Ballast Research is now Penta. We are the world’s first comprehensive stakeholder solutions firm.

Learn More
×
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

January 1, 2022

We at Ballast Research take the privacy of visitors to our website and our study or survey participants very seriously.  This privacy policy informs you how Ballast Research handles privacy matters and processes your personal data.

This Privacy Policy covers the Ballast Research website, products and services and the data that is shared by a visitor with us whether directly via www.ballastresearch.com, via email, or via surveys that you may participate in.  This policy provides an explanation as to what happens to any personal data that you share with us, or that we collect from you either directly via these websites, via email or via survey. By using the website or participating in a survey, you agree to the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy.

Ballast Research is the data controller collecting Information from the sites. We can be contacted at privacy@ballastresearch.com.

Information we collect

While using our site or participating in a survey, you may provide us with certain personal data that can be used to contact or identify you (“Personal Data”). Personal Data we collect in accordance with law may include, but is not limited to:

  • Name (First & Last)
  • Organization name and title
  • Telephone number and/or mobile phone number
  • Email Address

Sensitive Data

If you send us sensitive data such as political opinions and ideology, political position or affiliation, then you are consenting to its processing in accordance with this privacy notice.  To avoid processing of sensitive data, do not submit it.  In some instances, not having this information may disqualify you from participating in a survey or study in which we request this information.

Information Collected Automatically

Like many sites, we and our third-party service providers, such as analytics providers, use cookies, web beacons and other data technologies to receive and store certain types of information when you interact with us through your computer or mobile device.  Using these technologies helps us recognize you, and customize your experience.  Here are some of the types of information we collect:

  • Log & Device data. When you visit our site, we may automatically record information (“log data”), including information that your browser sends whenever you visit our site. This log data may include your web address you came from or are going to, your device model, operating system, browser type, unique device identifier, IP address, mobile network carrier, and time zone or location.
  • Our third-party analytics providers may provide us information that tells us how our website is performing and who caught your attention on our site by telling us what was clicked on. This information does not identify any specific individual and is generally non-identifying.

Use of cookies

Our sites use “cookies” (a small text file sent by your computer each time you visit our site) or similar technologies to record log data. Many browsers default to accepting cookies.  You may be able to change this setting in your browser and you can also clear your cookies.  If you do, you may lose some functionality of our site.  Check your browser’s help function to learn more about your cookie setting options.

We may use the following types of cookies:

  • Analytics
  • Essential cookies
  • We might also use a pixel tag which is a small graphic file that allows us and third parties to monitor the use of the site and provide us with information based on your interaction with the site. These tags may collect the IP address from the device which you loaded the page, the browser type. Pixel tags are also used by our third parties to collect information when you visit our site, the links and other actions you take on our site, and we may use this information in combination with cookies to display targeted advertisements.
  • Other data technologies may be used that collect comparable information for security and fraud detection purposes.

If you have any questions about cookies you can go to www.youronlinechoices.com/uk or to generally find out more about cookies, visit allaboutcookies.org.

We may use your Personal Data as described below.

Communications and Support on our Website:

  • To provide you with information requested from us relating to our services and to provide information on surveys or studies which you may have indicated an interest in on our contact us page, if you have consented to receive such information, which are legitimate business interests.
  • To notify you about any changes to our sites, such as improvements or service/product changes, that may affect our service.
  • We will use Personal Data to communicate with you with your consent, to manage our contractual relationship with you and/or because we have a legitimate interest to do so.

To Perform our Studies and Surveys

  • We use your personal data to provide you with survey and studies you have agreed to participate in.  We use Personal Data to manage our contractual relationship with you and/or because we have a legitimate interest to do so.  If you do not provide the data that we request, or prohibit us from collecting such data, we may not be able to provide surveys or studies to you.
  • If you are a study or survey participant, we may contact you with information about additional surveys or studies similar to those you participated in.
  • To notify you about any changes to our company or services, or other relevant information that may affect our service.

For Business Purposes:

  • We use personal data to analyze our product and services, as well as the sites, and to perform audits, security and fraud monitoring and prevention.  We also use personal data to develop new services, enhance, improve or modify our existing service, identify usage trends, and to operate our business. We use Personal Data as described to manage our contractual relationship with you, comply with a legal obligation and/or because we have a legitimate interest to do so.

