In the 2-post series discussing tips to care for your data security as a survey participant, we bring you the final post today. This post explains why and when you should care about your personal data retention and archival. And when to report your data privacy concerns.

Read along and learn the proven ways to secure your personal and sensitive data when participating in online surveys.

You can read the first post with 5 tips to secure your sensitive information here[ https://opinionest.com/blogs/your-privacy-matters-as-a-survey-participant.-here-s-how-to-protect-it] 

Ways You Can Keep Your Privacy Intact as A Survey Participant

6.     Learn Consent Policy and Opt-Out Options

Know that when you’re participating as a survey respondent, whatever you provide to the panel will be stored somewhere. And chances of your data getting exposed are high. Having said that, if the panel or the research company doesn’t seek your consent in the form, you shouldn’t submit your details.

In case consent is sought, read along the terms and conditions mentioned in part-1 of this series. You should also be able to revoke your consent and opt out at any point. The panel or the brand should empower you to seek data removal in all circumstances without any questions asked.

The consent to opt in and the power to opt out, if clear and available, show that your data is in safe hands.

Most research programs collect personal data directly from you. But in certain cases, a study might collect your data from a third party, like family members, caregivers, coworkers, supervisors, etc. In such cases, you should authorize the research facility and third party to seek and provide data, respectively.

Also, learn 7 precise steps to start with a survey platform to make easy money online.

7.     Protect Your Identity

Learn to participate like a pro in online surveys. To hide your real name, you can create pseudonyms or use your initials. Check with the panel company if they agree with the same, though. You might like to create an email address that doesn’t reflect your birthday, name, or location.

However, to avoid creating a fake identity, maintain legit information like your gender, age, location, education, and employment details. These are the primary dimensions brands use to aggregate data and analyze the results. A brand would never use your name, mobile number, and email address for this purpose.

Use a safe and known internet connection. Don’t click on fishy links, and never participate in a survey that makes tall promises of making you rich in a day (or weeks). Steer clear from a survey that demands a participation fee or your bank details.

Here are some more tips to find legit surveys.

8.     Understand Reported Data

The ultimate goal of market research is to report consumer data to analyze a brand’s current business plan and formulate future ones accordingly. For this, the reported data is always in the aggregated form. That means your personal data won’t appear in any of the reports.

Aggregated data shows numbers and percentages measured against age group, location, profession, etc., but never against an individual. This ensures masking your identity in the population.

However, there still stands a viable chance for someone to recognize your identity with some analysis when the population is tiny. For instance, in an employee survey with only a sample strength of 100, your department might have only 10 members, and you’re 1 of the 2 female employees. So, responses can be tracked back to your profile.

If you see a potential threat to your personal data in a survey this way, reach out to the survey panel or the brand.

9.     Know the Archival Process

Before you key in your demographic details, learn about the data archival process of a survey panel or a market research company. The company must specify how the company will store your personal and other survey data and for how long. They should also mention in what format the company will store it and dispose of this data in the stipulated time.

The shorter the duration of your stored data, the better.

Most governments and governing bodies define data retention periods based on certain criteria. You might like to check if your survey panel abides by such regulations. Also, learn if your personal data will be stored separately from the survey data in the archive or at least should be masked to not reveal sensitive information.

And lastly…

10. Report Privacy Concerns

Once you start participating in online surveys, your emails point you to the page where you can read your rights as a participant. This page also informs you of the privacy policy and terms and conditions under which your data is collected. If an email or a survey app doesn’t point you to such a repository, reach out to the brand or panel before completing a survey.

If you think any policies may harm your data privacy or a survey isn’t following the terms and conditions mentioned on their website, drop the survey panel from your list or report the breach.

Most countries, regions, and states have governing laws, bodies, and authorities that look into such concerns. For instance, GDPR takes care of users’ data belonging to the EU and imposes policies on any organization worldwide dealing with Europeans’ data.

About to hop away? Check these 5 survey mistakes respondents make quite often while filling out surveys.

Before We Wrap Up…

Opinionest, one of the best online survey sites, aims to provide respondents a safe panel. And by discussing in length about your data’s safeguard and vigilance, we feel we have empowered you with the steps to make an informed decision about data sharing.

If you haven’t explored these tips earlier, it’s not late yet. Utilize them and participate in surveys without hesitation. Your data needs utmost care, and we promise the same when you participate in surveys with us. Check out our free registration page to participate in studies.