1. Introduction and Overview
Standard Insights (“we”, “our”, or “us”), operated by The Method Consulting Limited (“The Method”, “The Method Research”, “The Method Consulting”, “The Method Consulting Limited”), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect, and share your personal information when you use our website located at https://standard-insights.com/ and our consumer research platform services (collectively, the “Service”).
We appreciate that you trust us with your personal information and we are committed to protecting it. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at [email protected].
Our registered office address is The Hive Central, 14/F, Manning House, #38-48 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong. We are registered in Hong Kong (No. 1732888).
2. Our Role as Data Controller and Processor
Depending on how you interact with our Service, we may act as either a data controller or a data processor:
- Data Controller: We are the controller of personal information we collect directly from you as a user of our platform, website visitor, or business customer.
- Data Processor: We act as a processor when handling survey respondent data collected on behalf of our business customers. In these cases, the business customer who commissioned the survey is the data controller.
3. Personal Information We Collect
Business Customers and Platform Users
- Identity Information: Name, job title, employer, professional details, industry
- Contact Information: Email address, phone number, business address
- Social Media Information: LinkedIn profiles (personal or company), website links, social media handles
- Account Information: Username, password, account settings, preferences
- Financial Information: Billing information, payment details, subscription information
- Usage Information: How you use our Service, features accessed, survey creation data
- Technical Information: IP address, browser type, device information, login data
- Communication Information: Records of your communications with us
Survey Respondents
- Survey Responses: Answers to survey questions, including opinions on political topics, health behaviors, and other consumer preferences
- Demographic Information: Age range, gender, geographic location, income range, etc.
- Technical Information: IP address, browser type, device information (limited to what’s necessary for survey functionality)
- Usage Information: Survey completion metrics, response times, engagement data
While we generally avoid collecting special categories of personal data, some surveys may include questions related to political opinions or health behaviors (such as exercise habits or satisfaction with healthcare policies). These are collected only with appropriate consent and for specific research purposes.
4. How We Collect Your Personal Information
Directly From You
- When you create an account or register for our Service
- When you complete forms on our website or platform
- When you communicate with us
- When you participate in surveys (for respondents)
- When you subscribe to our publications or marketing communications
Automated Technologies
- Through cookies and similar tracking technologies when you use our Service
- Through server logs and other automated data collection tools
- Through analytics providers and usage monitoring tools
From Third Parties
- From our diverse network of survey panel partners covering over 150 countries
- From direct respondent recruitment through social media, mobile apps, and communities
- From publicly available sources for business contact information
- From third parties such as cloud hosting services, analytics providers, and payment processors
5. How We Use Your Personal Information
For Business Customers and Platform Users
- To set up and manage your account
- To provide the Service and its features to you
- To process and fulfill subscription payments
- To communicate with you about your account and our Service
- To provide customer support and respond to your requests
- To send marketing communications (with your consent)
- To improve and maintain our Service
- To analyze usage patterns and develop new features
- To ensure the security of our Service
For Survey Respondents
- To present appropriate surveys based on demographic information
- To collect and process survey responses
- To aggregate and analyze survey results
- To provide survey results to our business customers
- To ensure the quality and integrity of survey responses
- To detect and prevent fraudulent survey participation
- To provide appropriate incentives based on geography and interests
For Consulting Services
- Providing services to clients as detailed in statements of work
- Client management to assess and meet client needs
- Administration to manage and administer our services
For HR/Recruitment Purposes
- To process job applications for potential employment at Standard Insights
- For administration and management decisions
6. Legal Bases for Processing
We process your personal information on the following legal bases:
- Contractual Necessity: To perform our contract with you when you use our Service
- Legitimate Interests: To pursue our legitimate business interests, such as operating and improving our Service, marketing our products, and protecting against fraud
- Consent: When you have given us permission to process your personal information for specific purposes
- Legal Obligation: To comply with our legal obligations
7. Information We Share with Third Parties
We may share your personal information with the following categories of recipients:
Recipient Categories
| Recipient/relationship to us | Industry sector (& sub-sector) |
|---|
| Accountancy services | Professional services (accountancy) |
| Advertising/digital agencies | Marketing (advertising and digital) |
| Banks, payment processors | Financial (banking) |
| Cloud storage providers | IT (cloud services) |
| Direct marketing service providers | Marketing (direct marketing) |
| Financial auditing services | Audit (financial) |
| Government tax administration offices | Government (tax) |
| IT support service providers | IT (support and maintenance) |
| Legal advisers | Professional services (legal services) |
| On-site security access control services | Security (on-site) |
Additional Sharing Circumstances
- Panel Partners: Our network of vetted panel partners who help us reach specialized and niche audiences across over 150 countries
- Business Customers: If you are a survey respondent, your anonymized responses are shared with the business customer who commissioned the survey
- Content and Event Partners: Organizations we partner with to provide content or host events
- Business Partners: Organizations we work with to provide joint offerings or promotional activities
- Legal Authorities: When required by law, court order, or government regulation
- Corporate Transactions: In connection with a corporate transaction, such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
We implement appropriate safeguards to ensure the security and privacy of your personal information when shared with third parties.
