Privacy Policy

Updated as of January 2023

I. Introduction 

KNow Research, LLC (“KNow Research,” or “we,” “us” and “our”) values your privacy and is committed to maintaining your trust.  We provide this Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies and procedures regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personally identifiable information received from visitors to and/or users of KNow Research’s website located at https://knowresearch.com/ (the “Website”) and provision of services online. KNow Research is a full-service, female-driven, insights consultancy on the front lines of research, delivering fresh insights through custom qualitative research design provided through its Website and/or by participating in KNow Research’s market research and design projects (collectively, the “Services”).   

II.         General Data Protection Regulation 

KNow Research is headquartered in California.  As a California-based company, we do not knowingly advertise in the European Union (EU), or market our Services to residents of the EU.  However, our Website does not restrict visitors from the EU; we do not have in place any protections to prevent EU residents from accessing our Website.  As a result, we provide the foregoing disclosure to EU data subjects.   

KNow Research’s processing1 of the Personal Information2, such as the name, address, email address, or telephone number of an EU data subject (hereinafter, “Personal Information” or “Personal Data”) that is voluntarily supplied by the individual, or supplied by an authorized third party,3 shall always be in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), and in accordance with the country-specific data protection regulations applicable to KNow Research.   

By means of this Privacy Policy, KNow Research would like to inform you of the nature, scope, and purpose of the Personal Information we collect, use and process, as defined herein.  Specifically, if you are an EU data subject visiting our Website, or participating in a research study, you are hereby informed, by means of this section of our Privacy Policy, of the rights to which you are entitled, and the recourse you may seek if you have any questions regarding the collection, use, and processing of Personal Information by KNow Research. You may email us with requests at hello@knowresearch.com

Your Privacy Rights under the GDPR  The GDPR includes the following rights for you, as an EU data subject, if you provide Personal Information to KNow Research in connection with accessing the Services or visiting our Website: 

  • The right to be informed about how we store, use, or share your data; 
  • The right to access your data; 
  • The right to rectify your data; 
  • The right to have us erase your data; 
  • The right to prevent us from processing your data; 
  • The right to request copies of your data from us in a commonly-used and machine-readable format, free of charge, for the purposes of transfer to a third party, where technically feasible; 
  • The right to object to use or sharing of your data; and 
  • The right not to be subject to automated decision-making, including profiling 

Legitimate Business Interest under the GDPR.   Our use of your Personal Information is based on the legitimate business grounds that: 

  • The use is necessary in order to fulfill our commitments to you under our Terms of Service or other agreements with you– for example, in order to enable access to our Website on your device;  
  • The use is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation;  
  • The use is necessary in order to protect your vital interests or those of another person or entity;  
  • We have a legitimate interest in using your information – for example, to provide and update our Website or Services, to improve our Website or Services so that we can offer you an even better user experience, to safeguard our Website or Services, to communicate with you, to measure, gauge, and improve the effectiveness of our advertising, and better understand user retention and attrition, to monitor and prevent any problems with our Services, and to personalize your experience; and/or 
  • You have given us your consent. 

Data Retention/Erasure.   We will retain your Personal Information for as long as needed to provide the applicable Services, or for a minimum period of four (4) years.  If, at any time after agreeing to this Privacy Policy, you: (1) change your mind about receiving information from us; (2) wish to revoke permission for us to retain and use your Personal Information; (3) wish to object to the processing of your Personal Information; or (4)  wish for us to erase a copy of your data, please make a request to KNow Research at admin@knowresearch.com.  If you request erasure of your data, we may retain some of your Personal Information only for legitimate business interests, such as fraud detection, prevention, and enhancing the safety of our Website; and to comply with our legal obligations, specifically our tax, legal reporting, and auditing obligations.  

Our Response to Your Requests.   If you make any requests regarding your Personal Information, we will not charge you for compliance with the request.  KNow Research will respond and comply within 30 days.  KNow Research reserves the right to refuse or charge for requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive.  If we refuse your request, we will tell you why we are refusing your request.  You have the right to complain to the relevant supervisory authority and to a judicial remedy, but you must do so within one month of our refusal.  

Data Controller.   KNow Research is the “data controller,” as defined under the GDPR, or the legal entity which determines the purposes and means of the processing of Personal Information of the customers of KNow Research and visitors to its Website.  KNow Research is responsible for collecting your consent, managing consent-revoking, enabling right to access, etc.  If you wish to revoke consent for us to store, use, or share your Personal Information, you may contact us at admin@knowresearch.com.  

