Privacy
Policy

Purpose statement for Ipsos iris Panellists

Ipsos Pty Ltd will deliver a single source of high quality and accurate data on a daily basis through the Ipsos iris project to become the trusted and credible partner for the delivery of Online Audience Measurement for IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), the media and advertising industry, websites and apps. Ipsos Pty Ltd will ensure the Privacy compliance of Panellists by…

Clarifying the Data Controllers and Processors to allow the panellist clear visibility of who owns their personal data across all the channels used within the Ipsos iris project.

The panellist’s rights will be clearly stated in the relevant Controller’s Privacy Notice, to include clarity on the legal reason for collection of all personal data, the secure control of sensitive data and website cookies/ tagging. Ipsos Pty Ltd will give contractual clarity, clearly define the Privacy controls required of its Processors and will work with any joint controller to establish a clear demarcation between the parties allowing full visibility to the Panellist. Ipsos Pty Ltd has proactively completed a Data Privacy Impact Assessment, which will be made available to any parties of interest ensuring full transparency of the Ipsos iris solution.

An important note for anyone aged 14-18 years old:
If you have questions or do not understand anything in this document, the panel and or about taking part in this research then please talk to your parent or guardian before joining. Our contact details can also be found at the bottom of this document if any further information or guidance is required. You can also contact us at any point, if you no longer wish to be part of the panel.

Ipsos iris panel overview

Ipsos iris is the official source of Online Audience Measurement in Australia. The Ipsos iris Research Panel has been set up by Ipsos Pty Ltd in conjunction with IAB in order to provide a total view of how people in Australia use the internet.

Ipsos iris is a Research Panel of 4,000 individuals from all over Australia who agree to take part in the research. By joining the Ipsos iris panel, individuals allow Ipsos Pty Ltd, in a safe and secure way, to measure what websites they visit and what apps they use every day.

Ipsos iris collects data from Smartphones, Tablets and Computers from all 4,000 panel members to build a full and comprehensive view of how people use these devices and which websites and apps they use. The aggregate research data collected is used by website owners, publishers, media producers, advertising agencies and broadcasters to ensure they continue to deliver relevant and appropriate content for their visitors.

How we use your information

Ipsos Pty Ltd, (“Ipsos Pty Ltd”, “we” or “us”), commonly known as Ipsos, is a company registered in Australia at Level 2/51 Berry St, North Sydney NSW 2060 under ABN: 69 079 529 196. Ipsos Pty Ltd is part of the Ipsos worldwide group of companies.

This privacy policy explains how we use any personal information we collect about you (“Panellist”, “you” or “your”) when you:

• install the App/VPN/Browser extension on your primary and any additional devices,
• join our Ipsos iris panel,
• take part in Ipsos iris surveys or
• use the panel members’ website.

What personal data do we collect about you and under what legal basis for processing?

Ipsos Pty Ltd, as the data controller of the Ipsos iris panel, requires a legal basis to process your personal data. Ipsos Pty Ltd’s legal basis for processing your panel data is your consent to join the panel and participate in its research activities. If you wish to withdraw your consent at any time, please see the section below covering ‘Your Rights’.

Ipsos Pty Ltd will collect the information you provide when you agree to participate in this research project, including your mobile phone number, email address and other contact details. Ipsos Pty Ltd will also automatically collect information via the:

• Ipsos MediaCell+ App/VPN
• Ipsos MediaLink App/VPN and Browser extensions

For panel members, the information is collected by telephone or via an online questionnaire (your phone number and email address), by completing our recruitment questionnaire when you decide to join our panel and use the Ipsos MediaCell+ App/VPN or Ipsos MediaLink App/VPN and Browser extensions. We may also collect information when you voluntarily complete any other panel related surveys, give your consent to cookies and tagging from certain websites, participate in any other panel activities, when you contact us, when we contact you or when you provide feedback, comments or other information to us.

In the case of the registration process (screening questionnaire, follow-up questionnaire and installation of all required devices) not being successfully completed, your information will be retained by us to prevent any fraud or misuse.

In some instances, concerning our research, we may ask you to provide certain sensitive personal data, for example revealing your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs. You do not have to answer these questions and such questions will always include a “prefer not to answer” option.

