Data Privacy Notice
About this Privacy Notice
Your privacy is important to us, and we ask that you read this Privacy Notice carefully. It explains who we are; how and why we collect, store, use and share your personal data; your rights in relation to your personal data; and how to contact us and supervisory authorities if you have a concern or complaint.
This Privacy Notice relates to the personal data of:
Visitors to our websites and social media accounts
People making enquiries via forms on our websites e.g. for further information on our services including events we are hosting, or in relation to employment opportunities or supply of services to us
Respondents who participate in our surveys or other types of research.
What is personal data?
Under U.K. Data Protection law, the term “personal data” refers to data that can be used to identify a person either directly or indirectly (for example in combination with other personal data). It can include a wide variety of types of data including contact details, online identifiers, photos and video.
About Whitestone Insight
Whitestone Insight is a research and polling company based in the U.K. and a member of the British Polling Council. We are registered with the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office (the I.C.O). Our contact details are below.
We conduct surveys, polls and other types of research to understand people’s views, experiences, needs and hopes for the future. This research helps the sponsor of the study - our client - to shape and improve their policies, strategies, and delivery of their products and services for the greater benefit of all current and future users.
What personal data do we collect?
The personal data we collect depends on the reason why you have engaged with us.
Our website and social media users
We collect the data that is necessary for us to understand the profile of users of our website and social media accounts and deliver the services that users request via these channels. This includes contact information you provide such as name, job title, email address. It may also include data provided indirectly e.g. by cookies.
2. Participants in our research projects
Participants in our research projects are asked to provide a broader range of personal data. This ensures that our research is with the right target audience and that we have spoken to a representative group of people within that audience. The data might include:
Name and contact details such as address, email address, phone number
Demographic data such as age, gender, job role, qualifications, income bracket. We sometimes also collect special categories of information such as race and ethnicity, political or trades union affiliation, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, health or disability.
Photographs, audio and video recordings of our conversations with you or any other material of this type provided by you as part of the research
We may also combine this information with data about you that is available in the public domain. We do this to verify and ensure the integrity of participants in our projects.
How and why we use your data
We use your personal data lawfully, based on your consent to deliver our services including services you have requested from us, for example if you have signed up for our newsletters or reports, or you have expressed an interest in taking part in our research.
In addition, we may use your personal data where necessary to fulfil our legitimate interests or legal obligations:
to manage and improve our website and services;
to address any queries, complaints or problems you experience;
to respond to duly authorised information requests of governmental authorities or where required by law;
to investigate suspected fraudulent activity in connection with the website or violation of another party’s rights.
For any other use of your personal data, we will contact you to obtain your specific consent.
Sometimes we may collect personal data that is available in the public domain in order to identify people who may be suitable to take part in one of our events or research studies. This kind of data processing is based on our legitimate interests but you are entitled to object to this processing and ask us to remove your data from our records (see your rights, below).
Security and access to your data
Security
To ensure the safety of your data, we have put in place the necessary measures to prevent the loss, destruction, misuse, alteration or unauthorised access or disclosure of your personal information.
Third Party access
(i) Data Processors
To deliver our services, we may employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. In data protection law, these are known as data processors. These may include software services who host our databases, surveys or other research activities, data analytics specialists; companies that recruit research participants, payment service providers where we are paying you for your involvement in our research; event organisers; video editors or graphic designers. These third parties will have access to the personal data needed to perform their functions but must process the data in accordance with data protection and data security standards. They may not use the data for sales or marketing purposes or any other purposes.
(ii) Data controllers
As described in the About Us section of this Privacy Notice, many of our research studies are commissioned by clients. In data protection law, this means that they are data controllers.
Depending on the project, we may share no personal data with the client, keeping your identity anonymous, or some necessary personal data. In the case that we are sharing some data, our clients will typically have access to research material such as video and audio recordings and transcripts of interviews, and will know your first name and some other relevant demographic information about you.
When we create a research report for our client, we summarise the learning from the study and we may illustrate this report with quotes or video clips. Usually, the report is for our client’s internal use only.
If the research report is going to be shared in the public domain, we will do one or all of the following:
anonymise the data so you are not identifiable
ask your consent to be named as a contributor to the report
ask your consent to publish any quotes or images that identify you.
Our clients are also restricted from using your personal data to sell or market their services to you or to contact you for other purposes.
Retention
We only keep your personal data for as long as necessary, based on its relevance to our business and requirements for us to meet our legal and regulatory obligations.
Your data protection rights and how to contact us
Under data protection law, you have rights including:
Your right of access - You have the right to ask us to share the personal information we hold about you.
Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to correct personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.
Please contact us at hello@whitestoneinsight.com if you wish to make a request, a complaint, or if you have any comments or concerns about our use of your personal data.
You can also contact the ICO for more information about your rights and if you are unhappy with the way we have acted under this data policy. The ICO can be reached here: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/
This Privacy Notice was last updated on the 29th January 2024.
Whitestone Insight Limited is registered in England and our Company Registration number is 14484011. Our website is www.whitestoneinsight.com and our office is at Millbank Tower, London SW1P 4QP.