Digital Research, Inc. (dba OpinionWise™), Digital Research, and DRI, hereinafter “Digital Research” or “DRI”), established in 1995, is a full-service market research and consulting organization. We provide information to our clients to help them understand the needs, behaviors, and preferences of their customers and other stakeholders.
 
DRI is committed to maintaining the integrity of our industry and complies with ISO 20252, the International Standard for Market, Opinion and Survey Research. As part of this commitment, we protect the privacy and security of personal information. We do not conduct sales or direct marketing activities, nor do we provide personal information to be used for direct sales or marketing purposes. Please review our company information on our website (www.digitalresearch.com) or contact us at tom@opinionwise.com with concerns or questions about our business.
 
Digital Research complies with the provisions of the General Data Processing Regulation (GDPR) of 2018, along with the EU – U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce, regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from residents of European Union member countries. DRI has certified that it adheres to the Privacy Shield Privacy Principles of notice, choice, accountability for onward transfer, security, data integrity and purpose limitation, access, recourse, enforcement and liability. 
 
Digital Research is a member of the Insights Association, the professional trade association of survey research companies. DRI adheres to the mandated Insights Association Code of Standards and Ethics for Survey Research. This code includes requirements for the protection of personal information and respondent identifying information. For more information on the IA code, please visit the Insights Association website at https://www.insightsassociation.org/insights-association-code-standards-and-ethics-market-research-and-data-analytics. 
 
Additionally, Digital Research adheres to the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (Privacy Rule) as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

The Data Protection Officer at DRI is available to answer questions about the DRI Privacy Policy, to request personal information corrections or amendments and for addressing complaints or disputes. We will respond to all complaints within ten (10) business days and will strive to resolve all complaints about privacy and the collection or use of customer information. If you have any questions, information updates, or complaints please email tom@opinionwise.com or call (207) 985-7660 and ask to speak to our Data Protection Officer. Digital Research is committed to cooperating and complying with the EU data protection authority for dispute resolution, as well as complying with all GDPR regulations. Under certain conditions, customers have the right to invoke binding arbitration. If you feel that we have not satisfactorily addressed your complaint you can visit the EU data protection authority at www.ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/individuals.
 
Digital Research Websites

The only personal information collected on websites owned and maintained by DRI (including but not limited to www.digitalresearch.com and www.opinionwise.com) is that which is voluntarily provided. Like many other websites, we use cookies to provide a better experience for our guests. We limit the use of cookies to quality control and validation. Cookies are used temporarily during the time you are actively completing a survey or filling out a registration form and we do not store or retain your cookie information in any way. No Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is transmitted via these cookies.

Personal information is safeguarded on secured systems and is used only for the purpose stated. In order to respond to an inquiry, an email address or other contact information may be requested when we are contacted through tom@opinionwise.com or via the Contact buttons on our websites. This information is shared with DRI employees on a need-to-know basis only.

Our websites may contain hyperlinks to websites outside of domains controlled by Digital Research. Data collection privacy policies may be different on hyperlinked sites not owned by DRI; therefore, we recommend that the Privacy Policy / Statement is read for each site visited.
 
Personal Information

Personal information provided to Digital Research is confidential. When providing information in response to one of our survey instruments, you are also providing your consent to collect and use your information. Information collected on behalf of our clients is combined with information gathered from other survey participants and shown in aggregate and may include personally identifiable information. If we indicate that personal information may be included in the research findings, we ensure that the information is treated with the strictest of confidence. We will not mislead a participant regarding the nature of our research or how the information we collect will be used. 

Research participation is voluntary. When responding to one of our survey instruments you are consenting to the use of your data. Participants may opt-out of current research by disregarding or declining the invitation to participate and are given the opportunity to be removed from future research conducted by DRI. At a research participant’s request, we will correct, amend or delete incorrect personal information we have collected about him/her. We will also delete an individual’s personal information from our database, upon request.
 