When you give your consent for us to use your data, you allow us to use and retain any data you provide. This data will be pseudonymised, and later anonymised, to protect your privacy during the length of the Ipsos iris project.

When working with partners, such as RealityMine, Dotmetrics, Milton Data, Ipsos MORI, we will always pseudonymise the data to protect your rights, however, both Ipsos Pty Ltd and our partners may merge your data with other data sources, for research purposes only. Please note, we pseudonymise this information before it is passed to any 3rd parties to maintain your privacy and they will not be able to link information to individuals. The exceptions to this are I-say, TEG, Octopus & GiftPay, where we will ask you to register your details directly and Ipsos will provide the level of monthly incentives to the respective panel company for you to receive the incentive.

The App/VPN/Browser extension is installed for the purpose of market research. The App/VPN/Browser extension runs in the background whilst you’re using your device(s) normally. They allow Ipsos Pty Ltd to collect information about the device and how you use it.

The information collected by our App/VPN/Browser extension is described below in more detail.

With the exception of any terms entered into a web search, our App/VPN/Browser extension does NOT deliberately collect keystrokes or information that is entered into a web form, such as website user IDs, passwords, credit card numbers, other financial account numbers or any other data presented on or entered into a secure (HTTPS) webpage. As a result, the App/VPN/Browser extension will normally not have access to any information regarding items in a website shopping basket or your interactions with financial or health-related websites that you may log into, as these are normally secure sites.

However, in the event that any such sensitive data is collected by mistake, such as the collection of personal data by a badly designed website (e.g. user ID/password in the URL); we can assure you any such data will be securely deleted from our systems as soon as it is found to have been collected in line with Ipsos Pty Ltd’s data protection and information security policies and procedures.

The App/VPN/Browser extension will collect the URL (e.g. www.google.com.au) of any secure (i.e. HTTPS) websites, together with any search terms you enter into a secure site that the site adds to the URL (full web address). The App/VPN/Browser extension does NOT collect information typed into website pages (e.g. filling in a form).

Information collected by our Apps/VPNs/Browser Extensions

Panel members will be invited to download and install one or more of Ipsos’s research Apps/VPNs/Browser extensions. We can reassure you that these apps DO NOT record any phone calls, nor do they collect the content of any emails or text messages. The Apps/VPNs/Browser extensions used with this panel are as follows:

Ipsos MediaCell+ App/VPN – installed on main Android smartphones

The Ipsos MediaCell+ App/VPN runs in the background whilst you’re using your smartphone. It allows Ipsos Pty Ltd to collect the following information about websites/apps accessed using an on-device VPN, details on the device and how you use it:

• The GPS location of the device and if the device is moving
• The Ipsos MediaCell+ App/VPN uses the device microphone to listen out for coded audio or to generate digital audio fingerprints to measure the TV or radio stations you are tuned to; it will never record any audio (This function is switched off by default, however the mic will switch on occasionally to keep the app running. No conversations or personal information will ever be recorded or stored).
• Data about the date and time the device is switched on, when it uploads data, when the screen is active and the battery charge level, how much battery power is left and whether it is on/off charge.
• When it connects to a network and what type of connection is used (e.g. a Wi-Fi connection or mobile service provider)
• Information about your device: Android Advertiser ID, together with other Information about your mobile device, such as when and for how long you charge it, how much battery power is left, whether it is switched on or off, in sleep mode and when the screen is locked or the device is active. The information about the device includes make and model
• Information about your usage of other apps and features (such as the camera, though we do not collect any photos) on your mobile device, including the identity of the apps and features, when you downloaded them, how often you use them and for how long.
• Operating system capabilities to view the contents of your applications such as Accessibility services.
• Network information: Information about which mobile network(s) you connect to, the locations of the mobile network sign tower used to connect, signal strength and at what times you connect and use them. It also records the amount of data sent or received by your device during each data collection period.
• Presence of Wi-Fi connectivity: we check if you are connected to wi-fi, but we do not collect any information about which wi-fi signal you are connected to
• Time spent using the internet, including:

• Websites/Apps visited/used
• How websites are accessed (e.g. Navigated to it, redirected to it or clicked on a hyperlink)
• Reporting on the in-app content consumption of Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and other subscription TV services, ABC iview, SBSOnDemand, NineNow, 7+, 10play plus potentially Spotify in the future
• Information on Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) capture
• Total amount of online data usage

• Information we can deduct from combining the above information – e.g., what apps you were using just before you searched for particular information using your mobile device’s internet browser, or how often you call, email or text, or the geographic location in which you are most likely to charge your device, make a telephone call, or download an app.
• Online browsing:

• Websites visited.
• Apps used, including news apps or social networks, and your interactions with them.
• Browsing History.
• This includes specific content from within certain applications, such as the title of a show viewed on a specific streaming video on demand service.

