Public Opinion Strategies Privacy Notice
  1. INTRODUCTION

 

Who We Are

Public Opinion Strategies is a market research company specializing in corporate and public policy research, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.

 

How This Privacy Notice Applies

Public Opinion Strategies (the “Company”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is committed to maintaining your privacy.  Our Privacy Notice (“Notice”) is designed to help you understand how we collect, disclose, and use information about you and the rights that may be available to you.

This Notice applies to all visitors to our website (https://pos.org/) (the “Site”), to online services provided by us, and to our collection, use, and disclosure of your data offline.

We may change this Notice from time to time. Please check the “Last Updated” legend at the top of this page to see when this Notice was last revised. Any changes to this Notice will become effective when we post the revised Notice on our Site.

 

  1. PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

 We use the term “Personal Information” to refer to any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual, or as defined under applicable law.  In the last twelve (12) months, we may have collected the following categories of Personal Information about you:

  • Identifiers: This may include your name, telephone number, email address, physical address, and state voter identification number.
  • Demographic Information: This may include your age, race, citizenship, religion or creed, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, veteran or military status.
  • Employment or Professional Information: This may include your educational background, or current or past job history.
  • Survey Responses: This may include information, feedback, or content you provide when you participate in a survey or research project we or other entities conduct on our behalf. Where permitted by applicable law and with your consent, this also may include call recordings and webcam recordings.
  • Aggregate Information: This may include information that relates to a group or category of consumers, from which individual consumer identities have been removed, that is not linked or reasonably linked to any consumer, household, including via device. Aggregate Information does not mean one or more individual consumer records that have been de-identified.
  • Geolocation Information: This may include the geographic location of your mobile device if you participate in a mobile qualitative survey or interview.
  • Other Information: This may include any other information that you voluntarily provide to us or service providers that help us conduct our surveys and research projects.
  • Log Details: This may include IP addresses, device information, and electronic network activity information, including, but not limited to, your browsing history, search history, and information regarding your interaction with the Site (see Section 6 for more details).

We also may combine the Personal Information that we have collected about you with information about you obtained from other sources (both online and offline), such as from third parties and public sources.  For example, when you participate in a survey or interview over the phone, in person, or online, we may compile your Personal Information and responses for our political and public affairs research purposes.

 

  1. SOURCES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We obtain Personal Information about you in a variety of ways.

Information We Collect Directly From You

In the last twelve (12) months, we have obtained the Personal Information described in Section 2 directly from you:

  • When You Supply Us With Your Personal Information: We receive any Personal Information you choose to provide us through our Site, over the phone, or through other means when you complete forms on our Site in order to contact us or sign up for newsletters and other types of informational material. The Personal Information we collect from you in this manner may include your Identifiers (e.g., name, telephone number, address (physical or email), etc.) and Other Information your choose to provide to us.
  • When Your Participate in Surveys or Interviews: Public Opinion Strategies values your opinions. We collect Personal Information that you choose to provide when you participate in our surveys or interviews in person, over the telephone, online, or through other means. The Personal Information we collect from you in this manner may include your Identifiers, Demographic Information, Employment or Professional Information, Survey Responses, Geolocation Information, and Other Information you choose to provide to us. 
  • When You Contact Us With Comments or Questions: Our Site allows you to submit questions, comments, or concerns to us (via webforms and telephone calls). We will ask for Identifiers, which include your name, email address, company name, telephone number, and your question or comment. This information will aid us in responding appropriately to these inquiries. We will use the information to respond to your inquiry and may share it internally to improve our service to you. Please note that phone conversations may be monitored or recorded in accordance with applicable law for quality and training purposes.
  • When You Provide Testimonials: We may, with your consent, use your comments and feedback to share your testimonials about our political and public affairs research in promotional materials on our Site and offline. We will display your testimonial along with your organization’s name.

