Privacy Policy

  1. ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ON THE TREATMENT OF PERSONAL DATA OF PANELLISTS 

The data controller is Kantar, Worldpanel division ("Kantar Worldpanel"), registered in Malaysia under Kantar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. with company number 19285-V and have our registered office address at Suite 16.02, 16.03 & 16.05 (Level 16), Centrepoint North, The Boulevard, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

We run panels (the "panel") which are representative groups of people who complete a specific study over a period of time, rather than a one-off study. The participants in these panels are referred to as panel members or panellists (the "Panellists"). 

Panellists' data is collected by Kantar Worldpanel when the Panellists register for and participate in panels and/or one or more studies. This data is used in research studies and is collected using a range of methods including, but not limited to: surveys, barcode scanners, capturing images of receipts, online and paper registration forms and questionnaires, cookies, AdID and data collected from third parties. 

The purposes pursued by these data processing operations are to carry out studies and analyses and to monitor the Panellists' lifestyle and consumption habits, their behaviour and opinions. These studies, analyses and follow-ups enable Kantar Worldpanel clients to refine their knowledge of existing and prospective customers and improve their products, services or marketing.  

Kantar Worldpanel attaches particular importance to the protection of personal data and the privacy of its Panellists. Kantar Worldpanel defines personal data as any information related to a person that can be used to directly or indirectly identify the individual which may include sensitive personal data as the same is defined under the Malaysian Personal Data Protection Act 2010 ("PDPA"). 

This Privacy Policy (the "Privacy Policy") explains to Panellists how Kantar Worldpanel uses and protects their personal data.  

The Privacy Policy applies to personal data provided to Kantar Worldpanel by Panellists. By registering and accepting these terms, you confirm that you have read the terms of this Privacy Policy. Kantar Worldpanel recommends that Panellists carefully read through this Privacy Policy. 


Kantar Worldpanel collects information in several ways, including but not limited to from our site, our mobile application and other Panellist activities such as barcode scanners, apps and surveys. Examples of these activities are explained below and include, amongst others:

Registration: some personal data is gathered when you register, such as names, email address, postal address, telephone number in order to assess in particular eligibility for the various panels: age (including date of birth), gender, occupation, information on the composition of the household (surnames and given names of the persons making up the household), working status, information about their lifestyle and buying and consuming behaviour. 

The personal data is provided to Kantar Worldpanel by the Panellist on a voluntary basis, including with the consent of all other adults and legally responsible household members, where applicable. This is necessary for the validation of Panellists' registration and for the assessment of eligibility for the various consumer panels. All responses to the registration form are mandatory in order to participate in one of the panels and/or one of the studies. Whilst the provision of Panellists' personal data to Kantar Worldpanel is voluntary, if consent to the processing of personal data is not provided, Panellists will not be able to be part of the panel with Kantar Worldpanel and/or to take part in any studies.

Panel Studies or Research Activities: personal data may also be collected from you when you participate in Kantar Worldpanel consumer panel or in a research study: Within the framework of Kantar Worldpanel consumer panels and/or studies, the Panellist will be required to answer questionnaires, and possibly, to use tools to scan purchases in order to provide Kantar Worldpanel information on their consumption, behaviour and/or consumer opinion. 

What Kantar Worldpanel do with your data: 

While participating in the panel, Kantar Worldpanel use the information that the Panellists provide for the following tasks: 

We have set out below more detailed information about how we use your personal data. We are also required by law to explain the legal basis for processing your personal data. These legal bases are listed below and could be different for each case: 

We will never misrepresent ourselves or what we are doing. If you receive an email that concerns you, purporting to be from us, please let us know through the contact details as set out in the "How to Contact Us" section below. 

Case 

Purpose 

Data collected/processed 

Market Research 

To understand your views about certain products and services or to understand your behaviour in different situations. 

Identifier, contact details, email address, voice, image, opinion. 

Scientific Research for Academics, Public Health Organisations or Research Council institutes 

Including but not limited to health economics and outcomes research, real world research (RWR). 