Data Processor.   KNow Research is the “data processor,” as defined under the GDPR, or the legal entity which processes, as this term is defined here in footnote 1, your Personal Information.  KNow Research has not retained any third-party service provider to process your Personal Information.  Any processing of Personal Information shall be done solely by KNow Research.  KNow Research maintains records of any processing activities it performs, and is able to show how KNow Research complies with the data protection principles under the GDPR.  It has effective policies and procedures in place.  If you have questions regarding the processing of your Personal Data, you may contact us at hello@knowresearch.com

Data Protection Officer.  KNow Research is not formally required to designate a Data Protection Officer (“DPO”) because it is not: (1) a public authority; (2) an organization that carries out regular and systematic monitoring of individuals on a large scale; or (3) an organization that carries out large scale processing of special categories of data, such as health information or information about criminal convictions. You may contact Tara Thompson, Director of KNow Research.  Tara Thompson is responsible for data protection compliance and can answer any questions you may have about your Personal Information. Tara Thompson may be reached at admin@knowresearch.com.  

Breach.   KNow Research has reasonable internal policies and procedures in place to effectively detect, report, and investigate a data breach.  The GDPR defines a Personal Information breach as “a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, Personal Information.”  Pursuant to the GDPR, KNow Research will notify you of a Personal Information breach where the Personal Information breaches are likely to present a risk to data subjects to data protection authorities (“DPAs”) without undue delay, and within 72 hours if feasible, after becoming aware of the breach; and communicate high-risk breaches to affected data subjects without undue delay.  In the unfortunate event of breach, KNow Research shall provide you with: (i) contact details of the DPO or other contact person for KNow Research, (ii) a description of the nature of the breach, (iii) likely consequences of the breach, (iv) measures KNow Research has taken or proposes to take to address the breach, and (v) advice on steps data subjects can take to protect themselves. 

Note: Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).   KNow Research is not required to undergo a DPIA because KNow Research’s data processing is not likely to result in a high risk to data subjects, such as in cases where: (1) new technology is being deployed; (2) profiling operations may significantly affect individuals; or (3) processing is on a large scale and involves special categories of data.  If you have any questions regarding DPIA compliance by KNow Research, you may contact us at hello@knowresearch.com

Complaints.  Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, every EU data subject shall have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of his or her habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement of the data subject considers that the processing of Personal Information relating to him or her infringes this Regulation. 

III. Use, Processing, and Sharing of Personal Information 

The following information applies to anyone who shares with us his, her, or a third-party’s4 Personal Information5.  We may use, process,6 and/or share your Personal Information (and we have done so in the past 12 months): 

  • To respond to your inquiries and your requests regarding our Website or Services. 
  • To send you information regarding our services and changes to our terms, conditions, and policies.  
  • To send you marketing communication and newsletters about our Services. 
  • To inform you and allow you to participate in our KNow Research’s promotions, contests and/or sweepstakes.   
  • To collaborate with business affiliates, partners, vendors, or service providers to provide you with our Services. 
  • In connection with our business purposes, as described above, including but not limited to data analysis, audits, fraud monitoring and prevention, developing or enhancing new and existing products and/or services, expanding our business activities, etc.  

We will not use and/or share your Personal Information: 

  • With anyone except for KNow Research’s authorized service providers,7 business affiliates,8 and business partners9, and strictly for business purposes; or unless we specifically inform you, and give you an opportunity to opt out of sharing your Personal Information.   
  • To run interest-based advertising campaigns that collect Personal Information such as email addresses, telephone numbers, and credit card numbers. 
  • To use or associate Personal Information with remarketing lists, cookies, data feeds, or other anonymous identifiers. 
  • To use or associate targeting information, such as demographics or location, with any Personal Information collected from the ad or its landing page. 
  • To share any Personal Information with Google or third-party companies through our remarketing tag or any product data feeds which might be associated with our ads. 
  • To send Google or third-party companies precise location information without obtaining your consent.

However, we reserve the right to disclose Personal Information that we believe, in our sole discretion, to be necessary or appropriate in the following circumstances: 

  • As required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, or similar legal process. 
  • When we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request. 
  • To enforce our Terms of Service. 
  • To allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain. 

For more information on how KNow research and its partner’s use your personal information please review the written information security plan (“WISP”) incorporated to this Privacy Policy as Exhibit A.  

IV.        Collection of Other Information 

Personally Non-Identifiable Information:   We may collect personally non-identifiable information, including but not limited to demographic data, age, education level, profession, geographic location or gender, from you when you choose to use our Services. This information is not, by itself, sufficient to identify or contact you.  KNow Research may store such information, or it may be included in databases owned and maintained by partners, affiliates, agents, or service providers of KNow Research.  KNow Research may use such information and pool it with other information to track data related to growing the business, such as the total number of visitors to our Website and the domain names of our visitors’ Internet service providers.   

Protected Health Information (“PHI”) and HIPAA:  

The Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) provides specific protections for the privacy and security of Protected Health Information (“PHI”) and restricts how PHI is used and disclosed by Covered Entities and its Business Associates. 

