Privacy Policy

At Explorer Research (“Explorer”), respecting privacy has always been very important to us, and we are therefore committed to protecting the privacy of our clients and research participants. This privacy policy explains the principles under which Explorer collects, uses, maintains and protects personal information received from respondents and our clients as well as all client information and research participant data housed at an Explorer facility or stored on the Explorer network. Explorer respects the privacy of all respondents and is committed to the highest standards of research ethics. The objective of the Explorer privacy policy is to promote responsible and transparent personal information management practices in a manner consistent with the provisions of applicable privacy laws. Explorer will continue to review the Explorer privacy policy to ensure that it remains current with changing industry standards, technologies and laws. 

Explorer is a member of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA) and the Insights Association (IA), the organizations that set research industry standards to which member companies adhere, including protecting the privacy of personal information. For more information regarding the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), please consult MRIA or IA. Explorer follows personal information management practices that are consistent with both MRIA and IA standards and PIPEDA.

Confidentiality of Explorer Client Information

Explorer treats all information that we receive from clients as confidential and do not use the information for any purpose other than to fulfill our obligations to them. We keep all client information secure at all times and prevent the misuse and unauthorized disclosure of this information by our employees or by any third parties.

Research Respondent Information

In order to provide services to our clients, we may employ the use of client contact lists which could contain research respondent personal information such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses. All responses to our research are kept completely confidential. We only collect data in our studies for research purposes, and our use of this information will always be limited to that purpose.

Explorer strictly abides by the MRIA and Insights Association Codes of Contact. You can opt out of any and all participation at any time with no penalty or hesitation. Your participation is entirely voluntary. If you wish to be removed from Explorer’s email or phone contact lists, please contact Explorer at [email protected]. All participation is by permission only. You may discontinue your participation in research with Explorer at any time. Any communication requesting participation by others in the household will be clearly communicated to the primary research participation, with no requirement for participation. We will not process your personal data unless: (a) you have given your consent to our processing for a specific purpose; (b) processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to comply with a legal obligation; or (c) processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by Explorer or a third-party controller.

In cases of video or audio recorded research, the ability to record facial image could be requested. This collection of personal information from research respondents is done solely through the legal basis of consent.

If requested, we will provide research respondents access to the personal information we have collected about them. We correct any information that is inaccurate or incomplete, change their consent status, or have their personal information deleted.

Minors

We do not knowingly collect any personal information from minors under the age of 16, or knowingly track the use of our site by minors. If Explorer has actual knowledge that personal information about a person under 16 years old has been collected, then Explorer will take the appropriate steps to remove or disable that personal information. 

Information Sharing

We may share information in the following ways:                                                                                        

 i) with our service providers, as necessary to enable them to provide services to us (in which cases such service providers are prevented from using the information except has necessary to provide the services)                                                                                         

ii) with our clients and always at an aggregate level without linking personally identifiable information (such as email address) with the opinion and research data collected.

iii) as reasonably necessary to comply with law or a legal process (including a court or government order or subpoena), to detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, to enforce this privacy policy, and to protect the rights, property or safety of Explorer, our users, and/or the public.

iv) with your express consent.

Information Security Provisions

We maintain all necessary physical, electronic and procedural security measures to help safeguard client data and personal information. Third parties that provide us with support or services may also receive client data or personal information, and we require them to maintain security measures similar to ours with respect to such information. Nevertheless, the Internet cannot be guaranteed to be 100% secure, and we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information provided to us.

If any information under our control is compromised, we will take reasonable steps to investigate the situation and, where appropriate, notify those individuals whose information may have been compromised, and also take other steps as necessary in accordance with any applicable laws and regulations.

Data Integrity & Data Retention

Explorer will take all reasonable steps to ensure the personal data is accurate, complete, current and relevant. While we accept responsibility for the management and confidentiality of the personal information collected, we do not always have control over the accuracy of the information provided directly to us and accept no responsibility for information’s accuracy in such cases. Depending on the service you require, we will retain your Personal Information only for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Statement or as set out in our contracts with our business partners, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by a law that applies to us.

Location of Data

While Explorer Research is a Canadian company with offices in Canada and the United States, we may provide services to individuals and our technology processes data from users around the world. Accordingly, Explorer may transmit personal information outside of the country, state, or province in which it was originally collected. 

Data Transfers

Any data to be transferred for any reason is limited and for specified research purposes only. Any vendors or third parties working with or for Explorer are contractually obligated to comply with Explorer guidelines for confidentiality and data security, and in compliance with Insights Association requirements. When transferring data to a third party, such third parties are obligated to maintain at least the same level of privacy protection as outlined herein.

Security

The security and confidentiality of your Personal Information matters to us.  That’s why we have technical, administrative, and physical controls in place to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure.  For example, we encrypt all information you submit to us using Secure Sockets Layer (“SSL”) technology that helps protect information during transport to our Site.  We also review our security procedures periodically to consider appropriate new technology and updated methods.  Even so, despite our reasonable efforts, no security measure is ever perfect or impenetrable.

Automatic Collection of Information

Explorer respects the voluntary nature of research participation and protects our survey respondents’ identities when collecting market research responses online.

We process IP addresses for the legitimate business purpose of identifying and preventing duplicate respondents in our surveys. Whenever we process data for these purposes, we take reasonable and customary steps to keep your personal data safe and secure.

You have the right to object to this processing: if you wish to do so please contact Explorer at [email protected]  Please bear in mind that if you object this may affect our ability to carry out tasks above for your benefit.

All other personal information is only collected when the research respondent deliberately and voluntarily provides it. The only use of their web browsing activity is to ensure a stable, error-free survey experience.

The only information we collect from visitors to our corporate website (www.explorerresearch.com) is that which is voluntarily provided by requests for more information about our services, subscribing to our newsletter, or viewing papers, our blog posts, articles and videos from our content library. Otherwise, the only use of visitors’ web browsing activity is to generate aggregate traffic reporting statistics for the website. Notice of this collection is provided on all pages of the site with the ability to opt out.

Compliance, Data Protection Officer

Explorer strives to model our policies according to the guidelines set forth by the MRIA and the Insights Association (www.insightsassociation.org). As a company based in Canada and the United States, Explorer is also subject to the investigatory and enforcement powers of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). If you are concerned about our use of personal or client information, please contact us by email at [email protected].

Privacy Policy Changes or Updates

This privacy policy may change over time, and we reserve the right to modify and/or update our privacy practices and policy at any time. Any amendments to this policy will be posted at this URL and will be effective as indicated. We encourage you to refer to this privacy policy on an ongoing basis and to stay informed on how Explorer protects your information.

Comments and Questions

Explorer remains committed to protecting the personal data of its customers, respondents and employees. If you have questions or concerns about how Explorer protects your privacy, or if you wish to update your personal information or opt-out of the Explorer database, please contact our Privacy Officer via email at [email protected] or 1-855-251-5434, or via mail at: