Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is reviewed and updated annually.

Who We Are

The Medical Advisory Board® and www.medicaladvisoryboard.com are owned and operated by Decision Analyst, Inc., a global marketing research and analytical consulting firm headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Decision Analyst, Inc. subscribes to the privacy, confidentiality, and ethics policies of these organizations:

• Insights Association
• ESOMAR (The World Association of Research Professionals)
• EU-US and Swiss-US Privacy Shield Framework

The Medical Advisory Board® BELIEVES THAT ITS MEMBERS HAVE AN INALIENABLE RIGHT TO PRIVACY. WE PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY BY ADHERING TO THESE STANDARDS:

• Children's Online Privacy Protection Act issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
• Insights Association Standards
• ESOMAR Guidelines and Standards.

Privacy Shield Principles as developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce in consultation with the European Commission.

• EU-US and Swiss-US Privacy Shield Framework

European Union General Data Protection Regulation created and enacted by the European Parliament and European Council.

• EU GDPR

EU-US and Swiss-US Privacy Shield Framework

Decision Analyst complies with the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework and the Swiss-US Privacy Shield Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information transferred from the European and Switzerland to the United States, respectively. Decision Analyst has certified to the Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Privacy Shield Principles. If there is any conflict between the terms in this privacy policy and the Privacy Shield Principles, the Privacy Shield Principles shall govern. To learn more about the Privacy Shield program, and to view our certification, please visit https://www.privacyshield.gov/.

In compliance with the EU-US and Swiss-US Privacy Shield Principles, Decision Analyst commits to resolve complaints about your privacy and our collection or use of your personal information. European Union or Swiss individuals with inquiries or complaints regarding this privacy policy should first contact Decision Analyst at:

Internet Operations Department
Decision Analyst, Inc.
604 Avenue H East Arlington, Texas 76011
Phone numbers:
Within the U.S., 1-817-649-5241
Outside the U.S., +1-817-640-6166
Email: privacy@decisionanalyst.com

Decision Analyst has further committed to refer unresolved privacy complaints under the EU-US and Swiss-US Privacy Shield Principles to an independent dispute resolution mechanism, the BBB EU PRIVACY SHIELD, operated by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. If you do not receive timely acknowledgement of your complaint, or if your complaint is not satisfactorily addressed, please visit http://www.bbb.org/EU-privacy-shield/for-eu-consumers for more information and to file a complaint.

Please note that if your complaint is not resolved through these channels, under limited circumstances, a binding arbitration option may be available before a Privacy Shield Panel.

Decision Analyst submits to being subject to the investigatory and enforcement powers of the FTC, the Department of Transportation, or any other U.S. authorized statutory body with regards to our self-certification and implementation of the Principles, and acknowledges the right of the EU individual, under certain conditions, to invoke binding arbitration, at no cost to the individual, in filing a complaint disputing Decision Analyst’s adherence to these practices. We also may be required to disclose an individual’s personal information in response to a lawful request by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements. In cases of onward transfer to third parties of data of EU individuals received pursuant to the EU-US Privacy Shield, Decision Analyst is potentially liable.

European Union General Data Protection Regulation

Decision Analyst adheres to the provisions set forth by the European Parliament and the European Council in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR offers European data subjects (that is, European residents) a number of rights, including:

• The right to know if we are processing your data.
• The right to know why we are processing your data and how we are processing it.
• The right to correct any incorrect information we have about you.
• The right to consent to the processing of your data and the ability to revoke your consent at any time.
• The right to obtain a copy of your personal data.
• The right to have your personal data removed from our systems.
• The right to object to our processing of your data.
• The right to object to our automated processing of your data.

In addition to these rights, Decision Analyst’s systems are designed with the intent of protecting the privacy of data subjects, as required by GDPR. Any new modifications or designs will continue to, at a minimum, uphold the requirements outlined in this regulation as well as uphold any additional regulations in the future. You can contact Decision Analyst’s Data Protection Officer with any questions, concerns, or objections involving the processing and/or automated processing of your personal data at:

Internet Operations Department
Decision Analyst, Inc.
Attn: Data Protection Officer
604 Avenue H East Arlington, Texas 76011
United States
Phone numbers:
Within the U.S., 1-817-649-5241
Outside the U.S., +1-817-640-6166
Email: privacy@decisionanalyst.com

Additional information in regards to these rights and Medical Advisory Board® can be found in the subsequent sections of this privacy policy. More information about GDPR in general can be found at an official website of European Union law, Eur-Lex.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

Decision Analyst adheres to the requirements in the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. This act gives consumers in California certain rights in regards to how companies use their personal information. These include:

• The right of Californians to know what personal information is being collected about them.
• The right of Californians to know if their personal information is being sold and to whom it is being sold.
• The right of Californians to say no to the sale of their personal information.
• The right of Californians to access their personal information.
• The right of Californians to equal service and price, regardless of if they exercise their privacy rights or not.