KNOW RESEARCH IS NOT A COVERED ENTITY OR A BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AND DOES NOT INTEND TO OPERATE AS A COVERED ENTITY OR BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AS SUCH TERMS ARE DEFINED UNDER HIPAA. ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION THAT YOU PROVIDE TO THE KNOW RESEARCH IS NOT CONSIDERED PHI UNDER HIPAA. 

This Website is not intended to be used to communicate protected health information in accordance with our Terms of Service. Should you decide to share information regarding your past, present, or future physical or mental health conditions, we cannot guarantee that your information sent through this Website or transmitted to us via any other platforms we use to offer you Services, including but not limited to Zoom.com, will be kept secure and protected.  If you share any such information through the Website or any other avenue we use to provide you with Services, you herein agree that you do so at your own risk.  Specifically with regard to the sharing of any Personal Information, including health information, with KNow Research over Zoom.com, you herein agree to Zoom.com’s Privacy Statement (https://explore.zoom.us/en/privacy/) and Terms of Service (https://explore.zoom.us/en/terms/). 

Location-Based Information.   Our Service may use location-based services in order to locate you so we may verify your location, deliver you relevant content based on your location as well as to share your location with our vendors as part of the location-based services we offer. We may, from time to time, provide settings in the Services that permit you to disable location-based services. Changing setting options may not result in immediate changes to the settings, which are subject to our operations and maintenance schedules. Users should carefully consider the use of such settings to improve information display options and to ensure the settings are properly set and functioning in the manner desired. Notwithstanding the availability of privacy preference settings, you should be aware that these settings are for convenience only, do not employ complex data security protection and may not be error free. However, please note that we will only directly provide third parties we work with access to your exact location information if you first give us permission to do so. You should consider the risks involved in disclosing your location information to other people. 

Passively Collected Information:   Your visit to our Website may allow us to obtain certain additional, personally non-identifiable information that is collected passively using various technologies.  This information includes but is not limited to, for example, IP addresses, browser types, date and time of page views, location information associated with your IP address, domain names, your interactions to an ad delivered by us or our ad technology partners and other anonymous statistical data involving your use of the Website and/or our services.  This information cannot presently be used to specifically identify you.   

Aggregated Personal Data:   KNow Research may analyze your Personal Information provided through the Website or in connection with rendering the Services, in aggregate form.   This aggregate information does not identify you personally.   We may share this aggregate data with our partners, affiliates, agents, or service providers for business purposes.   We may also disclose aggregated statistics to explain our Services to current and prospective business partners, and to other third parties for other lawful, business-related purposes.  

Research Sessions:  For data obtained during research studies, all data (including Personal Information) is stored on secure platforms in the cloud. We keep transcripts and recordings of our sessions for no more than 1 year unless there is a business or legal reason to do so as described in this Privacy Policy. Your address and phone number are deleted from our files after the research study concludes.  

V.         Website Tracking   

We may, either directly or through third party companies and individuals we engage to provide services to us, also: 

  • Track your use of our Website and the Services for purposes of our own customer support, analytics, research, product development, fraud prevention, risk assessment, regulatory compliance, investigation, etc. 
  • Track your behavior on our own Website and use of the Services to market and advertise our services to you on our Website platform and third-party websites.  You may opt out of receiving advertisements by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative (http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/) and/or the Digital Advertising Alliance (http://www.aboutads.info/choices/).  Please note that even if you choose to opt-out of receiving targeted advertising, you may still receive advertising on the Services, generally.  The advertising will simply not be targeted or specific to your interests. 

VI.        Tracking Technologies on our Website 

KNow Research may use the foregoing technologies to track your activity on our Website: 

Cookies.   When you visit our Website or otherwise interact with the Service, we may send one or more “cookies” to your computer or other devices.  Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers stored on your computer through your web browser and are used by most websites to help personalize your web experience.  Some cookies may facilitate additional site features for enhanced performance and functionality such as remembering preferences, allowing social interactions, analyzing usage for site optimization, providing custom content, allowing third parties to provide social sharing tools, and serving images or videos from third party websites.  Some features on this site will not function if you do not allow cookies.  We may link the information we store in cookies to any Personal Information that you submit while visiting our Website.   

We may use both session ID cookies and persistent cookies.  A session ID cookie expires when you close your browser.  A persistent cookie remains on your hard drive for an extended period of time.  Persistent cookies enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our site.  

Functional cookies, persistent and session type, store information to enable core site functionality, such as Live Chat and Client ID remembrance. 

Analytics cookies allow us to count page visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site and our marketing campaigns. 

Advertising cookies may be set through our Website by our advertising partners. Data may be collected by these companies that enable the companies to serve up advertisements on other sites that are relevant to your interests.  

