Accelerant Research Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Accelerant Research, LLC and its parent, subsidiary and affiliated companies (collectively “Accelerant Research”) provide marketing research services. This Privacy Policy sets forth the collection, use and disclosure of personal data or personally identifiable information (“PII”) and other information by Accelerant Research in connection with Accelerant Research’s Services (as defined herein). Accelerant Research’s Services provide you with the opportunity to join a Panel (as defined herein), participate in surveys (whether as a Panel member or a non-Panel member), use the websites associated with the Panels, and receive and redeem rewards and incentives, including, without limitation, sweepstakes entries, offered in connection with Panel membership and/or the completion of surveys (collectively “Services”). Registration with, use of, and access to Accelerant Research’s Services is subject to Accelerant Research’s Terms and Conditions.

Your use of Accelerant Research’s Services is completely voluntary and therefore Accelerant Research’s processing of your PII in connection with the Services and this Privacy Policy is with your consent. Accelerant Research strives to conform its privacy practices to applicable laws, codes, and regulations, and the codes of standards of applicable market and opinion survey research associations, including, without limitation, CASRO and ESOMAR. All references to “us” or “we” refer to Accelerant Research. We may update and make changes to this Privacy Policy, so we encourage you to review it periodically.

For the purpose of this Privacy Policy, the term “PII” shall include, without limitation, your name, address(es), telephone number(s) (including home, cell, and/or business telephone numbers), email address(es), date of birth, the unique identification number we assign to you (individually a “UID” and collectively “UIDs”)”), reward, loyalty, or incentive account numbers and Sensitive Data (as defined herein).

What information is collected by Accelerant Research, how is PII collected, and how is it used?

Personal Information We Collect About You. In the preceding 12 months, we have collected the following categories and specific types of consumer personal information:

Categories of Personal Information

Identifiers (e.g., a real name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, account name, social security number, driver’s license number, passport number, or other similar identifiers)
Information that identifies, relates to, describes, or is capable of being associated with, a particular individual, including, but not limited to, his or her name, signature, social security number, physical characteristics or description, address, telephone number, passport number, driver’s license or state identification card number, insurance policy number, education, employment, employment history, bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information, medical information, or health insurance information.
Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law
Commercial information (e.g., records of personal property, products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies)
Biometric information
Geolocation data
Professional or employment-related information
Education information, defined as information that is not publicly available personally identifiable information as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Sensitive Personal Information (“Sensitive Data”)

Specific Types of Personal Information Collected

Names, email addresses, zip code, telephone numbers, personal address for shipping test products
Date of birth (month and year), education, racial and gender information
Information about health and medical conditions, sexual orientation or sexual life, political opinions/views, race/ethnic origin, religious and philosophical beliefs and trade-union membership
Information about purchasing habits offered by panelists during surveys
Fingerprints, face recognition, etc., for specific neuro research studies, and only after further consent given
Information used to identify the geographic location of a device or data file
Occupation, industry, if business owner/decision maker, firmographic information like company size, location, annual revenue
Information about education history offered by panelists during surveys
Information about health and medical conditions, sexual orientation or sexual life, political opinions/views, race/ethnic origin, religious and philosophical beliefs and trade-union membership. Sensitive Data is used to target survey opportunities to you.

Information You Submit

Accelerant Research collects information from Panel members during and after registration with a Panel, including, without limitation, during participation in a survey and in connection with the receipt and redemption of rewards and incentives. When you sign up for a Panel you will be asked to provide certain PII and demographic information, including, without limitation, your name, address(es), telephone number(s) (including home, mobile, and/or business telephone numbers), email address(es), date of birth, occupation/education, and racial and gender information. In addition to the collection of PII mentioned above, during and subsequent to the registration process, you may be asked to voluntarily provide or disclose Sensitive Data.

Accelerant Research collects PII and demographic information from non-Panel members prior to and during participation in a survey. You may submit, upload or transmit content or material, including, without limitation, photos, videos and/or any other similar or related content or material (“User Content”). If you submit User Content in connection with Accelerant Research’s Services, the User Content may become publicly available and may be shared with third parties including, without limitation, Accelerant Research’s clients, clients of Accelerant Research’s clients and third-party service providers. User Content should only include audio, video, images, or the likeness of the individual submitting the User Content and should not contain copyrighted or trademarked content or material of any third party. User Content should not include audio, video, images, or the likeness of anyone other than the user and should not contain any PII of or about anyone other than the user.

Information Collected Through Automated Means.

Accelerant Research may also collect certain information automatically, such as information about: (i) your device or computer and its capabilities, including, without limitation, the operating system, the applications or programs on your device or computer, IP address, device carrier, device type, time zone, network status, browser type, browser identifier, unique device identification number, carrier user ID (a number uniquely allocated to you by your network provider), media access control address, international mobile equipment identity, locale and other information that alone or in combination may be used to uniquely identify your device or computer; and (ii) your activities in connection with Accelerant Research’s Services, including, without limitation, survey data and responses, and reward, incentive, and/or sweepstakes information. Specific examples of this information, and the technology that collects it, are below:

Cookies. Cookies are small files that store certain data on a device or computer. Accelerant Research may use session and persistent cookies for several purposes including, without limitation, to provide a better survey experience, quality control, validation, to enable or facilitate survey participation, tracking of completed surveys or other completed actions, and for fraud detection and/or prevention. Session cookies expire when you close your browser. Persistent cookies remain on your device or computer indefinitely until deleted.

Log Files. Accelerant Research’s Services may automatically gather and store certain information in log files, including, without limitation, data available from your web browser, including, without limitation, IP Address, browser type, internet service provider, referring/exiting pages, operating system, date/time stamp and click stream data.

Digital Fingerprinting. Generally, digital fingerprinting assigns a unique identifier to your device or computer based upon the device’s or computer’s technical settings, characteristics and IP Address. Accelerant Research uses digital fingerprinting technology for quality control and validation purposes and fraud detection and/or prevention, including, without limitation, identifying duplicate or fraudulent respondents. Accelerant Research may implement and use digital fingerprinting directly or through a third-party vendor.

Watermarking. Generally, watermarking involves placing a technology or file on your device or computer to identify that it has previously been used to register with or access Accelerant Research’s Services. Watermarking is used for quality control and validation purposes and fraud detection and/or prevention purposes. Accelerant Research may engage in watermarking activities directly or through a third-party vendor.

Accelerant Research’s Do Not Track Notice. Do Not Track (“DNT”) is a preference in your browser that you can set to notify websites that you visit that you do not want the websites to collect certain information about you. Accelerant Research does not track individuals over time and across third party websites to provide targeted advertising and therefore Accelerant Research does not respond to DNT signals. If you object to Accelerant Research’s practice with regards to DNT signals, you may opt-out from participation or use of Accelerant Research’s services as described below.

Information Collected from Third Parties.

Accelerant Research may obtain PII and demographic information from third parties, including, without limitation, information services bureaus, other sample suppliers and/or social media platforms. Accelerant Research may use the PII for various purposes, including, without limitation, data validation, data append, fraud detection purposes, and/or sending you a one-time email to invite you to participate in a survey and/or join a Panel.

Accelerant Research’s Use of Information.

In addition to other purposes set forth in this Privacy Policy, Accelerant Research uses information collected through Accelerant Research’s Services as follows:

To communicate with you regarding your participation in a Panel;
To communicate with you regarding your participation in a survey(s);
To tailor survey opportunities to you;
To send you notifications of survey opportunities;
To comply with any and all legal obligations, including, without limitation, tax obligations;
To administer and manage Accelerant Research’s reward and incentive programs and fulfill your requests for rewards and incentives;
To facilitate your entry into Accelerant Research’s sweepstakes and promotions and communicate with you regarding such entries;
To update Accelerant Research’s records;
To comply with any data suppression obligations or requirements;
For fraud detection and/or prevention purposes; and
As otherwise permitted pursuant to this Privacy Policy or as otherwise authorized by you.