Decision Analyst’s systems have been modified with these requirements in mind. Any new modifications will continue to, at a minimum, uphold the requirements set forth in this legislation and uphold the requirements in any new legislation. You can contact Decision Analyst’s Internet Operations Department with any questions at:

Internet Operations Department Decision Analyst, Inc. 604 Avenue H East Arlington, Texas 76011 United States Phone numbers: Within the U.S., 1-817-649-5241 U.S. Toll-free, 1-800-262-5974 Email: privacy@decisionanalyst.com

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Personal Information We Collect From You

We collect information from you during the registration process and during participation in surveys.

• During the registration process (and at times during surveys), we collect your name, address, email address, phone numbers, and the names, dates of birth, and genders of those in your household. We also collect the IP address from your computer, the type of device (PC, tablet computer, smartphone), and your computer's "digital fingerprint," so that we can identify duplicate surveys and detect and prevent fraud.
  
  
• We also gather information on your household-such as dwelling type, household membership, education level, gender, income, marital status, ethnicity, and occupation. We may ask about products and services used by members of your family, and about your brand preferences, shopping patterns, and buying behavior.
  
  
• Decision Analyst may collect personal information and demographic information from information services bureaus, other research firms and/or sample providers/suppliers, social media platforms, and other data sources. Decision Analyst may use your personal or demographic information for data validation, data appending, fraud detection and prevention, and/or sending emails to invite you to participate in a survey and/or join another Panel.
  
  
• Specific personal information is required from you in order for you to become a member of Medical Advisory Board®. This personal information includes first name, last name, country, province or state, address, city, postal code, and email address. In addition to the previous information, other information may be required to access certain surveys and/or features.
  
  

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How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for several purposes including, without limitation,: (i) to communicate with you about your membership and to determine whether you qualify for surveys, (ii) to invite you to participate in surveys , (iii) to notify you of news about The Medical Advisory Board®, (iv) to notify you of Points balances in your Member Account, (v) to alert you to changes in our Privacy Policy, (vi) to send you any cash, test products, prizes, or incentives to which you may be entitled based upon your participation in our services, (vii) for fraud detection, (viii) for matching your personal information with other information from secondary and syndicated sources, (ix) for shipping test products to your home, and (x) for validating your address. In addition to the above uses:

• We use personal information and social-demographic information gathered during surveys to analyze the survey results. For example, we might look at the answers of women compared to men, or the answers of young people compared to older people, or high-income groups compared to low-income groups.
  
  


• We use your personal information to verify you are who you say you are, and live where you say you live. Any evidence of false or dishonest information will result in the permanent loss of your Membership and the loss of any Points in your Member Account.
  
  
• We may use your contact information, such as email address, registration data, and IP address, to verify the opt-in nature of our email list, when asked to do so by an Internet Service Provider.
  
  
• Automated decision-making utilizing your personal information is performed when determining whether or not you qualify for surveys.
  
  

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Who We Share Your Information With

• We share your personal information with third parties, including, without limitation, service providers (e.g. email distribution or mailing companies, rewards vendors, companies providing fraud detection/prevention services, companies providing data validation services, companies shipping products to you for use in connection in-home usage testing, etc.), market research companies, and third parties providing data matching and appending services.
  
  
• We may share your personal information and/or social-demographic information, including, without limitation, a unique identification number ("UID"), postal code, gender, marital status, education, ethnicity/race (where permitted by applicable law), employment related information, and non-personally identifiable information on household members, with third party sample/market research companies (individually each a “Third Party MR Company” and collectively the “Third Party MR Companies”) for the following purposes:
  
  

1. Identifying client survey opportunities that you may be eligible for through the Third Party MR Companies; and


2. Disclosing such data elements to clients of the Third Party MR Companies for audience measurement services; and


3. Appending such data elements to completed client surveys and delivering the appended survey data to clients of the Third Party MR Company(ies) for analytical or research purposes; and


4. Other uses as set forth in their privacy policy.

If you are eligible for a client survey opportunity offered through a Third Party MR Company, the Third Party MR Company will provide your unique identification number and a survey link to us and we will invite you to participate in the client survey through email or through your account page. We will not share your name, email address, or phone number with the Third Party MR Companies. In connection with the sharing of your information with a Third Party MR Company, your information may be transferred and stored outside of your country of residence, including, without limitation, in the United States, and by agreeing to this privacy policy you are agreeing to the processing and exportation of your personal information as set forth in this Section. If you have any questions about this data sharing please contact Decision Analyst by emailing us at aparks@acop.com or you can opt-out through your account page or by emailing Decision Analyst at aparks@acop.com. If you opt-out, it is the responsibility of us to inform the Third Party MR Companies. Please note that Decision Analyst is solely liable and responsible for managing all opt-out requests. Your participation in such survey opportunities does not entitle you to any benefits offered by, or membership with, the Third Party MR Companies.

• We may contract with an email service provider to help us send email invitations to surveys. In such cases, we will have a nondisclosure agreement with the email service provider to ensure your personal contact information is protected and private.
  
  
• Decision Analyst may disclose or share personal and other information collected through Decision Analyst's services with other companies as follows:
• • In response to a subpoena or an order of a court or government agency.
  
  
• • To establish, exercise or defend legal claims of an individual or Decision Analyst, to protect the safety of an individual or to protect Decision Analyst's rights and/or property.
  
  
• • Among various Decision Analyst Panels if you sign up for more than one panel.
  
  
• • To a parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of Decision Analyst in the event of a reorganization or restructuring.
  
  
• • To authorized agents, research partners, and/or subcontractors of Decision Analyst and/or of Decision Analyst's clients, who are providing data appending services, data validation services, fraud detection and/or prevention services, database-matching services, coding services, sampling services, data segmentation services, and reward, incentive and sweepstakes related services.
  
  
• • To a client for limited marketing research uses such as modeling, validation, fraud detection and/or prevention, data appending, database analyses, and reward, incentive or sweepstakes redemption, fulfillment and/or entry to reward your participation in or completion of a survey.
  
  
• • To a new owner with a change of ownership or control, including a merger or an acquisition of any or all of Decision Analyst's business assets, provided that the party receiving or acquiring the personal information agrees to use, protect and maintain the security, integrity and confidentiality of personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
  
  
• • To partners of Decision Analyst who offer incentives for use of Decision Analyst's services, solely for the partners' use in connection with their incentive program and its terms of use, including the crediting of Member Accounts maintained by the partners for individuals who use or participate in Decision Analyst's services.
  
  
• • As otherwise permitted in this Privacy Policy.
  
  

Additionally, UIDs and information collected by automated means are provided to third parties, including clients, partners, agents and/or vendors for identifying participants for re-contact surveys or communications, fraud detection and/or prevention, database matching, data validation, data append, coding, data analyses, and reward, incentive, sweepstakes or promotion related services and/or developing aggregated data insights regarding survey respondents and providing a client(s) with access to and use of the aggregated data insights.

Decision Analyst will provide survey data and responses to Decision Analyst clients with no personal information disclosed by Decision Analyst, other than UIDs. If you voluntarily disclose personal information in connection with your survey responses, and Decision Analyst collects the survey responses, Decision Analyst will transfer the survey responses, UID and the voluntarily disclosed personal information to Decision Analyst's client. In addition, Decision Analyst may share geographic and/or demographic data Decision Analyst collects from you during registration or through surveys. Such data may be shared with third parties on an individual respondent level or as aggregate summaries.

Decision Analyst's clients may engage Decision Analyst to supply or provide demographic information of or about individuals who have viewed an advertisement or visited a website for the purpose of measuring internet and digital media audiences. The demographic information may be provided or supplied to Decision Analyst's clients. The demographic information and analysis performed by or on behalf of Decision Analyst's clients assist with the creation, development and implementation of websites, online advertisements and other Internet and digital media features, functionality and campaigns.

Generally, disclosures of personal information by Decision Analyst to some other company or organization, except for disclosures of UIDs, are controlled by a written agreement between Decision Analyst and the other company or organization, which restricts and limits use of the personal information. Decision Analyst may allow a client to collect personal information directly from panel members. The disclosure is voluntary and, prior to collection, the client is required to enter into a written agreement with Decision Analyst, which restricts and limits use of the personal information.

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How You Can Control Your Information

You may "Opt-Out" at any time when taking a survey. You may also update or delete your personal information at any time by logging into your Medical Advisory Board® Member Account

• Once you join our panel and receive invitations to complete surveys, you are under no obligation to complete those surveys. You can simply choose not to respond.
  
  
• If you start taking a survey and are asked questions you do not wish to respond to, you may simply stop taking the survey.
  
  
• Once you have registered, you may safely update or delete your Member Account (and all of your personal data) at any time. If you would like to contact Decision Analyst in regard to your privacy please email us at privacy@decisionanalyst.com.
  

If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. Log on to your My Account page, go to Login, and then enter your email address and password. Choose the Delete Account option located on the front page of your My Account page. Deleting your account could take up to 10 days, so please disregard any emails you receive from us in the meantime.

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Privacy For Children Under 14

We comply with applicable laws in each country with regards to protecting the privacy of, and the collection and processing of personal information of, minors. For example, in the United States, we do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 13, our services and panels are not designed or intended for individuals under the age of 13, and if we have a survey for children 12 or younger, we will ask parents to review the survey and give their permission for their child to take the survey. If we become aware that we collected personal information from an individual under the applicable minimum age threshold in a country, we will promptly delete all personal information collected from or about such individual.

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How We Secure Your Information

The Medical Advisory Board® has multiple security measures in place to ensure the confidentiality and protection of your personal information. The data is stored behind Decision Analyst's firewall, and the data is encrypted. We have security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of any information we receive from you. As with any transmission over the Internet, there is some element of risk involved in sending personal information. To minimize this risk, we encrypt all information using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.

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"Cookies," Log Files, and Internet Technology

"Cookies" are small files that store certain data on a device or computer. Cookies are used by most websites to make your life as a Web user easier. There are times when we may use cookies. For example, we may use cookies to track registrations back to an affiliate site that may have referred you, and we may use cookies to track advertising results. We may use cookies during a survey to make the survey easier and faster to complete.

• We gather information in our log files such as Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), type of computing device, referring and exit pages, platform type, date and time stamp, number of clicks while onsite, and other variables.
  
  
• Log-file information is not linked to any personally identifiable information and is used only to administer our systems, to make improvements to our website, and to determine the success of advertising campaigns.
• Digital fingerprinting assigns a unique identifier to your computing device (PC, tablet computer, smartphone, etc.) based on its technical settings and IP Address. Decision Analyst uses digital fingerprinting technology for quality control, validation purposes and fraud detection and/or prevention, including identifying duplicate or fraudulent respondents. Decision Analyst may implement and use digital fingerprinting directly or through a third party vendor.
• Watermarking involves placing code or a file on your computing device to identify that it has been used to register with or access Decision Analyst's services. Watermarking is used for quality control and validation purposes and fraud detection and/or prevention purposes. Decision Analyst may engage in watermarking activities directly or through a third party vendor.

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Communications With Members

We send emails to Panel Members to confirm their registration, to invite them to surveys, to update the Privacy Policy, to notify Members of unredeemed Points in their Member Accounts, and for special occasions and announcements.

• We send an email to all new Members to confirm their registration. New Members must Opt-In to this email to become a Member.
  
  
• We communicate with Members by email or phone on a case-by-case basis to answer any questions or provide Member services.
  
  

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Legal Disclaimer

If required by a court of law or government agency, your personal data might need to be disclosed, if we have a good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a current judicial proceeding, a court order, or a legal process. We will take legal action, if appropriate, to protect your personal data. We will attempt to notify you in advance so that you can take legal action on your own, if desired, to protect your personal information.

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Links To Outside Sites

The www.medicaladvisoryboard.com website contains links to other websites whose privacy policies may differ from ours, and occasionally you may take a survey from one of Decision Analyst's research partners-whose privacy policy may differ from ours. We encourage you to read the privacy statement of each site you visit.

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Notification Of Changes

We will notify you by email or text message before any change in our Privacy Policy to give you a chance to Opt-Out or update or delete your Member Account.

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Retention of Personal Information

Your personal information is kept by Decision Analyst so long as you are an active Member of the Medical Advisory Board® or some other Decision Analyst panel. Once you cancel your Member Account or Opt-Out, your personal data remains encrypted and is stored for a period of 2 years behind our firewall, or if any questions come up about your Member Account or Points in your Account.

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Enforcement Of Privacy Policy

If you believe Decision Analyst, Inc. has violated this Privacy Policy with respect to your personal information, please contact us so that we can investigate and correct any errors or mistakes. If you are a US resident and you are not satisfied with our response, you may file a complaint with the Insights Association, 170 North Country Road, Suite 4, New York 11777 or, if you are an EU or Swiss resident, you may file a complaint with the EU Privacy Shield at https://www.privacyshield.gov/.

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Questions And Comments

We welcome your questions or comments regarding our data-protection practices and our Privacy Policy. If you have questions or concerns, please contact:

Internet Operations Department
Decision Analyst, Inc.
604 Avenue H East Arlington, Texas 76011
Phone numbers:
Within the U.S., 1-817-649-5241
Outisde the U.S., +1-817-640-6166
Email: privacy@decisionanalyst.com

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This Privacy Policy is reviewed and updated annually.

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