Identifier, contact details, email address, health data, e.g. disease, health status, diagnose, treatment pattern, unmet needs 

Scientific Research for Commercial Companies and Charitable Research Organisations 

Including but not limited to health economics and outcomes research, real world research (RWR). 

Identifier, contact details, email address, health data, e.g. disease, health status, diagnose, treatment pattern, unmet needs 

Public Disclosure 

To share or disclose pursuant to judicial or other government subpoenas, warrants, orders or pursuant to similar and other legal or regulatory requirements, in which case we will provide such information to the appropriate authorities.  

Identifier, name, contact details, email address, incentive received.  

Fraud Protection 

Protection of our business interests against fraudulent behaviour or behaviour not in line with our Terms and Conditions. 

IP address, browser specifications, device specifications, postal addresses, email addresses, phone number, identification numbers 

Panel ID for Disaggregated data 

When you participate in our studies, we typically use a fixed panel member ID. When disaggregated data is shared with a client we may create a temporary ID for this 3rd party so that they do not see your panel member ID. 

This allows clients to match profile answers to behaviours without having access to your panel member ID 

Temporary unique client project specific identifier 

Survey Participation Uniqueness 

Prevention of multiple entries in surveys by the same individuals in line with our Terms and Conditions. 

IP address, browser specifications, device specifications 

Tracking of the Answers of Recurring Respondents (special research design projects) 

When you participate in our surveys, we typically use a temporary ID which makes your answers in the survey anonymous to our clients. However, some of our clients have the specific research design and need to understand how your opinion has evolved over a period of time. For this specific project type that we call "tracking" projects, we will use persistent IDs and we will make this clear at the beginning of each of these surveys. Your survey responses will be considered as personal data and you will have the right to access them. Such projects will contain a notice on the very first page of the survey, so that you can identify them and decide whether or not to take part. 

Persistent unique project-specific identifier 

Data Matching and Enrichment 

We enrich the data we hold on file about you by matching your personal data with third parties. First, we work with selected 3rd parties and may utilise matching services (i.e. third parties who are specialized in data management) to acquire additional information about you from public and private data sources (such as data segmentation specialists and content subscription services with whom you have an account) or to use your personal data as an aid to develop additional or new types of anonymous data sets (i.e. we compile your aggregate data with data from other consumers to create a new lifestyle segment). Second, the matching service (our partner) holds the personal data we share for a short time, uses it to assemble the additional information, and then return the combined information to us. Partners are contractually bound to delete the data we share with them and are not authorised to use it in any way other than for this specific purpose. 

Persistent unique identifier, contact details, email address, social login, cookie, Advertising Identifier, mobile device ID, official identification number (i.e. ME number) 

Advertising Targeting and Media Buying Research 

We use your personal data to help our clients and vendors enrich their data by using lookalike modelling techniques. 

Thanks to your participation in our surveys and your profile data, we can help our clients to improve their advertising targeting, and to create better online advertising models, through lookalike modelling or similar research methodologies. We will use your personal data that we collect about you through profile building, participation in research surveys or data matching to match with third-parties and platforms (our partners). 

We include contractual safeguards to ensure that you will not automatically be targeted for commercial purposes, as a result of your data being used to help create a lookalike audience, and that our partners cannot use your data for any other purpose.   

Persistent unique identifier, contact details, email address, social login, cookie, IP address, Advertising Identifier, mobile device ID, official identification number (i.e. ME number) 

Ad Exposure and Measurement 

In addition to cookie-based matching (which you can control and consent to via your panel account), we will use personal data you provide to us, such as email address, in a direct matching process with third parties (our clients and partners) to determine if you are a user of that service (such as social networks, websites, mobile apps) for advertising measurement research purposes. We will identify what advertisements you may have been exposed to on those sites and platforms and measure how these have impacted sales. The third parties that we work with are not allowed to use the data for any other purpose.  

