New guide on fair use of data

ESOMAR and the Global Research Business Network (GRBN) announce the release of two new complementary guidelines that further strengthen the ethical standard framework you can use when working with primary data Collection and ensure you meet your duty of care.

Recognising your duty of care

It is high time to refresh our commitments and ensure our standards keep up with an ecosystem where data science is mainstreaming and leading to a dramatic increase in the volume of personal data, much of it behavioural being collected and applied. The recognition of the potential value to societies and economies is only possible when responsible and ethical use of personal data occurs. In this context, these two documents are vital to industry progress in recognising our clear duty of care to those whose personal data we use in our projects.

Finn Raben, Director General of ESOMAR

Drafted to support you

These practical documents provide essential support to insights and analytics practitioners and the organisations that work with them. They will help you navigate important issues you encounter in your daily work.

The new guidance futureproofs ethical and professional practice when the collection and use of data continue to accelerate facilitated by new technologies. It reinforces the importance of maintaining trust with participants and supports practitioners to comply with existing and emerging legislation.

Trust is fundamental to the future of your community

Trust is a fundamental to the future of our industry; trust by the general public, by clients and by regulators. Researchers’ ethical behaviour, especially with regard to privacy and the use of personal data, is central to maintaining and building this trust, and these two guidelines provide researchers with the essential guidance they need.

Andrew Cannon, Executive Director, GRBN

Primary Data Collection

The Primary Data Collection guideline guides practitioners and organisations when they collect data directly from or about a data subject for the purpose of their data, research and insights projects.

Duty of Care

The Duty of Care guidance reminds practitioners and organisations of their responsibilities to the privacy and well-being of their data subjects and outlines the key expectations taking into account established ethical and legal requirements.