If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, there is a simple procedure in most browsers that allows you to automatically decline cookies, or be given the choice of declining or accepting the transfer to your computer of a particular cookie (or cookies) from a particular site.  You may also wish to refer to https://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/index.html.   

If you reject cookies, you may still use our site, but some features on the site will not function properly. 

Web Beacons.   Web beacons are electronic files that signal when a webpage, advertisement, video, other content, an email or newsletter has been viewed.  They are usually invisible to you.  We may use web beacons alone or in conjunction with cookies to compile information about our Service.  Web beacons may be used within the Service to track email open rates, web page visits or form submissions.  In some cases, we tie the information gathered by web beacons to your Personal Information to gauge the effectiveness of certain communications and our marketing campaigns. 

Log Files.   A Log File is a file that records either events that occur in an operating system or other software runs, or messages between different users of a communication software.  Log file information is automatically reported by your browser or mobile application each time you access the Website or our Services.  Along with cookies and web beacons, log files help provide additional functionality to the Website and Services and help us analyze Website and Services usage more accurately.  We and our third-party tracking-utility partners may use log files on our Service to gather automatically gather and store information including, but not limited to, internet protocol (“IP”) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data, for business purposes.  We may use Google Analytics, which uses cookies and other similar technologies to collect and analyze information about the use of the Service and report on activities and trends.  This service may also collect information regarding the use of other websites, apps and online resources.  You can learn about Google’s practices by going to www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/, and opt out of them by downloading the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Embedded Scripts.   An embedded script is programming code that is designed to collect information about your interactions with the Service, such as the links you click on. The code is temporarily downloaded onto your Device from our web server or a third-party service provider, is active only while you are connected to the Service, and is deactivated or deleted thereafter. 

Browser Fingerprinting. Collection and analysis of information from your Device, such as, without limitation, your operating system, plugins, system fonts and other data, for purposes of identification. 

ETag, or entity tag. A feature of the cache in browsers. It is an opaque identifier assigned by a web server to a specific version of a resource found at a URL. If the resource content at that URL ever changes, a new and different ETag is assigned. Used in this manner ETags are a form of Device Identifier. ETag tracking may generate unique tracking values even where the consumer blocks HTTP, Flash and/or HTML5 cookies. 

VII.       Children    

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) and its accompanying FTC regulation protects the privacy of American children aged 13 and under, who are using the Internet.  The GDPR sets the age at which an EU child can give their own consent in order to process their Personal Data at 16 years of age.   

The Website and our related Services are not intended for anyone under 16, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under the age of 16.  Anyone aged 16 or under should not submit any Personal Information without the permission of their parents or guardians.  Parents or guardians may, on behalf of their children, submit their children’s Personal Information.  By using the Website and our related Services, you are representing that you are at least 16 years old and that you have the relevant legal authority to submit your Personal Information or that of a third-party minor, to KNow Research or on KNow Research’s Website. 

In the United States, KNow Research will only serve American children and handle children’s Personal Information with the express written consent of their parents or guardians.  Parents or guardians may, on behalf of their children, register their children with KNow Research so as to receive Services from KNow Research, and/or include their child(ren) in recorded Zoom.com sessions with KNow Research.  In the course of doing so, children may transmit their Personal Information to KNow Research.   

Accordingly, to the extent that a child under 13 years of age participates in the Services with parent or guardian written consent, the foregoing PARENTAL NOTICE REGARDING THE CHILDREN’S ONLINE PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT (“COPPA”), explains our information collection, disclosure, and parental consent practices with respect to information provided by children, and uses terms that are defined throughout this Privacy Policy.  This policy is in accordance with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”).  Under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), we must provide you with direct notice before collecting Personal Information from your child.  For more information about COPPA, please visit https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/privacy-and-security/children%27s-privacy.  For an outline of our practices in the United States regarding collection of children’s Personal Information.   

Audiovisual Files Your Child/Children’s Likeness or Image.  Effective July 1, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) updated COPPA to reflect changes in technology, and now considers a photograph, video, or audio file containing a child’s image or voice to be a child’s Personal Information. Upon your request and with your written permission, KNow Research may use Zoom.com to record sessions when we provide Services to you and/or your child(ren).  In those sessions, your child(ren) might share their Personal Information with KNow Research. KNow Research then transmits to you and/or your children an electronic file of the recording, and the recorded audiovisual file is saved in KNow Research’s Zoom.com account, accessible only by KNow Research, for a period of 90 days before being automatically deleted.  The Federal Trade Commission may classify this transmission and storage of your child’s audiovisual recording as “collecting” and “disclosing” your child’s Personal Information, and to that extent KNow Research herein: 

