PRIVACY POLICY – USE OF YOUR DATA

com.X Institut is registered in the Federal Data Protection Register. Furthermore, as a member of the BVM Professional Association of German Market and Social Researchers, and therefore with respect to data protection, we are not only committed to the legal provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in conjunction with the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG – new), but also to the professional regulations of market and social research.

com.X collects, processes and uses personal data in accordance with the legal provisions of data protection and the joint guidelines of the Arbeitskreis Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforschungsinstitute e.V. (ADM), the Arbeitsgemeinschaft sozialwissenschaftlicher Institute e.V. (ASI) and the BVM.

All com.X employees have given an undertaking to maintain confidentiality and to observe data protection. com.X Institut has taken appropriate technical and organisational security measures (Art. 32 GDPR) to ensure compliance with the legal requirements for data processing security (Section 64 BDSG – new, Requirements for data processing security). In the event that partial services are passed on to contract processors, com.X remains responsible for compliance with the provisions of the GDPR and other data protection regulations.

IS PARTICIPATION IN THIS SURVEY VOLUNTARY?

Yes, participation in this study is voluntary and you are free to decide not to participate if you do not want to. You can also opt out at any stage of the study.

WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU?

If you participate, we collect the data you provide when you fill out the online questionnaire. For panel surveys, we also collect the code assigned to you by your panel service. This is for billing purposes only.

We are dependent on your consent for all data collected. You can withdraw your consent either by not completing the survey or by contacting us later as indicated in the contact form.

HOW DO WE USE THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE?

Your answers to this survey will be used for study purposes only. Your participation in this survey and your individual answers to the questions will be treated by us in the strictest confidence. For many surveys, we ask participants to submit anonymous answers only. If we collect data in a survey that identifies individual participants, we store this data separately from the other survey data.

The results of this survey are anonymous statistical data exclusively and we can assure you that you are NOT identifiable in results. Furthermore, we can assure you that any information you provide during this study will NEITHER be used for marketing purposes, NOR will we sell to or share your information with any third party.

HOW LONG DO WE KEEP THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE?

If we collect data in a survey that allows us to identify individual participants, we keep this data separate from the other survey data for a maximum period of twelve months after the end of the project. After this period, we destroy all identifying data using a secure process, leaving only the anonymous research results. We will also delete your data at your request, if this is permitted.

HOW CAN YOU ACCESS AND/OR RECTIFY YOUR DATA AND/OR REQUEST THEIR TRANSFER AND/OR DELETION?

If we ask you to provide information that will allow us to identify you and your individual responses, you may request a copy of your responses to this survey and the personal information collected from you at any time before the results are made anonymous. You also have the right to request correction of the personal information we hold about you. You also have the right to have any data you have provided us with transferred to another party. In various situations, you also have the right to request the destruction or deletion of the personal data that we hold about you. Please contact our Privacy Department to exercise these rights. You can contact them by e-mail at: ricarda.delasauce@comx-forschung.de

or by letter to:

com.X Institut für Kommunikations-Analyse & Evaluation
Datenschutz
Ehrenfeldstr. 34
44789 Bochum

HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS SECURE?

We take the responsibility to keep your personal data safe very seriously. Accordingly, we take all reasonable precautions to ensure that your data are protected against loss, theft or misuse. These precautions include proper technical security of our offices, controlled access to our computer systems and the use of secure, encrypted Internet connections when we collect personal data.

As part of our commitment to the security of your data, we conduct regular internal and external data security audits.

ARE COOKIES OR A SIMILAR CODE USED IN THIS SURVEY?

Cookies are used for some of our online surveys. These are small files that are stored on your computer. These files are used as restrictedly as possible and only for quality control and validation. It is possible to delete the cookies or prevent their use by adjusting the browser settings on your computer. However, if you choose to prevent the use of cookies, please note that you may not be able to participate in certain research surveys on the Internet.

CONTACT WITH US

If you have any questions or need further information about this research study, please contact the person responsible for the study:

ricarda.delasauce@comx-forschung.de

If you have any questions or require further information about our privacy policy, our compliance with data protection laws or the data we hold about you, please contact our Privacy Department as indicated above.

© 2023 com.X Institut für
Kommunikations-Analyse und Evaluation

Ehrenfeldstr. 34
44789 Bochum