Persistent unique identifier, contact details, email address, social login, cookie, IP address, Advertising Identifier, mobile device ID, official identification number (i.e. ME number) 

Our third-party partners (whether within or outside of Malaysia) are all contractually bound to keep any information they collect and disclose to us, or that we collect and disclose to them, confidential and must protect it with security standards and practices that are equivalent to our own and must be law-abiding. 

Where We Store Your Personal Data 

For personal data which is subject to the EU GDPR and PDPA and transferred to a country or territory outside Malaysia, we shall put adequate safeguards in place to ensure the transfer is made by a lawful and secure method for purposes of compliance with the PDPA. For data which is not subject to the EU GDPR and PDPA, Kantar Worldpanel shall strictly comply with the requirements of any other applicable data protection laws. 

Kantar Worldpanel's data storage servers are located in Europe and in the United States of America (USA) and are managed by third party service providers in the cloud. Data may be stored or accessible for data processing in India by technology staff. Please note that we may utilize the services of our third party service providers (whether within or outside of Malaysia) from time-to-time, in which case Panellists' personal data may be disclosed to them. 

We take appropriate technological and organisational measures to protect your personal data, both during transmission and once we receive it. Our security procedures are consistent with generally accepted standards used to protect personal data. 

All our employees are contractually obliged to follow our policies and procedures regarding confidentiality, security and privacy. 

Your account information and personal data are password-protected or accessed through an agreed authentication so that only you have access to your information. In order to keep your personal data safe, we recommend that you do not divulge your password or details of authentication to anyone. Kantar Worldpanel will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or in an unsolicited email. Also, please remember to sign out from your account where possible and close your browser window when you have finished visiting our site. This is to ensure that others cannot access your personal data and correspondence if you share a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place. Please change your password regularly. 


Some of the data collected can qualify as 'sensitive' personal data. For reference, 'sensitive' personal data in general is considered to be personal data consisting of racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning health or physical condition of a person or data concerning a natural person's sex life or sexual orientation.  

Occasionally, we may ask about such sensitive personal data in our questionnaires where answering these is subject to your explicit consent.  

Failure to respond to these questionnaires will not affect your panel membership. We will never insist on Panellists providing sensitive data that is not part of our standard datasets, although a survey on, for example, a medical condition would require that you answer whether you have this condition.   

Due to the nature of the panel task, we expect Panellists to declare all relevant purchasing, some of which could be classified as 'sensitive' (for example, purchasing of paracetamol may indicate you have a headache). We will never identify purchases of 'sensitive' products at an individual level but may produce summarised reports based on such purchases.  

Collection and transfer of Panellist's data upon termination of membership in one of the panels and/or one of the studies 

Upon receipt of a request to leave a panel, Kantar Worldpanel may ask the Panellist to answer a very short questionnaire to understand the reasons why the Panellist wishes to terminate their membership. Answering is optional, but allows Kantar Worldpanel to improve the management of its consumer panels and studies for future members. 

Kantar Worldpanel will store personal data for a reasonable period of time after termination of membership to: 

 

Whenever Kantar Worldpanel handles personal data as described above, regardless of where this occurs, Kantar Worldpanel takes steps to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Unfortunately, no data transmission can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal data, Kantar Worldpanel cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or from our online products or services, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission, we will take reasonable steps to ensure our systems are secure.   

Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your passwords and/or any account information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you're online. 

We adhere to the standards and industry requirements, including the MRS (Market Research Society).

 

Cookies are small text files stored on your computer by a website that assigns a numerical user ID and stores certain information about your online browsing. They are used by web developers to help users navigate their websites efficiently and perform certain functions. The website sends information to the browser which then creates a text file. Every time the user goes back to the same website, the browser retrieves and sends this file to the website's server.  

For behavioural tracking research, we use optional cookies/software applications, but only if you have given your explicit consent to such cookies/applications.  

For more information on the use of cookies on the Kantar Worldpanel Sites and the possibility of opposing their use, see the list of Cookies from Kantar Worldpanel within the Cookie Policy. 