  1. Posts this clear and comprehensive online Privacy Policy describing KNow Research’s information practices for Personal Information collected online from children, such as during participation in recorded Zoom.com sessions with KNow Research; 
  2. Along with the Customer Agreement, provides direct notice to parents and obtains verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information online from children; 
  3. Gives parents the choice of consenting to KNow Research’s collection and internal use of a child’s information, but avows not to disclose that information to third parties (unless disclosure is integral to KNow Research’s business purposes*, operation of the Website, or provision of the Services, as indicated in this Privacy Policy; 
  4. Provides parents access to their child’s Personal Information to review and/or have the information deleted, upon written request to admin@knowresearch.com
  5. Gives parents the opportunity to prevent further contact with a child, or prevent further use or online collection of a child’s Personal Information, upon written request to admin@knowresearch.com
  6. Maintains the confidentiality, security, and integrity of information KNow Research collects from children, including by taking reasonable steps to release such information only to parties capable of maintaining its confidentiality and security; 
  7. Retains personal information collected online from a child for only as long as is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected and delete the information using reasonable measures to protect against its unauthorized access or use**; and 
  8. Does not condition a child’s participation in an online activity, such as the recorded Zoom.com sessions with KNow Research, on the child providing more information than is reasonably necessary to participate in said activity. 

* We only share or disclose Personal Information collected from a child/children for a limited number of business purposes, including the following: 

  • We may share information with our service providers if necessary for them to perform a business, professional, or technology support function for us. 
  • We may disclose Personal Information if permitted or required by law, for example, in response to a court order or a subpoena. To the extent permitted by applicable law, we also may disclose Personal Information collected from children (i) in response to a law enforcement or public agency’s (including schools or children services) request; (ii) if we believe disclosure may prevent the instigation of a crime, facilitate an investigation related to public safety or protect the safety of a child using our sites or applications; (iii) to protect the security or integrity of our sites, applications, and other technology, as well as the technology of our service providers; or (iv) enable us to take precautions against liability. 

** Retention of Information.   In any instance that we collect Personal Information from a child, such as when you expressly permit your child to participate in a recorded Zoom.com session with KNow Research or otherwise transmit your child’s Personal Information to KNow Research in connection with the provision of Services, we will retain your child’s Personal Information only so long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the provision of our Services, or as required by law.  In the event we discover we have collected information from a child in a manner inconsistent with COPPA’s requirements, we will either delete the information or immediately seek the parent’s consent for that collection.  For those who choose to record their sessions with KNow Research, the audiovisual file remains in KNow Research’s Zoom.com account for 90 days, and then is automatically deleted.  KNow Research is the only party who has access to KNow Research’s Zoom.com and the recorded audiovisual files.  

VIII.      Links to Other Websites    

This Privacy Policy does not address, and we are not responsible for the privacy, information or other practices of any third parties.  This Privacy Policy applies only to this Website and KNow Research’s Services.  It does not apply to any third-party sites, and the inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement of the linked site or service by us or by our affiliates. 

We are not responsible for the collection, usage and disclosure policies and practices (including the data security practices) of other organizations, such as Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft, RIM or any other app developers, app provider, social media platform provider, operating system provider, wireless service provider or device manufacturer, including any Personal Information you disclose to other organizations through or in connection with the Website, app, or Services.  

IX.        Security    

We maintain reasonable and appropriate, although not infallible, security precautions.  However, we cannot guarantee that hackers or unauthorized personnel will not gain access to your Personal Information, despite our reasonable efforts.  You should note that in using the Website, app, and/or our related Services, your information will travel through third-party infrastructures which are not under our control.  Please feel free to raise any questions, concerns or specific directions you may have regarding the privacy and security of your information to hello@knowresearch.com

X.         Data Retention 

We will retain your Personal Information for four (4) years, or as long as needed to provide the applicable Services.  Our data retention period may change in the future if a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. 

XI.        Do Not Track    

Your browser setting may allow you to automatically transmit a “Do Not Track” signal to websites you visit.  KNow Research’s Website does not respond to “Do Not Track” signals or other mechanisms from a visitor’s browser.  If, in the future, we create a program or protocol to respond to such web browser “Do Not Track” signals, we will inform you of the details of that protocol in this Privacy Policy.  To find out more about “Do Not Track,” please visit https://www.allaboutdnt.com.  

XII.       Advertising/Google Ads 

On this Website, KNow Research may provide you ads through Google Ads. Google Ads is a service for Internet advertising that allows the advertiser to place ads in Google search engine results and the Google advertising network. Google Ads allows an advertiser to pre-define specific keywords with the help of which an ad on Google’s search results only then displays when the user utilizes the search engine to retrieve a keyword-relevant search result. In the Google Advertising Network, the ads are distributed on relevant web pages using an automatic algorithm, taking into account the previously defined keywords. 