• Online activities:

• Search terms you enter and the results of such searches.
• The videos you view. • Information you enter into forms.
• The materials you download or upload.
• The advertisements you see.
• Information and content on sites or apps that you visit or use and with which you interact and may include personal, financial and health information.

• System information:

• Information about the device and browser that you are running on.
• The IP address.
• How the Application is operating, and which other applications are installed, running or have been removed whilst the meter is installed.

NOTE: As mentioned above we will not deliberately collect personal, health, financial, or password data. This will only be collected if the site or app URL data is not properly formatted or secured.

We may ask you to participate in additional research projects from time to time that would require the continuous use of the microphone. Your consent will be required to do this, and additional incentives would be paid for your participation.

Ipsos MediaLink App/VPN – Installed on Android Tablets and secondary Android Smartphones, secondary iPhones and iPads.

The Ipsos MediaLink App/VPN runs in the background whilst you’re using your device. It allows Ipsos Pty Ltd to collect the following information about websites/apps accessed, details on the device and how you use it:

Online browsing:

• Websites visited.
• Apps used, including news apps or social networks, and your interactions with them.
• Browsing History.
• This includes specific content from within certain applications, such as the title of a show viewed on a specific streaming video on demand service.

Online activities:

• Search terms you enter and the results of such searches.
• The videos you view.
• Information you enter into forms.
• The materials you download or upload.
• The advertisements you see.
• Information and content on sites or apps that you visit or use and with which you interact and may include personal, financial and health information.

System information:

• Information about the device and browser that you are running on.
• The IP address.
• How the Application is operating, and which other applications are installed, running or have been removed whilst the meter is installed.

NOTE: As mentioned above we will not deliberately collect personal, health, financial, or password data. This will only be collected if the site or app URL data is not properly formatted or secured.

NOTE: you may see a message that pops up when you install the browser extension, it is a default message generated by the operating system to explain what some extensions of this nature are technically capable of capturing, such as passwords etc. However, we do not configure our extension to do this. This Privacy Policy document explains what we actually capture.

We do not deliberately collect any sensitive data such as bank accounts or account logins

Ipsos MediaLink App/VPN and browser extensions – installed on Computers (Mac & Windows PC)

The Ipsos MediaLink App/VPN and Browser extensions run in the background whilst you’re using your computer. It allows Ipsos Pty Ltd to collect the following information about websites/apps accessed, details on the device and how you use it.

Online browsing:

• Websites visited.
• Apps used, including news apps or social networks, and your interactions with them.
• Browsing History.
• This includes specific content from within certain applications, such as the title of a show viewed on a specific streaming video on demand service.

Online activities:

• Search terms you enter and the results of such searches.
• The videos you view. • Information you enter into forms.
• The materials you download or upload.
• The advertisements you see.
• Information and content on sites or apps that you visit or use and with which you interact and may include personal, financial and health information.

 System information:

• Information about the device and browser that you are running on.
• The IP address.
• How the Application is operating, and which other applications are installed, running or have been removed whilst the meter is installed.

NOTE: As mentioned above we will not deliberately collect personal, health, financial, or password data. This will only be collected if the site or app URL data is not properly formatted or secured.

Applications that are screened out, fraudulent, duplicated or not completed properly (aka speeders)

During the onboarding process, we may lose some candidates, due to:

• candidates being screened out, as per the “Membership” section in the T&Cs
• completion of duplicate applications
• attempts to complete the application in a fraudulent manner
• incomplete, or too hastily addressed, applications, also known as “Speeders”
• being employed by Ipsos

When these occur, the individual will not be allowed to participate as a panellist and their details will be removed but kept for reference in case of future attempts to join the panel.