How Long Your Personal Information Will Be Kept.

We will keep your personal information while you have an account with us, or you are a panel member. Thereafter, we will keep your personal information for as long as is necessary:

To respond to any questions, complaints or claims made by you or on your behalf;
To show that we treated you fairly; or
To keep records required by law.
We will not retain your personal information for longer than necessary for the purposes set out in this policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of personal information.
When it is no longer necessary to retain your personal information, we will delete or anonymize it.

Communications You May Receive Through Accelerant Research’s Services

Accelerant Research and/or Accelerant Research’s agents, processors, and/or vendors or subcontractors may contact you or communicate with you as follows:

Via “push” notifications or SMS/text messages, if you expressly agree to receive such communications, for participation in surveys.
Via email communications for the purpose of: (i) sending you survey invitations, (ii) communicating with you regarding your survey participation (past, present and/or future), (iii) communicating with you regarding reward or incentive information, inquiries, and/or redemption, (iv) sending you newsletters, (v) sending you notices required to be provided hereunder or required by law, (vi) communicating with you regarding sweepstakes or prize draw promotions, including, without limitation, winning entries to or for such sweepstakes or prize draws, and (vii) responding to inquiries received from you.
Via telephone for the purpose of: (i) communicating with you on or about your survey participation (past, present and/or future), (ii) communicating with you regarding reward or incentive information, inquiries, and/or redemption, (iii) sending you notices required to be provided hereunder or required by law, (iv) communicating with you regarding sweepstakes or prize draw promotions, including, without limitation, winning entries to or for such sweepstakes or prize draws, and (v) responding to inquiries from you. Additionally, Accelerant Research may use the business or work telephone number you provide during panel registration to call you to verify: (a) your qualification for surveys designed for individuals working in certain professional or business roles or capacities, and/or (b) your registration or qualification for a survey panel(s) specifically designed for individuals in certain professions. The verification process may involve verifying information or data you have previously provided or supplied to Accelerant Research.

Sharing PII and Other Information Collected Through Accelerant Research’s Services with Third Parties

Accelerant Research will disclose PII and other information collected through Accelerant Research’s Services to third parties as follows:

With your consent, other than your consent to the processing and sharing described in this Privacy Policy and specifically this section.
Pursuant to applicable law or 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 Accelerant Research, including in order to protect the safety of an individual or to protect Accelerant Research’s rights and/or property.
Between various Panels if you sign up for more than one Panel.
To a parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of Accelerant Research: (i) in the event of a reorganization or restructuring, or (ii) for use and processing in accordance with this Privacy Policy or as authorized by you.
To authorized agents and/or subcontractors of Accelerant Research and/or of Accelerant Research’s clients, who are providing services, including, without limitation, data append services, data validation services, fraud detection and/or prevention services, database- matching services, coding services, data segmentation services, and reward, incentive, and sweepstakes related services.
To a client for limited market research related uses including, without limitation, modeling, validation, fraud detection and/or prevention, data append, database segmentation, and reward, incentive, or sweepstakes redemption, fulfillment, and/or entry in connection with your participation in or completion of a survey.
No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.
Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
In connection with a change of ownership or control, including, without limitation, a merger or an acquisition of any or all of Accelerant Research’s business assets, provided that the party receiving or acquiring the PII agrees to use, protect, and maintain the security, integrity, and confidentiality of PII in accordance with this Privacy Policy

Categories of Personal Information Sold or Shared by Accelerant Research

In the preceding 12 months, we have sold or shared the following categories of personal information:[MC1]

None

Categories of Personal Information Disclosed for a Business Purpose.