The operating KNow Research of Google Ads is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043-1351, United States. 

The purpose of Google Ads is the promotion of our website by the inclusion of relevant advertising on the websites of third parties and in the search engine results of the search engine Google and an insertion of third-party advertising on our website. 

If a data subject reaches our website via a Google ad, a conversion cookie is filed on the information technology system of the data subject through Google. The definition of cookies is explained above. A conversion cookie loses its validity after 30 days and is not used to identify the data subject. If the cookie has not expired, the conversion cookie is used to check whether certain sub-pages, e.g, the shopping cart from an online shop system, were called up on our website. Through the conversion cookie, both Google and the controller can understand whether a person who reached a Google Ads ad on our website generated sales, that is, executed or canceled a sale of goods. 

The data and information collected through the use of the conversion cookie is used by Google to create visit statistics for our website. These visit statistics are used in order to determine the total number of users who have been served through Google Ads ads to ascertain the success or failure of each Google Ads ad and to optimize our Google Ads ads in the future. Neither our KNow Research nor other Google Ads advertisers receive information from Google that could identify the data subject. 

The conversion cookie stores personal information, e.g. the Internet pages visited by the data subject. Each time we visit our Internet pages, Personal Information, including the IP address of the Internet access used by the data subject, is transmitted to Google in the United States of America. Personal Information is stored by Google in the United States of America. Google may pass these Personal Information collected through the technical procedure to third parties. 

The data subject may, at any time, prevent the setting of cookies by our website, as stated above, by means of a corresponding setting of the Internet browser used and thus permanently deny the setting of cookies. Such a setting of the Internet browser used would also prevent Google from placing a conversion cookie on the information technology system of the data subject. In addition, a cookie set by Google Ads may be deleted at any time via the Internet browser or other software programs. 

The data subject has a possibility of objecting to the interest based advertisement of Google. Therefore, the data subject must access from each of the browsers in use the link www.google.com/settings/ads and set the desired settings. 

Further information and the applicable data protection provisions of Google may be retrieved under https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/

XIII.      Analytics 

Google Analytics.  We and our third-party tracking-utility partners use log files on our Service to automatically gather certain information, including but not limited to internet protocol (“IP”) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data, for analytics purposes.  Specifically, we analyze trends, administer the site, track users’ movements around the Website, and gather demographic information about our user base as a in the aggregate.  We and our third-party tracking-utility partners use log files on our Service to automatically gather certain information, including but not limited to internet protocol (“IP”) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream data, for analytics purposes.  Specifically, we analyze trends, administer the site, track users’ movements around the Website, and gather demographic information about our user base as a in the aggregate.   

On this Website, KNow Research has integrated the component of Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a web analytics service. Web analytics is the collection, gathering, and analysis of data about the behavior of visitors to websites. A web analysis service collects, inter alia, data about the website from which a person has come (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages were visited, or how often and for what duration a sub-page was viewed. Web analytics are mainly used for the optimization of a website and in order to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of Internet advertising. 

The operator of the Google Analytics component is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043-1351, United States. 

The purpose of the Google Analytics component is to analyze the traffic on our website. Google uses the collected data and information, inter alia, to evaluate the use of our Website and to provide online reports, which show the activities on our websites, and to provide other services concerning the use of our Internet site for us. 

Google Analytics places a cookie on the information technology system of the data subject. The definition of cookies is explained above. With the setting of the cookie, Google is enabled to analyze the use of our website. With each call-up to one of the individual pages of this Internet site, which is operated by the controller and into which a Google Analytics component was integrated, the Internet browser on the information technology system of the data subject will automatically submit data through Google Analytics component for the purpose of online advertising and the settlement of commissions to Google. During the course of this technical procedure, the enterprise Google gains knowledge of Personal Information, such as the IP address of the data subject, which serves Google, inter alia, to understand the origin of visitors and clicks, and subsequently create commission settlements. 

The cookie is used to store Personal Information, such as the access time, the location from which the access was made, and the frequency of visits to our Website by the data subject. With each visit to our Internet site, such Personal Information, including the IP address of the Internet access used by the data subject, will be transmitted to Google in the United States of America. Personal Information is stored by Google in the United States of America. Google may pass these Personal Information collected through the technical procedure to third parties. 

The data subject may, as stated above, prevent the setting of cookies through our Website at any time by means of a corresponding adjustment of the web browser used and thus permanently deny the setting of cookies. Such an adjustment to the Internet browser used would also prevent Google Analytics from setting a cookie on the information technology system of the data subject. In addition, cookies already in use by Google Analytics may be deleted at any time via a web browser or other software programs. 