NOTE: No incentives will be provided for the above scenarios

Use of project by children

We understand the importance of protecting the privacy of minors, especially in the online environment. Whilst the Ipsos iris study will focus predominantly on those over the age of 18, the Ipsos iris panel now includes some members that are under the age of 18. We always gain the consent of a Parent or Guardian for anyone under 18 to take part in the research and be contacted directly by Ipsos Pty Ltd. Children are also required to provide their own consent to take part and to agree to this Privacy Policy as well as our Terms and Conditions. If we become aware that personal information relating to a minor has been collected without consent, we will take the necessary steps to delete it.

Information collected from panel members devices, including children, feeds into a statistical matching process which is combined with audience data collected directly from websites. This helps create a profile of the audience to those sites as part of the Ipsos iris data. No individual panel member’s data, including children’s data, is made available in any published data.

Why we collect information from you

The primary purpose of collecting information from you is for Ipsos Pty Ltd to conduct market research. When you join our Panel or install any of our Apps/VPNs/Browser extensions, we enter into a contract with you, which is subject to this Privacy Policy as well as our Terms and Conditions.

In order to fulfil this contract, we need to collect, process and collate the information requested during the recruitment or that we subsequently collect in accordance with this Privacy Policy and process it. This information will be used to contact you concerning the Ipsos iris project, which is also explained in more detail in our Terms and Conditions.

Where you install any of our Apps/VPNs/Browser extensions, respond to any survey invitations we might be sending you or that you may otherwise voluntarily provide, your participation is at your choice. There might also be situations where we are seeking further information from you or even explicit consent where this might be appropriate or required.

The overall operation and how the Panel works is described in more detail in our Terms and Conditions, which can be viewed at https://irispanel-au.ipsos.com/terms-and-conditions.

When you request deletion, we will remove the link between your profile information and the responses you provided before deleting your record. We will only keep a minimised version of your data to uniquely identifying you as a “removed panellist” to prevent duplication or fraudulent activity.

The anonymous research data will be retained within our records for the duration of the project and by the industry indefinitely.

Use of Cookies and Page Tagging

A cookie is a small text file that is stored on a user’s computer for record-keeping purposes. We use cookies on our site https://irispanel-au.ipsos.com. We do not link the information we store in cookies to any personally identifiable information, including the email address, you submit while on our site. We use session cookies to make it easier for you to navigate our site, some websites within the Ipsos iris project may also contain web tags or website tags which are a tool used to gather data on a website.

See below for more information on our use of Cookies contained in our site centric measurement, which is run by our trusted partner, DotMetrics:

• DeviceKey internet cookie (ends with session)

This internet cookie collects information about the data subject’s device. The purpose for which we use it is to provide a high-quality view of the survey or some content on the data subject’s device.

• Session Temp internet cookie (ends with session)

With this internet cookie, we obtain information about a visit to the Research Network.

• Session Temp Timed internet cookie (ends with session)

Contains information about the current site from which you access the Research Network.

• Unique User Identity internet cookie (30 days)

Contains information about the current user e.g. your unique ID, creation time, current tracking mode and version

• Site Id internet cookie (ends with session)

Indicates which site or what site category is measured.

NOTE: This privacy statement covers the use of cookies by Ipsos Panels only and does not cover the use of cookies by any third parties.

Use of Digital Fingerprinting

We also use digital fingerprint technology, also known as “Machine Identification”, to gather certain information about your computer, hardware and software, such as:

IP address / display settings of your monitor / type of browser used / type of operating system

This information is sent to our trusted provider, Dotmetrics, who converts it into a unique serial number (the digital “fingerprint”) and determines if it matches previous fingerprints. The data collected in this process and the digital fingerprint created are not tied to any of your personal information and are stored on secured servers.

How do we use your information?

We will use your information for our ongoing research into how people use various devices to access the internet and interact with websites and Apps.

The results of this research will be fully anonymous statistical research data only. You will NOT be identifiable in any published results. When working with partners, such as RealityMine, Dotmetrics, Milton Data, Ipsos MORI, we will exchange pseudonymised data. However, they will not be able to link information to individuals.