8. AI-Powered Features and Data Processing
Our Service includes artificial intelligence capabilities to analyze survey data, generate reports, and provide recommendations. Here’s how we use AI:
- We utilize AI technology to process data and generate analysis
- When using AI capabilities, we send relevant context and specific questions to our AI systems
- Our AI returns responses based solely on the information provided in that specific request
- Data processing occurs on a request-by-request basis without persistent storage of Customer Data within the AI system
- We do not use your personal information to train AI models without your explicit consent
- AI-generated content and recommendations are reviewed for accuracy
Our AI features help you:
- Create high-quality surveys, questions, and answers instantly
- Identify patterns and analyze questions or full reports
- Examine respondent behavior across quality checks
9. Data Security and Storage
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:
- Encryption of sensitive data in transit and at rest
- Regular security assessments
- Access controls and authentication requirements
- Measures to protect against accidental loss and unauthorized access, use, destruction, or disclosure of data
- A framework of policies and procedures to regularly review the appropriateness of security measures
- A Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery strategy
- Appropriate monitoring and physical measures to store and transfer data securely
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. For user accounts, we keep information until account deletion plus 30 days, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
The criteria used to determine our retention periods include:
- Retention in case of queries from you or your organization
- Retention in case of claims (where we retain data for the period in which claims might be brought against us)
- Retention in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements
- How long the information is needed to provide our services
- Whether retention is necessary to protect our legal interests or those of our users
10. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to Access: Request access to your personal information
- Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal information
- Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation on how we use your personal information
- Right to Data Portability: Request transfer of your personal information
- Right to Object: Object to our processing of your personal information
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent previously provided
To exercise these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days. Note that certain rights may be limited based on applicable laws and our legitimate business interests.
11. International Data Transfers
Standard Insights is based in Hong Kong, and we may transfer your personal information to other countries for processing. When we transfer personal information outside your country or region, we implement appropriate safeguards to ensure your information receives an adequate level of protection.
As a global organization, your personal data may be stored and processed outside of your home country. We take steps to ensure that the information we collect is processed according to this Privacy Policy and the requirements of applicable law wherever the data is located.
12. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our Service. Cookies are small text files stored on your browser or device that help us provide and improve our Service.
Types of Cookies We Use:
- Essential Cookies: Required for the operation of our Service
- Functional Cookies: Enable enhanced functionality and personalization
- Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with our Service
- Marketing Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertising and track marketing campaigns
You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie preference center on our website.
13. Marketing Communications
We may send you marketing communications about our products, services, and events that we believe may interest you. We process your personal data for direct marketing purposes on the basis that it is necessary for us to pursue our legitimate interests as a business. From time to time we may tailor and personalize marketing communications that we send to you, for example, by notifying you of products, services, offers or promotions that apply to your interests, location, industry sector, employer or job role.
You can opt-out of receiving marketing communications at any time by:
- Clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails
- Updating your communication preferences in your account settings
- Contacting us at [email protected]
Please rest assured that we will not sell your personal information to a third party for commercial purposes.
14. Children’s Privacy
Our Service is not directed to children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected information from your child, please contact us immediately.
15. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by:
- Posting the updated policy on our website
- Sending an email notification to registered users
- Displaying a notice within our Service
Any changes will take effect seven (7) days after the date of our email or the date on which we post the modified Privacy Policy on our website, whichever is the earlier.
The date at the top of this Privacy Policy indicates when it was last updated.
16. How to Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:
Email: [email protected]
Address:
The Method Consulting Limited
The Hive Central
14/F, Manning House
#38-48 Queen’s Road Central
Central, Hong Kong
Registration: Registered in Hong Kong, No. 1732888