 

Information We Collect From Other Sources

We are a public opinion research organization. In order to conduct our political and public affairs research, we may obtain your Personal Information from other sources. In the last twelve (12) months, we have collected Personal Information about you from the following categories of sources:

  • Databases: In accordance with applicable law, we may purchase and use Personal Information from a variety of third-party organizations in order to administer our questionnaires, surveys, interviews, and other qualitative and quantitative research methods. We process this data in accordance with applicable law (and with your consent, where required). The Personal Information we collect about you in this manner may include your Identifiers, Demographic Information, Employment or Professional Information, and Survey Responses.
  • Third Parties With Whom We Have a Relationship: We may receive your Personal Information from third parties with whom we have a relationship, including our service providers who may assist us in administering our surveys and interviews. The Personal Information we collect about you in this manner may include your Identifiers, Demographic Information, Employment or Professional Information, Survey Responses, and Other Information you choose to provide to the service provider during an interview or other similar interaction.
  • Our Customers: In accordance with applicable law, we may receive your Personal Information from our customers on whose behalf we conduct political and public affairs research. The Personal Information we collect about you in this manner may include your Identifiers, Demographic Information, Employment or Professional Information, Survey Responses, and Other Information you choose to provide to the service provider.
  • Third-Party Site Information: Our Site may use third-party party social media websites, applications, or services that you use, when we allow those websites, applications, or services to interact through the Site to provide personalized services to you. In some cases, those websites, applications, or services may automatically provide us with information about you to facilitate personalization unless you use the controls available on those websites, applications, or services to opt-out of such sharing.

 

  1. HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We use the Personal Information identified in Section 2, above, to conduct our research, facilitate a business relationship with you, to comply with our legal and financial obligations, and to pursue our legitimate business interests. To learn more about the rights you may have with respect to your Personal Information, please refer to Section 9, below.

We use the Personal Information we collect about you for the following business and commercial purposes:

  • To conduct political and public affairs research, including through administering questionnaires, surveys, and interviews, we may use Personal Information including your Identifiers, Demographic Information, Employment or Professional Information, Survey Responses, Geolocation Information, Aggregate Information, and Other Information you choose to provide to us.
  • To respond to your emails, submissions, questions, and comments, we may use Personal Information including your Identifiers and Other Information you choose to provide to us.
  • To provide you with technical support and to improve our Site and services, including to keep our Site safe and secure, we may use Personal Information such as Identifiers and Log Details.
  • To carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between you and us and to provide you with the information, products, and services you request from us we may use Personal Information such as your Identifiers, Employment or Professional Information, financial information to facilitate payments, and Other Information you choose to provide to us.
  • To establish, exercise, and defend legal claims and to monitor and report compliance issues under applicable law.

 

  1. DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We have disclosed your Personal Information to third parties for a business or commercial purpose in the past twelve (12) months.  To learn more about the rights you may have with respect to the disclosure of your Personal Information, please refer to Section 9, below.

We have shared Personal Information that we collect about you or that you provide to us with the following categories of third parties:

  • Service Providers: To contractors, service providers, and other parties we use to support our business or in connection with administration and support activities. These companies are bound by contractual obligations to keep Personal Information confidential and use the data only for the purposes for which it has been disclosed to them (e.g., database hosting providers, managed service providers, developers, consultants, etc.). We have disclosed Personal Information to these entities, including your Identifiers, Employment or Professional Information, and Log Details.

 

We also share Personal Information with our service providers that help us administer our questionnaires, surveys, and other research projects over the telephone, via mobile phone, in person, or by other means. These companies are bound by contractual obligations to keep Personal Information confidential and use the data only for the purposes for which it has been disclosed to them. These organizations are prohibited from disclosing or selling your Personal Information. We have disclosed Personal Information to these entities including your Identifiers, Demographic Information, and Employment or Professional Information.

  • Our Customers: To our customers who may request the Personal Information we use to conduct research on their behalf, we have disclosed Identifiers, Demographic Information, Employment and Professional Information, Survey Responses, Aggregate Information, and Other Information your choose to provide to us or our service providers. 
  • Government and Law Enforcement: We may disclose your Personal Information if permitted or required by law or in response to a law enforcement or other legal request and/or to comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process.