In the preceding 12 months, we have disclosed the following categories of personal information for a business purpose:

Information that identifies, relates to, describes, or is capable of being associated with, a particular individual, including, but not limited to, his or her education, employment, employment history, or medical information;
Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law;
Biometric information;
Geolocation data
Professional or employment-related information
Education information, defined as information that is not publicly available personally identifiable information as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA);
Inferences drawn from any of the information identified above to create a profile about a consumer reflecting the consumer's preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes; and
Sensitive personal information

Hiring of Third Parties to Recruit Individuals to use Accelerant Research’s Services

Accelerant Research may engage third parties to recruit individuals to use Accelerant Research’s Services including, without limitation, to join a Panel or participate in a survey. The recruitment activities may include, without limitation, the third-party placing banners or advertisements on websites or sending email communications offering the opportunity to join a Panel or participate in a survey. This Privacy Policy only applies to PII when Accelerant Research actually collects the PII and does not cover or apply to the recruitment activities performed by the third parties.

How to Opt Out of Certain Data Collection and/or Use?

There are multiple opt-out options for users of Accelerant Research’s Services:

Panel members may opt-out by: (i) clicking on the unsubscribe link contained in a survey invitation and following the instructions on the opt-out web page; or (ii) contacting us as set forth below.
You may opt out of email communications by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email you receive from us or contacting us as set forth below.
For text messages, you may reply STOP to opt out and HELP for assistance at any time.
To delete all information collected by Accelerant Research please contact Accelerant Research as set forth below.

How to Access the PII and Other Information Collected About You

You may request access to review, correct, delete or to object to the processing of your PII by contacting us as set forth below.

Collection of Data from Children

Accelerant Research will not knowingly collect any information from any child without permission from his or her parent or legal guardian.

Security Available for PII and Other Information Collected Through the Services

Accelerant Research maintains appropriate technical, administrative and physical safeguards to protect PII and other information disclosed or collected by Accelerant Research. Accelerant Research reviews, monitors and evaluates its privacy practices and protection systems on a regular basis. Notwithstanding the foregoing, transmissions over the Internet and/or a mobile network are not one hundred percent (100%) secure, and Accelerant Research does not guarantee the security of transmissions. Accelerant Research is not responsible for any errors by individuals in submitting PII to Accelerant Research.

Point of Contact for Questions or Complaints about this Privacy Policy

If you have any questions or complaints regarding Accelerant Research’s privacy practices and/or this Privacy Policy or want to communicate an opt-out request to Accelerant Research, or want to exercise your rights to access, review, correct, delete or object to the processing of PII, please contact us via email at:

Accelerant Research
1242 Mann Drive, Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105
info+privacy@accelerantresearch.com

California Consumers

You have the right under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA), and certain other privacy and data protection laws, as applicable, to exercise free of charge:

Disclosure of Personal Information We Collect About You

You have the right to know, and request disclosure of:

The categories of personal information we have collected about you, including sensitive personal information
The categories of sources from which the personal information is collected
The categories of third parties to whom we disclose personal information, if any –and–
The specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you
Please note that we are not required to:
Retain any personal information about you that was collected for a single one-time transaction if, in the ordinary course of business, that information about you is not retained
Reidentify or otherwise link any data that, in the ordinary course of business, is not maintained in a manner that would be considered personal information –or–
Provide the personal information to you more than twice in a 12-month period

Disclosure of Personal Information Sold, Shared, or Disclosed for a Business Purpose

In connection with any personal information we may sell, share, or disclose to a third party for a business purpose, you have the right to know:

The categories of personal information about you that we sold or shared and the categories of third parties to whom the personal information was sold or shared –and–
The categories of personal information that we disclosed about you for a business purpose and the categories of persons to whom the personal information was disclosed for a business purpose

You have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information or sharing of your personal information for the purpose of targeted behavioral advertising. If you exercise your right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, we will refrain from selling or sharing your personal information, unless you subsequently provide express authorization for the sale or sharing of your personal information.
To opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, email us with the subject line Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information here: info+privacy@accelerantresearch.com.

Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information

You have the right to limit the use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information to the use which is necessary to:

Perform the services or provide the goods reasonably expected by an average consumer who requests those goods or services
To perform the following services: (1) Helping to ensure security and integrity to the extent the use of the consumer's personal information is reasonably necessary and proportionate for these purposes; (2) Short-term, transient use, including, but not limited to, non-personalized advertising shown as part of a consumer's current interaction with the business, provided that the consumer's personal information is not disclosed to another third party and is not used to build a profile about the consumer or otherwise alter the consumer's experience outside the current interaction with the business; (3) Performing services on behalf of the business, including maintaining or servicing accounts, providing customer service, processing or fulfilling orders and transactions, verifying customer information, processing payments, providing financing, providing analytic services, providing storage, or providing similar services on behalf of the business; and (4) Undertaking activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of a service or device that is owned, manufactured, manufactured for, or controlled by the business, and to improve, upgrade, or enhance the service or device that is owned, manufactured, manufactured for, or controlled by the business –and–
As authorized by further regulations

You have a right to know if your sensitive personal information may be used, or disclosed to a service provider or contractor, for additional, specified purposes.
To limit the use of your sensitive personal information, email us with the subject line "Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information" here: info+privacy@accelerantresearch.com.

Right to Deletion

Subject to certain exceptions set out below, on receipt of a verifiable request from you, we will:

Delete your personal information from our records –and–
Delete your personal information from our records –and–
Direct third parties to whom the business has sold or shared your personal information to delete your personal information unless this proves impossible or involves disproportionate effort
Please note that we may not delete your personal information if it is reasonably necessary to:
Complete the transaction for which the personal information was collected, fulfill the terms of a written warranty or product recall conducted in accordance with federal law, provide a good or service requested by you, or reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship with you, or otherwise perform a contract between you and us
Help to ensure security and integrity to the extent the use of the consumer's personal information is reasonably necessary and proportionate for those purposes
Debug to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality
Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise his or her right of free speech, or exercise another right provided for by law
Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act
Engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws, when our deletion of the information is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of such research, provided we have obtained your informed consent
Enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with your expectations based on your relationship with us
Comply with an existing legal obligation –or–
Otherwise use your personal information, internally, in a lawful manner that is compatible with the context in which you provided the information

Right of Correction

If we maintain inaccurate personal information about you, you have the right to request us to correct that inaccurate personal information. Upon receipt of a verifiable request from you, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to correct the inaccurate personal information.

Protection Against Retaliation

You have the right to not be retaliated against by us because you exercised any of your rights under the CCPA/CPRA. This means we cannot, among other things:

Deny goods or services to you
Charge different prices or rates for goods or services, including through the use of discounts or other benefits or imposing penalties
Provide a different level or quality of goods or services to you –or–
Suggest that you will receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services

Please note that we may charge a different price or rate or provide a different level or quality of [goods and/or services] to you, if that difference is reasonably related to the value provided to our business by your personal information. We may also offer loyalty, rewards, premium features, discounts, or club card programs consistent with these rights or payments as compensation, for the collection of personal information, the sale of personal information, or the retention of personal information.

How to Exercise Your Rights

If you would like to exercise any of your rights as described in this Privacy Policy, you email us at info+privacy@accelerantresearch.com or write to us at:
Accelerant Research
1242 Mann Drive, Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105

Please note that you may only make a CCPA/CPRA-related data access or data portability disclosure request twice within a 12-month period.
If you choose to contact us directly by email or in writing, you will need to provide us with:

Enough information to identify you (e.g., your full name, address and customer or matter reference number);
Proof of your identity and address (e.g., a copy of your driving license or passport and a recent utility or credit card bill); and
A description of what right you want to exercise and the information to which your request relates.

We are not obligated to make a data access or data portability disclosure if we cannot verify that the person making the request is the person about whom we collected information or is someone authorized to act on such person's behalf. Any personal information we collect from you to verify your identity in connection with you request will be used solely for the purposes of verification.