Privacy policy for panelists

Select panel type

Privacy policy for members of the media panel

This Policy is addressed to individuals who have completed the recruitment process for the research project and signed an agreement with us to participate in the Gemius Media Panel, receiving a research device – a smartphone. The software installed on the smartphone sends data to us.

We process the data of individuals who take part in the recruitment but are not selected for the study in accordance with the rules set out in the section “What if I’m not selected?” at the bottom of this page.

The full version of the privacy policy was provided as part of the agreement between you and us. In case of any discrepancies between this version and the policy shared with you in the agreement, the version included in the agreement shall prevail.

Purpose of the media panel (“Project“)

The purpose of the media panel is to statistically describe who the users of websites, apps, streaming services, radio and television are, as well as users of mobile and desktop devices, and the audience reached by advertising campaigns — including those conducted outdoors.

Participants in the study are called panelists. The project data is presented in the form of statistics, and it is not possible to determine how you personally use any platform based on these statistics

Who is the controller for the processing of personal data?

Joint controllers for the processing of personal data in the context of the Media Panel project in Turkey are GEMIUS ARAŞTIRMA VE DANIŞMANLIK HİZM.LTD.ŞTİ., based in Turkey (Maslak Mah. Taşyoncası Sk. T4 Apt. No:1U/B186, Sarıyer, 34398 Istanbul) and Gemius SA, based in Poland (ul. Domaniewska 48, 02-672 Warsaw). Within the scope of joint responsibility:

GEMIUS ARAŞTIRMA VE DANIŞMANLIK HİZM.LTD.ŞTİ. is the contact for the panelist and the contractual partner,
Gemius SA processes personal data for statistical purposes in connection with the study,
all inquiries regarding data processing and the exercise of user rights should be directed to GEMIUS ARAŞTIRMA VE DANIŞMANLIK HİZM.LTD.ŞTİ. at the e-mail address paneltr@gemius.com.

For what purpose and for how long is the data processed?

Purpose of processing	Legal basis	Retention period
Performance of the agreement, ensuring the functionality of the Project, including technical support	Article 6(1)(b) GDPR – performance of a contract	Duration of the agreement
Compliance with tax regulations related to the transfer of smartphone ownership	Article 6(1)(c) GDPR – legal obligation	Until the legal obligation expires (10 years)
Analysis of user behaviour for statistical research purposes	Article 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest of the data controller	Duration of the study
Short-term processing after the end of the agreement to deactivate the software	Article 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest of the data controller	A few days after the agreement ends until the technical deactivation of the software. Usually 3–5 days, but may take longer, e.g. if the WLAN connection is weak.
Methodological development of the media panel study	Article 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest of the data controller	Duration of the study or until objection
Invitation to extended participation in the study in the context of scientific research (not direct marketing)	Article 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest of the data controller	Duration of the study or until objection
Establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims	Article 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest of the data controller	Until claims become time-barred

What information do we collect about you?

Below, we explain what information we collect directly from you and what data is collected automatically from the smartphone we provided to you.

Data collected during recruitment

This may include:

Socio-demographic information, such as education level, age, gender, income, region of residence, media equipment, and use of the Internet, radio, and television;
Household details, including household size, address, income, number of media users, and available media equipment and usage;
Information about shopping preferences or patterns of internet use;
Identification data, such as your name, postal address, or ID card number;
Contact information, including postal address, email address, or phone number.

Automatically collected data from the smartphone

The smartphone sends data about how you use the Internet and what ads you are exposed to. This includes:

Information about TV and radio channels and advertisements you encounter, collected via 'Sound matching' technology (described below);
Your online identifiers: Gemius cookies, panelist name, operating system and browser version, screen resolution;
A modified IP address that prevents identification of the full IP address;
Data about visited websites (URLs along with the time they were accessed);
Data about ads displayed while using the Internet or apps;
Data about apps used on the phone, including process names, start and end times of usage for each 'screen' within each app;
GPS location data from the smartphone;
Technical and configuration information about the smartphone and operating system, network connection parameters, including wireless networks (e.g., Bluetooth), and battery consumption parameters.

What is the “Sound Matching“ technology?

“Sound Matching“ technology is used to recognize radio and TV stations. It consists in the fact that the Smartphone changes the sound samples taken at certain intervals into numerical values and sends these values to us. We compare them with similar samples created from the signal received from TV and radio stations.

It is not possible to reproduce the content of a conversation or other sounds from this technology - we can only check whether the sample matches a database of known radio and TV signals. Such a solution is commonly used in media research and music recognition applications.

How can you help us keep your data up to date?

To ensure the reliability of our data, we need your support in keeping your information current. That's why we ask you to:

Let us know if your contact or address details change – just email us at paneltr@gemius.com. In some cases, we may ask for additional confirmation of your identity to update your data securely.
Complete any update or supplementary surveys we send you. These surveys help us keep your socio-demographic information accurate.

Sharing information with data recipients

We may share data with:

other companies in the Gemius Group (including subsidiaries of Gemius S.A.) that follow the same data protection guidelines;
research partners who cooperate with us to improve our research methodology and supplement our data (e.g. academic institutions or research companies);
providers of technical services who support us in data storage, communication services, technical support services, and companies involved in recruiting or managing the panel;
business partners who use the data for research and statistical purposes only, and only in accordance with the goals of the Project. The data is shared in a pseudonymised or anonymised form to prevent direct identification.

If data is transferred to recipients outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure appropriate safeguards in accordance with the GDPR. This may include the use of standard contractual clauses or relying on a European Commission adequacy decision confirming an adequate level of data protection.

What are your rights?

You have the right to withdraw any consents you have given at any time (in such case, the agreement will be terminated and we will ask you to return the Smartphone).

You also have the right to request the deletion of your data (if this happens while the agreement is still in force, we will also ask you to return the Smartphone), the correction of your data, restriction of its processing, and access to your data.

You can also request to transfer your data, or object to its processing.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at paneltr@gemius.com.

You have the right to lodge a complaint

If you believe we are not acting in accordance with this Privacy Policy or are violating data protection laws, you may file a formal complaint with the relevant data protection authority.

Is providing data necessary?

Providing your personal data is voluntary. However, if you choose not to provide the required information, we will not be able to enter into the agreement with you or provide you with a Smartphone.

Do we use your data to predict your interests or create a profile of you?

No, we do not use your data for profiling or to predict your interests. We analyze it solely for the statistical purposes of the Project.

Contact regarding data processing and the Data Protection Officer

If you have any questions or concerns about data processing, you can contact us at paneltr@gemius.com. We have appointed a Data Protection Officer, who can be reached at the same address.

Updates to this Policy

We protect users' rights and freedoms in accordance with the law. If we make a significant change to this Policy, we will make every effort to inform you at least 14 calendar days before the change takes effect.

What if I’m not selected for the panel?

Your personal data is processed based on the same principles as described above, with the following differences:

Your data is processed for the purpose of running the panel recruitment process, and to establish or defend claims related to payments to companies that help us carry out parts of that process.
We only collect the data needed at each stage of recruitment. For example, at the beginning we only have your contact details. At later stages, you may provide more specific information. Right before confirming your participation in the panel, we may already have a full set of data (as described earlier in this document).
The legal basis for processing your data is your consent to take part in the recruitment process, and our legitimate interest in managing payments to the companies that support us with recruitment.
We keep your data during the recruitment process, and then — for settlement purposes — until the end of the half-year period following 6 months after the recruitment process ends.
You don’t have to provide your data — but if you don’t, we won’t be able to complete the recruitment process and invite you to the panel.