 

  1. PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT AUTOMATICALLY

Like many other websites, as you navigate through and interact with our Site, we use automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns.

  • Cookies: A cookie is a small data file that is stored on your computer when you visit our Site. They can be placed on your computer both by us and by third parties with whom we have a relationship, such as web analytic services and advertising network services.  Cookies help us track and understand how individuals use and interact with our Site.
  • Web Beacons (or pixels): Web beacons, or pixels, are small electronic files that allow us or third parties to collect information over the course of your visit to our Site. Web log information is gathered by the computer that hosts our Site (a “webserver”). Web beacons that appear in email communications help us determine which of our email messages were opened and whether you acted upon the message.
  • Cross-Device Tracking: We may use data analytics companies, advertising networks, or social media companies, and features offered by Google Analytics services or pixels from Facebook or LinkedIn to engage in “cross-device tracking.” Cross-device tracking occurs when platforms, publishers, and advertising technology companies try to connect a consumer’s activity across smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, and other connected devices.
  • Social Media Plug-ins: We may use social media plug-ins from companies like LinkedIn, and Twitter on our Site to enable you to easily share information with others. We may also use the information collected from the plug-ins, such as your demographic data and marketing preferences, to learn about your interests and better serve you. We do not control what information is collected by the social media plug-ins, or whether the social media companies share this information with other users. We encourage you to refer to the privacy notices on social media websites for further information on their practices.
  • Web Analytics: We use third-party web analytics software, such as Google Analytics, in connection with our Site. Web Analytics software helps us understand how our Site visitors interact with the Site, how we can further improve the user experience, and how we can attract new customers.

 

  1. DATA SECURITY

We take reasonable precautions and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the security of your information. However, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your Personal Information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or any information provided by our on-line products or services, and you do so at your own risk. To the extent permitted by law, we will not be liable for disclosures of your Personal Information due to errors in transmission or unauthorized acts of third parties. However, once we receive your transmission, we do our best to ensure its security on our systems by making reasonable efforts to protect the information.

 

  1. DATA RETENTION

Unless otherwise required by law, we will also erase Personal Information when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which we collected or otherwise processed the data.

 

  1. YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

Under applicable law and regulations, you may, at any time, exercise certain rights, as described below.

Notice to California Residents

If you are a resident of California, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) provides you with specific rights regarding your Personal Information. The information contained in this “Notice to California Residents” subsection supplements the information contained in our Notice and applies solely to individuals who reside in the state of California (“consumers” or “you”).

Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Your Personal Information:

We describe in more detail the Personal Information we have collected about you in the twelve (12) months preceding the effective date of our Notice in  Section 2 (“Personal Information We Collect”). The information we have collected includes the following categories of information set out in the CCPA:

  • Identifiers;
  • Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law (e.g., gender, etc.);
  • Other categories of Personal Information listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e));
  • Geolocation data;
  • Internet / electronic network activity information;
  • Audio information;
  • Professional or employment-related information;
  • Inferences drawn from the categories described above.

For more information about the sources from which we collect each category of Personal Information, please see Section 3 (“Sources of Personal Information”) above. For more information about the purposes for which we use each category of Personal Information, please see Section 4 (“How We Use Your Personal Information”) above.

We describe in more detail the Personal Information we disclose and third parties to whom each category of Personal Information is disclosed in Section 5 (“Disclosures of Your Personal Information”) above. We may have disclosed for a “business purpose” (as defined by the CCPA) in the preceding twelve (12) months:

  • Identifiers;
  • Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law (e.g., gender, etc.);
  • Other categories of Personal Information listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e));
  • Geolocation data;
  • Internet / electronic network activity information;
  • Professional or employment-related information;
  • Inferences drawn from the categories described above.
[We may have “sold” (as defined by the CCPA) the following categories of your Personal Information in the preceding twelve (12) months:]

Your Rights Under the CCPA:

You have the following rights under the CCPA. Instructions on how to exercise these rights are listed immediately below in the “How to Exercise Your CCPA Rights” subsection.