How we Collect Information About You

The personal information we maintain about you will vary depending on the context and extent of your interactions with us, but typically we will gather information in two ways:

• Information collected from you in the course of research surveys completed for DRI, including opting into the OpinionWise™ consumer Panel; and

• Customer information provided by clients to DRI for research purposes.

 

Information We My Hold About You  

Digital Research may have personal email addresses in its email system and/or data files that are acquired through:

• Your voluntary provision of this personal information;

• Requests for information submitted to our websites;

• Emails sent to DRI or its employees or agents; or

• Clients who have provided email addresses for research purposes.

 

The CAN SPAM Act of 2003 applies specifically to commercial emails sent for the purpose of sales or direct marketing. DRI does not fall into this category; however, it voluntarily observes the CAN SPAM Act guidelines that apply to survey research. DRI uses email as a means of communicating with known clients and customers. When email is used to invite respondents to participate in surveys, the following processes are used to ensure we do not send spam:

• We clearly identify ourselves and/or our client when sending an invitation;

• We provide contact information should the email recipient have any questions or concerns;

• We provide the option to be removed from future email research invitations; and

• We reuse email addresses only as a legitimate follow-up to survey research.

 

These processes ensure that we contact only those who have a reasonable expectation of being contacted for research purposes.

Personal information we collect from your voluntary participation in our research surveys or information supplied by our clients may include, but is not limited to:

• Name;

• Contact data such as email address, home and/or work postal address, phone number(s);

• Images and/or voice records captured through photography, filming, videotaping and/or audio recording;

• Ethnographic data such as your date of birth, gender, educational background, job title, country;

• Information from your requests and /or complaints registered with us; and

• Any other information which may be collected in the course of our interactions with you.

 

Use and Processing of Your Information

The GDPR requires us to rely on one or more lawful bases to use your personal information. These bases are:

• When you have provided consent for us to use personal information in a specified way in the course of completing one of our surveys;

• When our clients have a legitimate interest in providing their customers’ information to us for research purposes (if that interest is fair, balanced and does not unduly impact participants’ rights); or

• In order to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

 

Sharing and Protection of Personal Information

Personal information may be disclosed when the survey instrument clearly states that the information will be disclosed or, when a participant makes a request during the survey that can only be fulfilled by disclosing information from the survey.

Only authorized DRI employees, vendors, contractors or partners carrying out authorized business functions are allowed to access Digital Research data or databases. DRI employees are required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement in which they agree to keep all project and respondent personal information confidential. Employees who violate the Confidentiality Agreement are subject to disciplinary actions, including termination, when appropriate.

Digital Research discloses personal data only to third parties who reasonably need to know such data, and only within the scope of market research and not for any other purpose. Vendors, contractors, or partners who have access to survey information in connection with providing services for DRI are required, at a minimum, to sign a Confidentiality Agreement. The Confidentiality Agreement requires them to keep personal information confidential; they are not permitted to use this information for any purpose other than to carry out the services they are performing for Digital Research. Third parties are required to comply with the regulations of GDPR and the Privacy Shield Principles and such recipients of DRI data must agree to abide by these principles.  

If DRI is required or permitted by law, national security or court orders to collect, use, and / or disclose personal information; notice to the supplying parties may not be required.

In the event of a sale, merger, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or acquisition of DRI or a DRI business or business unit, the acquiring party must agree to be bound by the terms of the Digital Research Privacy Policy before any information will be transferred.

Digital Research is committed to keeping personal data secure and will take all reasonable precautions to protect personal information from loss, misuse or alteration. This data is stored on our internal network servers that are protected by firewalls and other appropriate security mechanisms.
 
Children's Privacy

Digital Research does not knowingly make direct contact with children under the age of 16 to participate in research activities. If we require survey information from children, we contact the parent or guardian to arrange the survey activities and we encourage the parent or guardian to closely monitor and participate in the survey activities.
 
Changes to this Privacy Policy

DRI reserves the right to modify and update this policy and its related business practices at any time. Please view this Privacy Policy on a regular basis.

If you have any questions concerning our Privacy Policy, please contact us at (207) 985-7660 or tom@opinionwise.com.