 

We take reasonable steps to keep personal data in our possession or control accurate, complete and current, based on the most recent information made available to us by you and/or by our clients. 

We rely on you to help us keep your personal data accurate, complete and up-to-date by answering our questions honestly. You are responsible for ensuring that you notify us of any changes to your personal data. 

To advise of any changes, please visit the "Contact Us" section on the panellist website or refer to the "How to Contact Us" section below.  

 

Kantar Worldpanel recognizes the need to provide further privacy protections with respect to personal data collected from children. We never knowingly invite children under the legal age set by the authorities in the country in which you reside to be the main household shopper within our panel. However, we may ask main shoppers who have children to participate in tasks which they are rewarded for. If it is necessary and appropriate to a particular project to directly involve children under the legal age, we take measures to ensure we have been given permission by their parent or legal guardian. Kantar Worldpanel will provide parents and guardians information about the survey topic, about any personal or sensitive information which may be collected from the children, the way this data will be used and whether and with whom Kantar Worldpanel may share such information on a study by study basis. 

Consent will be obtained through email or webpage. We will explain what information we are collecting, how we plan to use it, how the parent can provide consent, and how the parent can revoke consent. If no consent is received, the child will not be able to participate in the task. While the child is taking part in the panel activities, it is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to supervise them. 


To request access to personal data that we hold about you, you should submit your request in writing to the e-mail address or postal address as shown below in the "How to Contact Us" section. 

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data: 

We shall also notify third parties to whom we have transferred your personal data of any changes that we make on your request. Note that while Kantar Worldpanel communicates with these third parties, Kantar Worldpanel is not responsible for the actions taken by these third parties to answer your request. You may be able to, subject to the policies and procedures of these third parties, access your personal data held by these third parties and correct, amend or delete it where it is inaccurate. 

As required by ISO 9001, and in certain instances the law, our electronic systems are backed up and archived. These archives are retained for a defined period of time in a strictly controlled environment. Once expired, the data is deleted and the physical media destroyed to ensure the data is erased completely. 

The Panellist may exercise the rights defined above by contacting Kantar Worldpanel, via the "Contact Us" section of the website, or the details in the "How to Contact Us" section below. 

 

Kantar Worldpanel studies observe long-term consumer behaviour requiring a ten-year history of Panellists' purchasing patterns, including purchases and demographics. Panellists' purchasing and demographic data is therefore kept for a minimum period of ten years from the date a panellist terminates their panel membership. However, data that is unnecessary for our research, in particular contact details and all personally identifiable data (for example names, phone numbers and emails), will be deleted five years from the date of termination on a monthly basis. This data is stored for this pre-defined length of time to ensure we do not re-invite Panellists for a reasonable length of time after termination and this data will not be passed on to any third parties. 

 

We reserve the right to change, add, amend or remove portions from this Privacy Policy at any time. You should read this page regularly to ensure you are updated of any changes. However, if any material change is made to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you of that change. Non-material changes to this Privacy Policy will be announced through the site only. Your continued membership of the panel and services after such changes conclusively demonstrates your consent to any changes. 

We will always display the most up-to-date policy on our website. 

We keep our Privacy Policy under regular review. This Privacy Policy was last updated on 1st November 2019.  

 

Kantar Worldpanel tries to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information. We encourage people to bring it to our attention if they think that our collection or use of information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate. We would also welcome any suggestions for improving our procedures. 


If you have any questions regarding our management of your personal data or if you want to request information about our Privacy Policy, you can write to: 

Panel.MY@Kantarworldpanel.com (attention to Panel Management Manager)

You can also notify us by email to Panel.MY@Kantarworldpanel.com (attention to Panel Management Manager) or call our toll free number at 1-800-18-1272 if you have provided us with your personal details and you:

(a) do not wish your personal data to be used in a manner described above, in which case, in submitting your request, we would be grateful if you set out your specific objections to any use; or

(b) wish to have access to the personal data we hold about you. If the information is inaccurate, incomplete or irrelevant, we shall correct or delete it after discussing the matter with you.