Data protection for participants

Declaration on data protection and the absolute confidentiality of your data

Interrogare GmbH – a member of ESOMAR, BVM, EPHMRA and DGOF – works in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and all other data protection regulations. Interrogare is responsible within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation and other national data protection laws of the member states as well as other data protection regulations.

The results of this survey are presented exclusively in anonymized form. This means that no one can tell from the results which person provided the information. This also applies to a repeat or follow-up survey, where it is important to conduct another survey with the same person after a certain period of time and to carry out the statistical analysis in such a way that the information from several surveys is linked together by a code number. The following also applies here: No data is passed on that can be used to identify you personally. As with one-off surveys, the results are presented exclusively in anonymized form.

If you are not yet 18 years old: Please show this page to your parents and ask them to take note of it.

What happens to your data?

We would like to show you an example of how your data is processed from the survey to the completely anonymous results table:

1. you enter your answers to our questions on the paper questionnaire or in the online questionnaire itself, e.g. like this:

Which mode of transportation do you mainly use to get to your place of work?

• Train
• Subway/Underground
• Bus
• …

2. At Interrogare GmbH, the address and question sections are kept separate. In order to process only correct data, any discrepancies in the answers are clarified beforehand. The address and question section are given a code number. This means that anyone who sees the paper questionnaire does not know who gave the answers. The address remains with Interrogare, but only until the overall survey has been completed. It is only used for random quality checks and to contact you again later for a new interview if necessary.

3. your answers to the questions asked will be converted into numbers and stored digitally without your name and address (i.e. anonymized). In the case of laptop and online interviews, where the questions appear on a screen, this is already done during the interview.

4. the interview data (without your name and address) is then analyzed by a computer. For example, the computer counts all the answers per mode of transport and calculates the percentage results.

5. the overall result and the results of subgroups (e.g. blue-collar workers, white-collar workers) are presented in tabular form:

Which mode of transportation?

6. Even in a repeat or follow-up survey, your name and address are always separated from the data in the question section. During the evaluation, the data records are linked to each other via a code number (never via names!), and the results are then presented in the same anonymized form as in a one-off survey.

The following applies in any case:

• Participation in this survey is voluntary. You will not suffer any disadvantages if you do not take part.
• It goes without saying that Interrogare GmbH complies with all data protection regulations.

You can be sure that

• no one will find out what answers you have given.
• your name and address will not be passed on to third parties.
• no individual data will be passed on to third parties that would allow your person to be identified.

If we collect personal data from you:

To implement the survey, Interrogare GmbH uses the survey software and hosting services of its processor Dapresy Deutschland GmbH, Engersche Str. 176, 33611 Bielefeld, Germany. Some of the data is processed by sub-processors in countries outside the EU. However, we have ensured that the necessary contracts and requirements under the GDPR are in place. The hosting location is within Europe. The IP address required for technical communication (this counts as personal data) will be deleted 3 months after your participation in the respective study. The other data collected as part of the survey will not be deleted and can continue to be used for anonymous evaluations. If you have any questions about data protection, you can contact Interrogare GmbH or its external data protection officer (Andrea Schweizer, lawyer, Kanzlei Prof. Schweizer Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, Schneckenburgerstraße 22, 81675 Munich, 089/9280850, as@schweizer.eu) at any time. Further data protection information on Interrogare GmbH can be found here: www.interrogare.de/kontakt/datenschutz/

As part of market research studies, you may be able to register for competitions or to participate in other surveys. We will then collect additional personal data from you.

We are obliged by law to store your personal data separately from your other details in the questionnaire. You can therefore continue to rely on the fact that nobody will find out which answers you have given in the questionnaire.

In the following, we describe how we handle your personal data:

Description and scope of data processing in the case of competitions or participation in other surveys

In some questionnaires, you have the option of registering for a competition or participating in further surveys. When you register, the data from the input screen is transmitted to us.

Depending on the market research study, the following data is collected

• E-mail address
• Salutation, if applicable (optional)
• First name (optional)
• Last name (optional)
• Year of birth, if applicable

The following data is also collected during registration

•  IP address of the accessing compute
• Date and time of registration

When you register, we store the IP address assigned by your Internet service provider (ISP) to the computer system you are using at the time of registration, as well as the date and time of registration. The collection of this data is necessary in order to be able to trace the (possible) misuse of this e-mail address at a later date and therefore serves our legal protection.

Your consent is obtained for the processing of the data as part of the registration process and reference is made to this privacy policy.

The personal data collected will not be passed on to third parties. The data will be used exclusively for participation in the prize draw and for notifying the winners (in the case of a prize draw) or for invitations to further market research studies (in the case of registration for further market research studies).

Use of data for quality assurance (fingerprints)

What is fingerprinting? Fingerprinting is the process of creating a digital fingerprint of your system configuration. Information about your system is collected and combined into a hash. Some information is automatically sent to the web server by your computer (passive fingerprinting), while other information can be read by JavaScript (active fingerprinting). This information can include, for example, the list of installed fonts on your system or the operating system you are using. The hash created is then the digital fingerprint of your system and is stored for quality assurance purposes until the study is completed. In detail, the following information can be used to create the fingerprint:

• Device settings for color and contrast (colorDepth, colorGamut, invertedColors, forcedColors, monochrome, contrast, hdr)
• Installed fonts (fonts, fontPreferences)
• Information on the device operating system (platform, languages, reducedMotion, timezone) Information on the hardware used (osCpu, cpuClass, architecture, deviceMemory, screenResolution, audio, hardwareConcurrency, touchSupport, vendor, vendorFlavors, videoCard)
• Information about the browser used (plugins, pdfViewerEnabled, canvas, cookiesEnabled, sessionStorage, localStorage, indexedDB, openDatabase, domBlockers, screenFrame, math)

Legal basis for data processing

The legal basis for the processing of data after registration for the prize draw/for further market research studies by the user is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR if the user has given consent.

Purpose of the data processing

The purpose of collecting the user’s email address is to notify participants in the prize draw if they win or to invite interested parties to further market research studies. The year of birth may be used to verify your age if registration is only permitted from a certain age. The optional data is used to personalize the messages sent to you.

The collection of other personal data as part of the registration process serves to prevent misuse of the services or the e-mail address used.

Duration of storage

The data is deleted as soon as it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected. The user’s e-mail address is therefore stored for as long as it is required for participation in the competition or for participation in further market research studies.

Right of objection and removal

Participation in the prize draw or the willingness to take part in further market research studies can be revoked at any time free of charge. How the withdrawal can be made is described individually in the declaration of consent for the respective market research study. This also allows you to withdraw your consent to the storage of personal data collected during the registration process with effect for the future.

If your personal data is processed as part of this survey, you are a data subject within the meaning of the GDPR and you have the following rights vis-à-vis Interrogare GmbH:

• Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR)
• Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)
• Right to erasure, “right to be forgotten” (Art. 17 GDPR)
• Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
• Right to information (Art. 19 GDPR)
• Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
• Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR)
• Automated decision-making, including profiling (Art. 22 GDPR)

You also have the right to complain to a data protection supervisory authority about the processing of your personal data by us.

The managing directors Peter Wiegelmann, Martin Kühn and Sören Scholz are responsible for compliance with data protection regulations at Interrogare GmbH.

If you have any questions about data protection, please contact our data protection officer Andrea Schweizer at datenschutz@interrogare.de.

Thank you for your cooperation and your trust in our work!