altaresearch.com.au

Why does Alta Research collect personal information?
Alta Research collects personal information in order to conduct market research, to provide and market our services and to meet our legal obligations. Market Research is undertaken to provide accurate and timely information to government, commercial and not-for-profit organisations about issues relevant to their activities to support their decision-making processes. The majority of this information is de-identified. Your input into these decisions is important and the more people that participate, the more the results we obtain truly reflect the spectrum of Australian society. Participation in our market research is voluntary.

About whom do we collect personal information?
The type of personal information Alta research may collect and hold includes (but is not limited to) information about:
. research respondents
. customers, clients and suppliers;collects
 
What kinds of personal information do we collect?
In general, the type of personal information Alta Research collects and holds includes (but is not limited to): contact details (e.g. names, phone numbers and addresses, email addresses), basic demographics (e.g. age, gender, occupation, education) and other information relating to individuals' socio-economic profile, behaviour, needs, attitudes, opinions and motivations.  

How do we collect personal information for market research?
Personal Information you provide: Alta Research will generally collect personal information from individuals directly in the course of a research exercise such as an on-line survey, participating in a discussion group or interview. Personal Information provided by others: Sometimes, our clients want us to conduct research with their customers. In these cases, they might give us a list of their customers so that we can contact them to invite them to participate in the research. We also collect personal information about householders from others in the house.  

How do we collect personal information for business purposes?
Personal Information you provide: Alta Research will generally collect personal information by way of forms filled out by people, interviews, business cards, telephone conversations and from third parties (eg, referees). We also collect personal information from our website through the completion of self -completion forms and questionnaires. Personal Information provided by other people: In some circumstances Alta Research may be provided with personal information about an individual from a third party, for example a reference from another person.

How might we use and disclose personal information?
Alta Research may use and disclose your personal information for the primary purpose for which it is collected, for reasonably expected secondary purposes which are related to the primary purpose and in other circumstances authorised by the Privacy Act. In general, we may use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:
. to investigate the behaviour, needs, attitudes, opinions, motivations or other characteristics of a whole population or particular part of a population;
. for quality control or validation of research;
as a source of potential research participants;
. to contact past participants to conduct further, follow-up research;
. to communicate with you;
. to provide and market our services;
. to comply with our legal obligations; and
. to help us manage and enhance our services.
Apart from in the above circumstances, your personal information will generally not be disclosed without your consent.

Personal Information about research respondents will only be used in compliance with the Privacy Act.

To whom might we disclose your personal information?
We may disclose your personal information to:
. other companies or individuals who assist us in providing services or who perform functions on our behalf (such as mailing houses) and organisations that carry out activities essential to our research activities (including for quality control activities, data entry, data processing, conduct of interviewing, contacting people to ask them to participate in research exercises, contacting research panel members to install or retrieve data collection equipment, and sending panel members rewards and information); or
. anyone else to whom you authorise us to disclose it (eg, our client).
Unless required or authorised by law, the identity of market research respondents will not be disclosed to anyone not directly involved with the market research project or to clients requesting the research or used for any non-research purpose without the individual's consent.

Sensitive information
Some personal information, which we collect, is 'sensitive information'. Sensitive information includes: information relating to a person's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional or trade association membership, sexual preferences and criminal record, that is also personal information; and health information about an individual.

Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or where certain other limited circumstances apply (eg, where required by law).

Management of personal information
The NPPs require us to take reasonable steps to protect the security of personal information. Alta Research staff are required to respect the confidentiality of personal information and the privacy of individuals.

Alta Research takes steps to protect personal information held from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, for example by use of physical security and restricted access to electronic records.

For members of our consumer and media panels we keep their contact details in order to maintain contact with them for research purposes.

Where we no longer require your personal information for a permitted purpose under the NPPs, we will take reasonable steps to de-identify or destroy it.

How do we keep personal information accurate and up-to-date?
Alta Research takes reasonable steps to make sure that the personal information it holds is accurate, complete and up-to-date. Our contact details are set out below.

You have the ability to seek access to your personal information
Subject to the exceptions set out in the Privacy Act, you may seek access to personal information which Alta Research holds about you by contacting our Privacy Officer.

Research respondents may ask us to destroy or delete their personal information which we hold, while it remains identifiable.

Updates to this Policy
This Policy will be reviewed from time to time to take account of new laws and technology, changes to our operations and practices and the changing business environment.

Enquiries
If you have any questions about privacy-related issues please contact our Privacy Officer:  sgett@alta.com.au