We will use the information you provide to:

• Fulfil our contract with you
• Keep a record of all Panellists
• Respond to any messages, questions or issues you may raise
• Allow us to distribute your rewards to you via our rewards and panel partners
• Send you invitations to participate in surveys that are relevant to you based on the information you provided in response to our recruitment questionnaire(s) or as may be updated by you at a later stage
• Contact you via SMS message to your mobile phone number (if applicable) containing a verification code, to verify your application and activate your Panellist account;

• Contact you via SMS, email or telephone regarding the completion of the software installation and signup process.
• Contact you via SMS, email or telephone regarding any issues we are having receiving data from you or if you stop sending data or send less than the minimum amount of data
• Append existing personal information about you to your responses to any market research you participate in, such as geographical location, ethnicity, occupation categories etc. for survey analysis of the responses and producing anonymous, statistical research results
• Enter you into any prize draws that you are eligible to take part in or, where invited to do so, have asked to be entered
• Pass the aggregated level data to the client who commissioned the research. The client will use this information only for research purposes as explained in the relevant survey.
• Ipsos Pty Ltd may contact you to participate in further research projects they conduct separately and prior to your information being provided to the client for this, the client may also use this information to contact you to invite your participation in further research they conduct;
• To create anonymous, statistical profiles of the Panel membership based on the information provided by Panellists;
• Pass your information to other Ipsos Group companies, or their partners, so that they may invite you to participate in research studies they are carrying out and that may be relevant to you; and
• Send you by email newsletters, announcements and other communications as set out in the Terms and Conditions.
• Where you agree to take part in a product test to arrange for such a product to be sent to you.
• If you have become a member of the panel through one of our third-party recruitment suppliers, they will be informed that participants have completed the screening questionnaire.

Note: Ipsos Pty Ltd enforces procedures in order to select suppliers processing personal data based on their capacity to comply with Ipsos Pty Ltd’s data protection requirements. This means that all suppliers must sign an agreement with Ipsos Pty Ltd including data protection clauses at least as strict as the ones Ipsos Pty Ltd signs with its customers, and that no supplier can transfer any personal data outside Australia unless they agree to appropriate safeguards and obtain customer consent. Additionally, our suppliers cannot subcontract part of the personal data processing services to sub-processors without Ipsos Pty Ltd’s prior approval

As part of our online advertising research and internet usage research studies, we may also:

• Send you invitations by text message (if applicable) to take part in additional research.
• If required, we may also ask you to participate in additional research about what TV channels you watch and what Radio stations you listen to. This will require your consent to access the mic on your device to detect the Audio signal from TV and Radio. No conversations will ever be recorded or stored

We may also send your information to our sub-contractors or affiliated companies, listed in the table below, who carry out some work on our behalf, around, control and responsibility for data hosting or as described above.

Some of these sub-contractors may be based outside Australia; however, they are required to abide by the same data privacy legal requirements and security arrangements as ourselves and will be subject to appropriate safeguards, a description of which can be obtained by contacting us from the details at the bottom of this document.

We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that any personal data we process is accurate, adequate, relevant and not excessive, given the purpose for which they were obtained. We will not process personal data obtained for one purpose for any unconnected purpose unless you have consented to this.

We will NEVER use your information for any purpose other than research or as described in this policy. Other than in relation to this Panel (like participating in further surveys), we will NOT try to sell you anything, nor use your information for marketing purposes, nor will we pass your information to third parties for marketing or advertising purposes. We will not add information to the data record we collect to try to profile you as an individual,

For more information about our Panel, Panel membership or information related to your membership of our panels, please contact our Panel Support Team. They can be contacted as set out in the details at the bottom of this document.

Who will have access to your information?

Your information may be processed by:

Those Ipsos Pty Ltd staff involved in this research project, or who need access in order to directly support the systems used. This may include staff in:

• Other Ipsos Group companies involved in this research, some of which may be located in other countries. The data will be moved safely and will always be pseudonymised.
• Our sub-contractors who may carry out some of the processing on Ipsos Pty Ltd’s behalf, and under Ipsos Pty Ltd’s control; for example: the service providers who host or provide technical support for our systems.
• As of 27th October 2021, our sub-contractors, I-say, TEG, Octopus & GiftPay, will provide the monthly incentives for the panellists, albeit with the data being pseudonymised, and the panellists being asked to register directly with them.
• Where required by law or regulation, we may be required to disclose some of your information to relevant authorities; for example, if you are being investigated by the police for criminal activity.
• It may be that Ipsos Pty Ltd is a joint controller with the data collector in which case you should be aware of their Privacy Notice and give explicit consent, or agree to lawful processing under legitimate interest, for them to use your personal data for the stated purpose(s).

