our privacy policy

Our commitment to your privacy

Nutcracker Market Research takes your privacy very seriously and we are committed to protecting your personal information.  This Privacy Policy explains how we collect and use the information you give us.

We will manage and treat your personal data with respect.  We will collect, store and manage it in an unbiased and secure way.  We will only use your data for purposes that we have informed you about.  We will always be transparent about the personal data we collect and how we use it.

We will ensure that all personal information supplied is held securely and in accordance with all applicable Data Protection legislation.

Who are we?
Nutcracker Research Ltd is an independent market research company. It has been trading since 2013 providing research services to large UK-based businesses, such as: consumer brands, banks, insurance and investment companies and Government agencies. It also participants in EU Commission projects largely aimed at research and development of solutions for the enhanced safety and security of citizens.

What information will we collect from you?
The personal information that we collect from you will vary depending on the context of your interactions with us. It may include, but is not limited to, the following information about you:

  • name
  • demographic data such as your date of birth, gender, educational background
  • job role
  • income bracket
  • contact data such as email address; home and/or work postal address, postcode
  • phone number
  • image and/or voice captured through photography, filming, videotaping and/or audio recording
  • information you provide relating to your opinions, attitudes, experiences and use of certain products or services
  • your bank account details (if you are entitled to receive an incentive from us)
  • any other information which may be collected in the course of our interactions with you.

Please note that participating in specific projects run by Nutcracker Market Research is completely voluntary and may involve you providing additional personal information, and sometimes sensitive personal information including information about your race, political opinions, trade union membership, health, criminal convictions, disability – if this is required for research purposes.

We are aware that your information may be confidential and we will protect the confidentiality of your information in accordance with our normal procedures and legal requirements. We will not use it for any purposes other than those set out in this policy.

We will process your information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK Market Research Society Code of Conduct.

We collect information about you when you:

  • participate in market research
  • become an employee of Nutcracker Research Ltd
  • provide us with information in the course of our interactions with you (including any correspondence you send to us or provide to us via social media).

Persons under 16 should not disclose to us any personal information without first getting the permission of a parent or a guardian.

How do we use the information?
We use your personal information to:

  • provide services to our clients (please also see the section headed: Will we ever share your information?)
  • contact you for your views on our clients’ products and services
  • send you invitations to take part in our surveys, polls or activities and to update you on issues relating to those activities
  • enable us to issue payments to you
  • analyse the data for research purposes and to incorporate it into our databases for general research and analysis purposes
  • enable us to supply you with the services and information which you have requested
  • deal with any complaints, queries or problems you experience, and
  • for all other purposes consistent with the proper performance of our operations and business.

We only keep your information for as long as is necessary (see also section headed: How long do we keep your personal information for?)

We may also email you about information or activities that we think you might be interested in. If you do not want us to send you updates like this, please contact us at info@nutcrackerresearch.com

What are the legal bases we use for processing your information?
The GDPR requires us to rely on one or more lawful bases to use your personal information. We consider the bases listed below to be relevant:

  • Where you have provided your consent for us to use your personal information in a certain way (for example, we will ask for your consent to participate in a research study, to confirm arrangements by e.g. email; when appropriate to be filmed as part of the research group; and we may ask for your explicit consent to collect special categories of your personal information).
  • Where there is a legitimate interest in us doing so if it is reasonably necessary to achieve our or our clients’ legitimate interests (as long as that processing is fair, balanced and does not unduly impact your rights).

‘Legitimate Interests’ refers to our clients’ interests in conducting market research with you.  For example, where they have an interest in making sure their products and services are relevant for you, or that you are satisfied as a customer.

When we process your personal information for our clients’ legitimate interests, we make sure to consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative), and your rights under data protection legislation. Our clients’ legitimate interests do not automatically override your interests – we will not use your personal information for activities where our clients’ interests are overridden by the impact on you (unless we have your consent or are otherwise required or permitted to by law).

If you have any concerns about our processing, you have the right to object to processing that is based on our legitimate interests.

Will we ever share your information?
We may use selected agents to process your information on our behalf, such as recruitment agencies, online research platforms and data processing firms.  Such third parties will be authorised to see and use your information but only to fulfil their contractual obligations to us and will not be permitted to use it for any other purpose.  We retain full responsibility for how your personal information may be used by such agents.

In exceptional circumstances, we may share your information when we are legally required to do so.

How do we protect your personal information?
We place great importance on the security of your personal information and we always try to take appropriate precautions to protect it. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help us protect your personal data from unauthorised access, use or disclosure. For example, when we transmit personal data over the Internet, we protect it through the use of encryption.

Despite all of our precautions, however, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.  So, whilst we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information which you provide to us and you must understand that you do so at your own risk.

How long do we keep your personal information for?
The length of time we hold your personal information varies depending upon the type of information and its use.  We will hold your personal information on our systems only for as long as necessary to provide research services to our clients, or for such other essential purposes such as complying with our legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our agreements.

The standard retention periods we use for personal information that we hold for the purposes of research is 2 months/8 weeks from the end date of the project in question. If you have any questions about our data retention, please email us at Nutcracker Market Research.

Where do we store and process your information?
We store and process your information within the European Economic Area (EEA).

Where we need to transfer your information outside of the European Economic Area we only do so to countries which have been determined by the European Commission to have an adequate level of data protection and/or where we transfer personal information to countries that have not been determined to have an adequate level of protection we do so using a variety of legal mechanisms, including contracts, to help ensure your rights and protections.

What are your Rights
You have specific rights connected to provision of your personal information to us. These include your rights to request that we:

  • confirm to you what personal information we may hold about you if any, and for what purposes
  • change the consent which you have provided to us in relation to your personal information
  • correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information which we may hold about you
  • provide you with a complete copy of your personal data for you to move elsewhere
  • provide you with a complete copy of your personal information for you to move elsewhere where you have provided this information by consent or by a contract with us
  • stop the processing of your personal information, whilst an objection from you is being resolved
  • permanently erase all your personal information promptly, and confirm to you that this has been done (there may be reasons why we may be unable to do this)
  • stop the processing of your personal information for the purpose of direct marketing.

You also have the right to

  • withdraw consent that you have provided to us to process your personal information, at any time
  • object to profiling or to any decisions being taken by us by automated means

Due to the nature of our activities and our need to take a snapshot of views and opinions at a particular moment in time, it is not possible to amend any responses which you make in surveys, focus groups, or on online forums.

How can you access your information and contact us?
Under the Data Protection Act 2018 you have the right to access the information we hold about you. Any request should be made in writing to Nutcracker Research Ltd.

If you believe the information we hold about you is incorrect you have the right to have the information corrected.

We will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary and according to the terms of our data retention policy.

If you would like to access the data we hold about you or request information about our privacy statement please contact us at the address below.

If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, if we do not address your request, or fail to provide you with a valid reason why we have been unable to do so, you have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK or the Office of the Information of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner to make a complaint.

If your personal details change, please help us to keep your information up to date by notifying us at the email address at the beginning of this policy.

We may revise or update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our activities or for other purposes.  If We do so, we will post notice of the change on our website. Please revisit this policy each time you consider giving personal information.

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To contact us about any aspects of this privacy statement and exercise your data rights please write to info@nutcrackerresearch.com or by mail on:

Privacy Officer
Nutcracker Research Ltd

4/40 Triq Carmelo Farrugia

Lija LJA 1632

MALTA