This policy explains how Opubliq collects, uses and protects your personal information when you use our products, including our web applications (e.g., our electoral data exploration tool and its associated respondent panel).
1. Who we are
Opubliq, a company based in Québec, is responsible for the personal information collected through its products.
Person in charge of the protection of personal information:
Hubert Cadieux, President and CEO
info@opubliq.com
For any question, complaint, or request for access, correction or withdrawal regarding your personal information, please contact the person in charge of the protection of personal information at the address above.
2. What we collect
This policy applies to all Opubliq products and forms (newsletter, respondent panels, surveys, etc.). Depending on the form you complete, we may collect:
- Your email address, to send you our newsletter and/or invite you to take part in research studies (panel).
- Your answers to surveys or questionnaires, if you consent.
The specific purpose (newsletter, panel, sharing with Opubliq clients conducting commercial studies, etc.) is always stated at the time of collection, with a separate checkbox for each purpose.
Sensitive information: some answers (e.g., political opinions or leanings) constitute sensitive information within the meaning of Québec’s Law 25 if they are linked to your identity. We only link them to your identity if you give separate, express consent to do so.
- Retention: for as long as you remain registered. You may request that your information be removed at any time (see section 7), and we periodically review inactive registrations.
- Hosting: cloud infrastructure (Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services) hosted in a Canadian region. If this changes to hosting outside Canada, this policy will be updated accordingly.
3. Data from public sources
For its analyses, Opubliq also uses data published by public bodies, for example Statistics Canada census data and data released by Élections Québec. When such data includes personal information, we use it without names, solely for study, research or statistical purposes, and we take measures to limit any risk of re-identification.
The results we provide to our clients relate to geographic areas (for example an index by postal code or neighbourhood) and do not allow anyone to be identified. We do not compile lists of individuals from this data and we do not cross-reference it with the list of electors. This data is hosted in Québec.
4. How we obtain your consent
We only collect your personal information with your free and informed consent:
- Every checkbox tied to a collection purpose is unchecked by default; you must check it yourself.
- Each purpose (newsletter, panel participation, sharing with Opubliq clients, linking your answers to your identity) has its own separate checkbox; checking one does not automatically check the others.
- You may withdraw your consent at any time (see section 7).
5. Sharing with third parties
We only share your information with third parties (for example, Opubliq clients conducting their own research studies) if you explicitly consented to it at the time of collection. Such sharing takes place under a written agreement that ensures the protection of your information.
We never sell your personal information for advertising purposes unrelated to our research activities.
6. Security and hosting
Your information is stored in separate systems for each product, with access limited to the people who need it to operate the service.
7. Your rights
At any time, you may:
- Withdraw your consent, in whole or in part (e.g., stay subscribed to the newsletter but leave the panel).
- Request access to the information we hold about you.
- Request a correction of inaccurate information.
- Request deletion of your information.
- Request portability of your information (receive a copy in a structured format).
To exercise any of these rights, write to the person in charge of the protection of personal information at the address given in section 1. We will respond within the time limits set by law.
Every email we send you also contains an unsubscribe link, processed within 10 business days.
8. Governance and complaint handling
- Roles: the person in charge of the protection of personal information approves our personal information policies and practices, is consulted from the start of any project involving personal information, and carries out a privacy impact assessment before it is launched. Access to information is limited to team members who need it for their duties.
- Retention and destruction: we keep information only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. We review our datasets at least once a year and destroy or anonymize those that are no longer needed, in accordance with the law.
- Incidents: every confidentiality incident is recorded in a register. If it presents a risk of serious injury, we notify the Commission d’accès à l’information and the persons concerned.
- Complaints: write to the person in charge of the protection of personal information (section 1). We acknowledge receipt within 5 business days and respond in writing within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, particularly when we add new products. The date of the last update appears at the top of the page. Significant changes to existing collection purposes will be communicated to you directly if we have your contact information.
10. Contact us
Hubert Cadieux, President and CEO
info@opubliq.com
Opubliq inc., Montréal, Québec
In the event of any discrepancy between this translation and the French version, the French version prevails.