This may also involve transferring your personal information to other countries, including the UK, the USA, EEA and India. However, we can reassure you we take great care to ensure any transfers are carried out securely and in compliance with all applicable data protection and data privacy legal requirements through Australian standard contractual clauses, which are in place for every intra-group data transfer (even within Australia) and this forms part of the Intra-Group Master Services Agreement (MSA). We can also assure you that any sub-contractors involved are also required to abide by the same data privacy and security requirements as Ipsos Pty Ltd.

What we do to keep your information secure

We take very seriously our responsibilities to keep your personal, and sensitive, information secure. As such we take every reasonable precaution to ensure your information is protected from loss, theft or misuse. These precautions include appropriate physical security of our offices, controlled access to computer systems, and use of secure, encrypted internet connections when collecting personal information. Ipsos Pty Ltd key data partner, Ipsos MORI have the ISO27001 and Cyber Essential accreditation standards to ensure a safe and secure infrastructure. Ipsos Pty Ltd will continually review and improve its information security measures to ensure they continue to effectively support the business and remain compliant with our legal, regulatory and contractual obligations.

How long will Ipsos Pty Ltd keep your information?

We will keep the profile information you provided for the duration of the panel.

NOTE: You can leave the Panel at any time you wish.

When you leave the panel or are removed, we will retain your measurement data for the sole purpose of preventing any duplicate or fraudulent participation for the duration of the panel, unless you specifically request that we delete all your personal data in accordance with Ipsos Pty Ltd’s retention policy and GDPR Article 17.

Apart from your profile information, Ipsos Pty Ltd will also gather the answers you give in any survey. The answers provided by you will be pseudonymised by Ipsos Pty Ltd for security reasons and will only be shared with our clients in this form unless you have given your explicit consent to you being identified. We will also remove the link between your profile information and the answers you provided within 12 months of the end of the research project, to ensure that these answers cannot be traced back to you. The anonymous research data will be retained within our records for the duration of the project and by the industry indefinitely.

Your consent and rights as a Panellist

As a Panellist, participation in this research is voluntary, and you can change your mind at any time. As specified above, when you leave the panel or are removed, we reserve the right to hold your personal data for the sole purpose of preventing any duplicate or fraudulent participation for the duration of the panel, unless you specifically request that we delete all your personal data in accordance with Ipsos Pty Ltd’s retention policy and GDPR Article 17. If you:

• Change your mind and no longer wish to participate in this research.
• Have any questions or concerns regarding our use of your personal information, our privacy policy or privacy practices.
• Want to request a copy of the personal information we may hold about you, or to request that we correct any inaccurate personal information.
• Want to correct anything inaccurate in your personal data which will be corrected immediately.
• Want to raise an objection, where relevant, about how your personal data is processed.
• Request that your personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it.
• Ask that the processing of your personal data is restricted in certain circumstances.

Use of your work devices as part of the project

If you wish to use your work device for this project, you must first check with your employer that you are not in breach of company policies by installing the App/VPN/Browser extensions on any work device(s).

Please remember to only include your work device(s) if you have permission from your employer to include them in this research.

How to contact us

Please contact the panel support team who will assist you. You can contact them via:

Email
panel-au@ipsosiris.com

Phone
1800 108 012

SMS

+61 429 070 090

To contact us in writing
Ipsos iris Panel, Ipsos Pty Ltd, Level 2/51 Berry St, North Sydney NSW 2060

If you have any complaints, we will appreciate if you give us an opportunity to resolve any issue first, by contacting us as set out above. You are, however, always entitled to contact our regulatory body, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at: www.oaic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/

Changes to our Privacy Policy

We keep our privacy policy under regular review, and we let you know of any updates. Our privacy policy was last updated on: 06/10/2023

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