In addition, the data subject has the possibility of objecting to a collection of data that is generated by Google Analytics, which is related to the use of this Website, as well as the processing of this data by Google and the chance to preclude any such. For this purpose, the data subject must download a browser add-on under the link https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout and install it. This browser add-on tells Google Analytics through a JavaScript, that any data and information about the visits of Internet pages may not be transmitted to Google Analytics. The installation of the browser add-ons is considered an objection by Google. If the information technology system of the data subject is later deleted, formatted, or newly installed, then the data subject must reinstall the browser add-ons to disable Google Analytics. If the browser add-on was uninstalled by the data subject or any other person who is attributable to their sphere of competence, or is disabled, it is possible to execute the reinstallation or reactivation of the browser add-ons. 

Further information and the applicable data protection provisions of Google may be retrieved under https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/ and under http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html. Google Analytics is further explained under the following Link https://www.google.com/analytics/

XIV.     Your California Privacy Rights    

California “Shine the Light” Law 

Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83, California customers are entitled to request information relating to whether a business has disclosed Personal Information to any third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes.  This code section applies to businesses with 20 or more full or part-time employees.  At this time, KNow Research does not need to comply with this law, but does so voluntarily in an effort to assure you that we value your privacy. 

You may request and obtain from us once a year, free of charge, certain information about the Personal Information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year.  If applicable, this information would include a list of the categories of Personal Information that was shared and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared information in the immediately preceding calendar year.  If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to admin@knowresearch.com

California Consumer Privacy Act 

Organizations who are subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) must provide a clear and conspicuous link titled “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” on their homepage and in their privacy policy in order to meet the requirements of the new CA privacy law effective as of January 1, 2020.  The law applies to businesses with over $25 million in revenue, those handling information from 50,000 consumers, or deriving 50%+ annual revenue from selling consumer personal information.  At this time, KNow Research does not need to comply with this law, but does so voluntarily in an effort to assure you that we value your privacy. KNow Research “sells” information as defined under CCPA for research participants who explicitly consent and the sharing of your personal information is disclosed to the sponsor of the research study. You may opt out of KNow Research’s sale of your personal information at any time by emailing us at admin@knowresearch.com. Under the CCPA, “personal information” is defined to include  information that identifies or relates to a particular consumer or household including, but not limited to, name, postal address, email address, IP address, social security number, personal property records, purchasing histories, biometric information, internet activity such as browsing or search history, geolocation data, employment information, education information and inferences drawn from this information, in so far as it is not publicly available information.  KNow Research’s “sale” of personal information is broadly defined by the law to include selling, renting, releasing, disclosing, disseminating, making available, transferring or otherwise communicating orally, in writing, or by electronic or other means, a consumer’s personal information by the business to another business or a third party for monetary or other valuable consideration.  In other words, most business to business transfers of personal information will fall within the definition of a sale. 

KNow Research has provided visitors to our Website with a link to an Internet Web page on our Website enabling visitors to opt out of the “sale” of their “personal information.”  Our Website also contains a recognizable and uniform opt-out logo or button to promote consumer awareness of the option to opt-out.  Please feel free to access both for more information and to effectively opt out. 

Additionally, if you are a California resident age 16 or older, as of January 1, 2020, the CCPA gives you certain rights with respect to the processing of your personal information. 

1. RIGHT TO KNOW REQUEST – Under the CCPA, you may have a right to request information about our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information over the prior 12 months, and ask that we provide you with the following information:  

  • Categories of and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you. 
  • Categories of sources from which we collect personal information. 
  • Purposes for collecting, using, or selling personal information. 
  • Categories of third parties with which we share personal information. 
  • Categories of personal information disclosed about you for a business purpose. 
  • If applicable, categories of personal information sold about you and the categories of third parties to which the personal information was sold, by category or categories of personal information for each third party to which the personal information was sold. 

2. RIGHT TO DELETE REQUEST – You may also have a right to request that we delete personal information, subject to certain exceptions.  They can be invoked if it is necessary for KNow Research to maintain the personal information pursuant to the exception.

  • Transactional: Complete the transaction for which the personal information was collected, provide a good or service requested by the consumer, or reasonably anticipated within the context of a business’s ongoing business relationship with the consumer, or otherwise perform a contract between the business and the consumer. 
  • Security: Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity; or prosecute those responsible for that activity. 
  • Errors: Debug to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality. 
  • Free Speech: 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. 
  • CalECPA Compliance: Comply with the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act 
  • Research in the Public Interest: 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 the businesses’ deletion of the information is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of such research, if the consumer has provided informed consent. 
  • Expected Internal Uses: To enable solely internal uses that are reasonably aligned with the expectations of the consumer based on the consumer’s relationship with the business. 
  • Legal Compliance: Comply with a legal obligation. 
  • Other Internal Uses: Otherwise use the consumer’s personal information, internally, in a lawful manner that is compatible with the context in which the consumer provided the information. 