Sharing and Disclosure

We do not share your personal information with others except as indicated within this policy or when we inform you and give you an opportunity to opt out of having your personal information shared.

We share your information in the following ways.

  • With third party service providers, agents, or contractors.  We use other companies, agents or contractors (“Service Providers”) to perform services on our behalf or to assist us with providing services to you. For example, we may engage Service Providers to process the survey and study’s we create and use in providing our Services, for communications, infrastructure and IT services, to provide customer service, to collect debts, and to analyze and enhance data (including data about users’ interactions with our service). These Service Providers may have access to your personal or other information in order to provide these functions. In addition, some of the information we request may be collected by third party providers on our behalf. We do not authorize them to use or disclose your personal information except in connection with providing their services.
  • Analytics.  Specifically, for analytics providers, we use Google Analytics. Google Analytics which is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.
    You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity. For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/  Google also recommends installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on – https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout – for your web browser. Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on provides visitors with the ability to prevent their data from being collected and used by Google Analytics. Please note at this time, we do not recognize automated browser signals regarding tracking mechanisms, which may include “do not track” instructions.
  • To comply with legal process or to protect Ballast Research.  If we believe that disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation, legal or governmental request; to enforce applicable terms of use, including investigation of potential violations thereof; to protect the safety, rights, or property of the public, any person, or Ballast Research as required by law; or to detect, prevent, or otherwise address, security or technical issues or illegal or suspected illegal activities (including fraud).
  • Business Transfers. We may engage in a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, dissolution, reorganization, or similar transaction or proceeding that involves the transfer of the information described in this Policy.  In such transitions, customer information is typically one of the business assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party. In the unlikely event that we or substantially all of our assets are acquired or enter a court proceeding, you acknowledge that such transfers may occur and that your personal information can continue to be used as set forth in this privacy policy.

Storing your personal data/Transfer of Data

This site is operated in the United States.  If you are located in another jurisdiction, please know that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using this site and providing us with information, you consent to this transfer, processing and storage of your information in the United States.  It is important to note that the privacy laws in the United States may not be as comprehensive as those in other countries such as the European Union.  Our service providers use appropriate safeguards to transfer your personal data to the United States.

  • We may transfer data that we collect from you to locations outside of headquarters for processing and storing. In addition, it may be processed by staff operating outside the office area who work for us or for one of our suppliers. For example, such staff may be engaged in the processing and concluding of your order, the processing of your payment details and the provision of support services. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all reasonable steps to make sure that your data is treated securely and in agreement with this privacy policy.
  • Data that is provided to us is stored on our secure servers. Details relating to any transactions entered into via our site will be encrypted to ensure its safety.
  • The transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure and therefore we cannot guarantee the security of data sent to us electronically and the transmission of such data is entirely at your own risk. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password so that you can access certain areas of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential.

Third party links

We may have links on our site to other sites that we do not operate.  If you click on a third-party link, you will be taken directly to that site which is governed by its own privacy notice.  We strongly encourage you to read that privacy notice.  We do not control that site and assume no responsibility for the content, policies or its practices.

Individual Rights – Actions you can take:

Under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and other countries’ privacy laws, you may have certain rights with respect to the processing of your personal data such as:

  • Choosing not to provide your personal data
  • Accessing, or obtaining a copy of, your personal data
  • Checking and editing your data in your user account
  • Unsubscribing from direct marketing
  • Checking and editing your personal data
  • Blocking and deleting the cookies
  • Permitting or refusing processing of your location data
  • Erasure, or restriction of our processing, of your data
  • Objecting to the processing of your personal data
  • Withdrawing your consent
  • Porting your data to another controller
  • Lodging a claim with the supervisory authority

We take every reasonable step to ensure that the personal data that we process are limited to the personal data that are reasonably required in connection with the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.

Please note that upon exercising any of the rights listed, you may be requested to provide additional information for identification verification purposes. Such additional information shall not be used for any other purpose and will be removed after successful identification.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, logical, physical and managerial measures to safeguard your personal information against loss, theft and unauthorized access, use and modification. Unfortunately, no measures can be guaranteed to provide 100% security. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee the security of your information.