  • Information about Collection, Sales, or Disclosure: The right to be informed of the categories of Personal Information that we collect about you, the categories of sources from which the Personal Information was collected, the business or commercial purposes for which the Personal Information is used, disclosed, or sold, and the categories of third parties with whom we share the Personal Information. Our response to your request to know (either the categories of specific pieces of Personal Information) will only cover the twelve (12) month period preceding the request.
  • Access to Specific Information: The right to request that we disclose the specific pieces of Personal Information we have collected about you over the past twelve (12) months.
  • Deletion Request Rights: You have the right to request that we delete any of your Personal Information that we collected from you and retained, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Personal Information Sales Opt-Out Rights: You have the right to opt-out of the sale of your Personal Information.
  • Non-Discrimination: We do not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights under CCPA or applicable law, including discrimination in the form of: denying you goods or services; charging you 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 of quality of goods or services; or suggesting that you will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level of quality of goods or services.

 

How to Exercise Your CCPA Rights

To exercise the rights described above, please submit a request to us by either:

  • Following this link to our online request form.
  • Submitting a request to us at info@pos.org.

Before we can process your request, we need to verify your identity. During the verification process, depending on the nature of your request (e.g., whether you are seeking to access specific pieces of Personal Information or requesting a deletion of Personal Information) we will verify your identity against known information in our environment, such as your name, home address, e-mail address, and telephone number. When we receive your request, we also may contact you via e-mail and/or other secured communication channels to verify your identity. In certain instances (e.g., where there is a mismatch against known information in our environment or where you are seeking information on behalf of another person without authorization), we may seek additional verification from you, which may be in the form of providing a copy of a valid, government-issued identification or notarized attestation.

 

Exercising CCPA Rights for Someone Else

 In order to designate a third party to act on your behalf, that person must be registered with the California Secretary of State and must have valid written evidence of authority from you to act on your behalf (e.g., a validly executed Power of Attorney or some other written, notarized documentation that the can provide to us). Absent such documentation, we reserve the right to refuse to comply with third-party requests for information.

 

Response Timing and Format

We aim to respond to a verifiable consumer request within forty-five (45) days of its receipt. When additional time is needed, we may take up to an additional forty-five (45) days (for a maximum total of 90 days) to comply with the request, and we will inform you of the reason(s) why the extension is necessary within the first forty-five (45) days of receiving your request.

 

Your Choices

  • Do Not Track: We do not currently alter our data collection practices in response to Do Not Track signals.
  • Cookies: Many browsers allow you to delete cookie data or to disable the collection of such data. Some features of our Site may become unavailable to you if you choose to exercise this option. For more information on how our Site uses cookies, please read Section 6 above.
  • Email Communications: You have the choice to subscribe to our mailing list through our Site. Those on our mailing list will periodically receive email communications from us about our services or regarding news about us. If you receive any email from us, regardless of whether or not you subscribed to our mailing list, the message will contain a link or instructions to opt-out of further communications. You may also unsubscribe from our mailing list by contacting us using the contact information in Section 11.
  • Social Media: If you connected, linked, or shared your use of our Site via your social media profile, you can manage the permissions granted to such third-party social media services by accessing your user settings under your account. You also can remove our access to your social media account or control what information these third-party social media services share with us at any time by accessing the privacy settings in your social media account.

 

  1. AGE RESTRICTIONS

We do not knowingly collect or disclose Personal Information of children under the age of 18. By accessing our Site or initiating any communication with us, you represent that you are at least 18 years old.

If you are aware of any instance in which we have collected data from a minor please notify us using the contact information provided in Section 11 below.

 

  1. HOW TO CONTACT US

If you would like to contact us for any reason regarding this Notice, including to exercise any of your rights in connection to your Personal Information, please fill follow this link to our online request form.

You also may call us at (703) 836-7655 or send us mail to:

Public Opinion Strategies

214 North Fayette Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

Public Opinion Strategies