Privacy Policy

Policy Effective Date: February 2008.

Last Revised: March 2020

  • We will not make any personal information of our participants available to anyone without your knowledge (as described in this policy), except in the rare instances required by law. This includes your name, e-mail address, zip code, age, and gender.
  • We will never try to sell you anything – that is not our business. We will never sell your name to anyone else who might want to sell you anything.
  • Your individual responses to surveys will also be kept confidential and will never be linked to your personal identifying information.
  • Your decisions about participating in a study, responding to specific questions, or discontinuing participation will be respected without question.
  • When you register for the invitation list, we collect the following personal identifying information: your name, age, gender, zip code, and email address.

THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND HOW WE USE IT:

We use your name and email address to let you know about opportunities to participate in focus tests and surveys. Frequency of focus tests and surveys vary by the needs of the industry.

We use your age and gender to select focus tests and surveys that are appropriate for the participant and match the required demographic for the focus test or survey. Anyone not matching the demographic requirement will not be sent an invitation.

We use your zip code to determine if you are close enough to a focus test’s location to be considered. Typically we will invite anyone on our list who qualifies and lives within a 60-mile radius of the testing site.

This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. Participant’s names, e-mail addresses, and zip codes are maintained on a secured database accessible only by VGM research staff. As with any Internet endeavor, absolute security of information transmitted through channels (communication networks, hardware, software) not directly operated or controlled by us cannot be guaranteed.

As is the case with any information you provide to any business operating in the United States, information provided to VGM is subject to disclosure pursuant to judicial or other government subpoenas, warrants, or orders.

POLICIES ON CORRECTING/UPDATING PERSONAL INFORMATION

VGM relies on participants themselves to provide any updates to personal identifying information. Participants may update email addresses, zip code, and name of the person who initially registered by e-mailing testing@vgm.co.

OPT-OUT POLICY

Focus test participants may decline to respond to a survey or opt to drop interactive test membership at any time. We respect the decision to decline participation and will not try to dissuade you. Participants who prefer not to complete a given survey need not do so.

Participants who would like to removed from the focus test invitation list may do so at any time by visiting our unsubscribe page at http://www.vgm.co/unsubscribe. We will process all unsubscribe requests within 10 days of receipt and usually within 48 hours of receipt.

DO NOT PROVIDE SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL DATA:

VGM asks you not to send or disclose through your interaction with others and “special categories of personal data” as defined in the GDPR (information related to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or physiological beliefs, health, biometric or genetic characteristics, criminal background or trade union membership, or data concerning data subject’s sex life or sexual orientation). For VGM users who are EU residents, should you provide “special categories of personal data” using the Service, you understand that you have expressly consented to the collection, use, and disclosure of such data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

If at any time in the future we plan to share personal information with more third parties, VGM will maintain GDPR compliance and a high standard of care for your personal information.

CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY:

VGM may modify or update this Privacy Policy from time to time, so please review it periodically. We may provide you additional forms of notice of modifications or updates as appropriate under the circumstances. Your continued use of VGM or the Service after any modification to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such modification.

If at any time in the future we plan to share personal information with more third parties, VGM will maintain GDPR compliance and a high standard of care for your personal information.

ADDITIONAL PRIVACY INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA:

VGM has taken important steps for compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) for EU users. As a data controller, VGM understands our obligations under the GDPR (EU) 2016/679 and has taken the following steps:

  1. Revised this Privacy Policy to provide you with a clear understanding of our privacy practices;
  2. Appointed a VGM Data Protection Officer who can respond to EU data subjects and Data Protection Authorities as needed;
  3. Introduced new product features and functionality to allow users better control over their privacy;
  4. Reviewed our data inventory and third party relationships to gain a complete picture of data flows and take a Privacy by Design approach to our data holdings;
  5. Enhanced our data security controls such that regardless of the data flow, reasonable efforts are made to protect our user data at all times;
  6. Developed a procedure to respond to any requests that may be received from users who are EU residents regarding their data subject rights;
  7. Reviewed and revised our data retention rules to ensure VGM is not retaining personal information that is no longer in use;
  8. Required our third parties who we entrust with VGM user data to commit to the continued protection of such data and comply with the GDPR responsibilities as a data processor; and
  9. Instituted a privacy data breach response plan to ensure any privacy incidents are handled effectively and efficiently.

Controller: VGM is a private company, established in the U.S.A. Our address is 2101 NW Corporate Boulevard Suite 220, Boca Raton, FL 33431. and our contact email address is testing@vgm.co. For the purposes of the GDPR, we are the data controller.

HOW TO CONTACT US ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY CONCERNS

Questions regarding this statement should be directed to testing@vgm.co.