Our policy on children’s information

Our site is not directed to children under 16. If you learn that your minor child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us.

California Consumers notice

If you are a California resident, the following provisions apply to our processing of information that identifies, relates to, describes, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a consumer or household (“California Personal Information”). For such residents, the provisions of this privacy policy prevail over any conflicting provisions of other privacy notices we may offer.

California Personal Information We Collect

Ballast Research has collected the following categories of California Personal Information within the last 12 months:

Sources from Which We Collect, Purposes for Which We Use, and Third Parties with Whom We Share California Personal Information

We obtain, use and share California Personal information, such as Identifiers, Information under the California Customer Records statute, Sensitive Information, Internet or other similar network activity and Inferences drawn from other personal information from the following sources: (a) you; or (b) online and offline interactions you may have with us or our service providers; or (c) the devices you use to access our website, mobile applications and online services or analytics providers.

We collect Identifiers, Information under the California Customer Records statute, Sensitive Information, Internet or other similar network activity and Inferences drawn from other personal information for the following business or commercial purposes: (a) audits and reporting relating to particular transactions and interactions, including online interactions, you may have with us or others on our behalf; (b) detecting and protecting against security incidents, and malicious, deceptive, fraudulent or illegal activity, and prosecuting the same; (c) debugging to identify and repair errors in our systems; (d) short-term, transient use including contextual customization of our services; (e) providing services on our behalf or on behalf of another, including maintaining or servicing accounts, providing customer service, verifying identity information, and other services; (f) conducting internal research to develop and demonstrate technology; (g) conducting activity to verify, enhance, and maintain the quality or safety of services or devices which we may own, control, or provide.

We share Identifiers, Information under the California Customer Records statute, Sensitive Data, Internet or other similar network activity and Inferences drawn from other personal information with the following categories of third parties: (a) internet service providers; (b) third party service providers; (c) data analytics providers, (d) operating systems and platform providers.

Sale of California Personal Information

Within the last 12 months, we have not provided any California Personal Information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration as a sale under California law.

Non-Sale Disclosure of California Personal Information

Within the last 12 months, we have disclosed California Personal Information to third parties for our business purposes. This includes information in the above categories

Inferences drawn from other personal information.

We do not disclose California Personal Information of individuals we know to be under the age of 16 to business or third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration as a “sale” under California law, without affirmative authorization.

Your California Rights

If you are a California resident, you have certain rights related to your California Personal Information. These rights include the following:

Right to Access/Know. You may request that we disclose to you:

  • the categories of California Personal Information we have collected about you;
  • the categories of sources from which the California Personal Information is collected;
  • our business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling California Personal Information;
  • the categories of third parties with whom we share California Personal Information; and
  • the specific pieces of information we have collected about you.
  • To the extent that we disclose such information for a business purpose, you may request that we disclose to you:
    • the categories of California Personal Information that we have collected about you;
    • the categories of California Personal Information about you that we disclosed for a business purpose.

Right to Delete. You have the right to request that we delete California Personal Information about you which we have collected from you.

You may request to exercise these rights by:

Calling us at (202) 978-0242

1015 15th Street NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005

privacy@ballastresearch.com

Agent Authorization

You may designate an authorized agent to exercise one or more of the above rights on your behalf. You may make such a designation by providing the agent with written permission to act on your behalf. As permitted by law, we may require verification of the agent’s authorization or require you to verify your own identity in response to a request even if you choose to use an agent.

Verification

As required under applicable law, please note that we may take steps to verify your identity before granting you access to information or acting on your request to exercise your rights. We may require you to provide the information to verify your identity in response to exercising requests of the above type. Please note that we may limit our response to your exercise of the above rights as permitted under applicable law.

Nondiscrimination

Subject to applicable law, we may not discriminate against you because of your exercise of any of the above rights, or any other rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, including by:

  • Denying you goods or services;
  • Charging different prices or rates for goods or services, including through the use of discounts or other benefits or imposing penalties;
  • Providing you a different level or quality of goods or services; or

Suggesting that you will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.

Contacting us

We welcome any queries, comments or requests you may have regarding this policy please do not hesitate to contact us at:

(202) 978-0242

privacy@ballastresearch.com

If you would prefer to write to us then our contact address is:

Ballast Research
1015 15th Street NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005