Absent an exception, under the CCPA, we have 45 days to comply with your request. 

3. DISCLOSURES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION FOR BUSINESS PURPOSE – In the preceding 12 months, we may have disclosed certain personal information to the categories of recipients listed in Section III of this Privacy Policy for one or more business purposes.  If you are a California resident 16 years of age or older and would like to make a verifiable request for information about the personal information we have collected about you or a request for deletion of such personal information, please submit your request in writing to hello@knowresearch.com

XV.      Changes    

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time for any reason, at our sole discretion.  We will notify you of any material changes to our Privacy Policy by posting the new Privacy Policy on our Website, and emailing you a copy of the revised Privacy Policy or a link to it.  You are advised to consult our Website regularly for any changes.  

XVI.     Incorporation into Terms of Service 

By using or accessing the Website or the Services, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy, and you are consenting to our processing of your information as set forth in this Privacy Policy and as amended by us. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into, and considered a part of, KNow Research’s Terms of Service. 

XVII.    Opt-Out Policy    

If, at any time after registering, you change your mind about receiving information from us or about the use of information volunteered by you, or if you prefer that we do not share your Personal Information with third parties for marketing purposes, please contact us at admin@knowresearch.com.  

XXII.    Contact Us    

If you have any questions or concerns relating to our use of your Personal Information, please email admin@knowresearch.com.  

Additionally, you may reach us by postal mail at: 

KNow Research LLC
50 California, Suite 1500
San Francisco, CA 94111

Footnotes

  1. [1] Processing.   “Processing” covers a wide range of operations performed on personal data, including by manual or automated means. It includes the collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction of personal data.  See Article 4(2) and (6) of the GDPR.
  2. [2] Personal Information.   “Personal Information” may include, but is not limited to information that identifies you as an individual or relates to an identifiable person, such as name, postal address, telephone number, email address, etc.  KNow Research does not collect any Personal Information from visitors to its website that is not voluntarily provided.  KNow Research only collects your Personal Information when you use KNow Research’s Services, and when you send KNow Research communications in connection with your use of the Services. 
  3. [3] Third Party Personal Information.   We may obtain your Personal Information from third parties, such as third parties with whom we affiliate in providing KNow Research’s services.  If you provide KNow Research with Personal Information about third parties, you warrant to KNow Research that any Personal Information that you provide to KNow Research about any third party individuals was obtained by you with full consent, that you have the legal authority to provide us with such information, and that the individual has not communicated to you that they wish to opt out of receiving communications from KNow Research or having KNow Research collect information about him or her.
  4. [4] Third Party Personal Information.   We may obtain your Personal Information from third parties, such as third parties with whom we affiliate in providing KNow Research’s services.  If you provide KNow Research with Personal Information about third parties, you warrant to KNow Research that any Personal Information that you provide to KNow Research about any third party individuals was obtained by you with full consent, that you have the legal authority to provide us with such information, and that the individual has not communicated to you that they wish to opt out of receiving communications from KNow Research or having KNow Research collect information about him or her.
  5. [5] Personal Information.   “Personal Information” may include, but is not limited to information that identifies you as an individual or relates to an identifiable person, such as name, postal address, telephone number, email address, etc.  KNow Research does not collect any Personal Information from visitors to its website that is not voluntarily provided.  KNow Research only collects your Personal Information when you use KNow Research’s Services, and when you send KNow Research communications in connection with your use of the Services. 
  6. [6] Process.   “Processing” covers a wide range of operations performed on personal data, including by manual or automated means. It includes the collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction of personal data. 
  7. [7] Authorized service providers are companies that perform certain services including, but not limited to, fulfilling orders, processing credit card payments, delivering packages, providing customer service and marketing assistance, performing business and sales analyses, supporting the functionality of the Services, and supporting contests, sweepstakes, surveys and other features we offer, on our behalf.  These service providers may have access to your Personal Information, but to the extent necessary to perform or fulfill their business purpose.  We do not permit them to share or use any of your Personal Information for any other purpose.
  8. [8] Affiliate businesses are those businesses with whom we may affiliate to sell our products or Services.  We may share information we collect, including Personal Information, with affiliated businesses.  Sharing such information with our affiliates enables us to provide you with information about a variety of products and Services that might interest you.  We instruct all affiliated businesses to comply with applicable privacy and security laws and, at a minimum, in any commercial email they send to you, to give you the opportunity to choose not to receive such email messages in the future.
  9. [9] Business partners are typically merchants offering the products, services, promotions, contests and/or sweepstakes in connection with or somehow related to our own products and Services.  We will not share your Personal Information with business partners unless you choose to participate in their offer or program.  When you choose to engage in a particular offer or program, you authorize us to share your email address and other Personal Information with the relevant business partner.