by HCD Research to perform or assist in the performance of marketing research surveys or other marketing research activities as specified by HCD Research (research suppliers). Any research supplier engaged by HCD Research is contractually obligated to comply with the principles set forth in this policy.

Personal information is used for research purposes only and will not be used to market any products or services unless that possibility has been clearly disclosed in advance to research participants and explicit, opt-in consent has been given by the research participant.

The data types collected and purpose for collection:

Contact information: Some or all of the following – name, postal address, email address, and telephone number. Such actively submitted, personally identifiable information is used to reply to any information request or comment; to respond to survey technical support needs, or other communication that you, the survey participant, may direct to HCD Research, Inc. (HCD) via the hcdi.net, hcdhealth.com, or hcdsurveys.com websites; and to process survey incentive payment.
Self-reported survey research responses: Such information, usually collected via online surveys is reported in aggregate and reported without contact information for the purpose of providing marketing research guidance to our research clients.
Audio and video recordings: This data is most often collected in the qualitative research context during interviews or focus groups and used by research moderators and interviewers as a reference for research report writing and is not shared with research clients without explicit consent of research participant. In some types of marketing research, we use recordings for behavioral coding. The purpose of the behavioral coding information is to quantify and operationalize the activities that participants do when interacting with a product or environment.
Online survey application passive electronic information: Our online survey application uses “transient cookies” also known as session cookies for the purposes of holding a session key that will enable an online survey participant to log back into a survey if for any reason the participant must stop, or their internet connection is interrupted. Once the browser is closed, the cookie is removed. IP addresses are stored for the duration of a research study to avoid responder duplication and for data security purposes. Web browser user agent data is collected to indicate web browser client and version so that we can deliver the optimal survey experience to the user and debug any technical survey issues.
Psychophysiological and sensorimotor data: For certain research projects, we collect physiological data (e.g. electrodermal activity, heart rate, electromyography, electroencephalography and eye movement and gaze information) in response to stimuli. This information is used in aggregate form to provide additional insights to marketing research.

Choice

HCD Research ensures that participation is voluntary, and the nature and purpose of the research is disclosed to research participants in advance of research.

HCD Research will respect the right of anyone to refuse requests to participate in research and the right of those already engaged in research to terminate their participation.

Personal information is used for research purposes only. If personal information is to be disclosed to a third party other than agents performing research tasks on behalf of HCD Research or to be used for a purpose that is materially different from that originally disclosed to or authorized by individuals, research participants will be provided with clear and explicit, choices regarding the use of their information.

Sensitive information such as health or medical information, race, ethnicity, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, sex life of an individual, or criminal history, will require affirmative, express, opt-in consent from individuals if that information is to be disclosed to a third party other than agents performing research tasks on behalf of HCD Research or used for a purpose other than that for which it was originally collected or authorized for use by individuals via an opt-in choice.

Accountability For Onward Transfers

Any personal data transferred to a third party acting as an agent or controller may only be used for limited and specific purposes required by the market research.

Personal information transferred to a third party acting as a data controller must provide the same level of protection as the set forth in this policy.

Personal information transferred to a third party acting as an agent are required to provide at least the same level of privacy protection as the principles set forth in this policy.

Third party agents working for HCD Research or in partnership with HCD Research are required by contract to comply with HCD Research data privacy policies and the code of standards and ethics for marketing research and data analytics of either the Insights Association or ESOMAR.

HCD Research understands that it may be liable for violations which occur during the onward transfer of data to third parties. HCD Research also understands that the individual may invoke binding arbitration, under certain conditions.

Please be advised that HCD Research may be required to disclose personal information in response to a lawful request by public authorities, including meeting national security or law enforcement requirements or when required by court order.

Security

HCD Research will maintain the security of personal information, and protect the integrity of such information, with a commercially reasonable and appropriate degree of care.

Data Integrity

HCD Research limits the personal information that it processes to that which is relevant for the purposes of the particular data processing. Personal information is not processed in a way that is incompatible with the purposes for which it has been collected or subsequently authorized by the individual. To the extent necessary for these purposes, reasonable steps are taken to ensure that personal information is reliable for its intended use, accurate, complete and current.

HCD Research retains personally identifiable information only for as long as it serves a purpose for processing that is compatible with the purposes for which the information was collected or subsequently authorized by the individual.

Access

Individuals have the right to access their personal information provided as a part of our marketing research and be able to correct, amend or delete that information where it is inaccurate except where the burden or expense of providing access would be disproportionate to the risks to the individual’s privacy or where the rights of persons other than the individual would be violated. Upon request, HCD Research will permit individuals to access their personal information as indicated in this paragraph, however, for security purposes, adequate identification and verification will be required.

Recourse, Enforcement and Liability

HCD Research commits to resolve complaints about your privacy and our collection or use of your personal information. Individuals with inquiries or complaints regarding this privacy policy should first contact our Privacy Officer at:

privacy@hcdi.net with the subject line, “privacy” or in writing to:
HCD Research
Attention: Privacy Officer
260 U.S. Highway 202/31 North
Liberty Court Suite 1000
Flemington, New Jersey 08822
(908) 788-9393