Definitions

“Panel” means the market research database which includes all the Panelists. Panels may be:

- “Open panel” means that Panelists may be invited to participate in external Client surveys through the Syno platform;

- “Closed panel” means that Panelists may be accessed to participate in surveys through the Syno platform only by the panel owner Client.

“Panel App” means the mobile application through which Panelists may access their panel account, surveys, rewards, and related functionalities via a mobile device.

“Behavix” means an optional behavioral analytics and fraud-prevention technology used to assess interaction patterns, device signals, and approximate location data for research quality and engagement purposes.

“Panelists” means individuals who are part of a Panel and have agreed to be invited to and participate in Surveys, market research activities, opinion polls, etc.

Panelists may opt-out from registration in the Panel and using other services, such as Surveys, market research, etc. at any time and for any reason.

“Panel site” means a website where individuals can register to become Panelists.

“Pseudonymized data” means information that cannot directly identify a person without additional separate data, processed solely for statistical and analytical purposes.

“Region of Syno” defines the territory of any company belonging to the Syno group.

“Respondents” means Panelists or other members and individuals who participate in market research, Surveys, public opinion polls or other market research activities.

“Survey” means online market research surveys where Respondents participate and provide opinions and answers about a market, supply, demand, products, goods, services, offers, consumers, customers, vendors and various other aspects.

Other definitions have the same meaning as it is indicated in the Privacy policy on https://www.synoint.com/privacy-policy/.

Data protection roles

1. Syno as Data Controller (for Syno-owned panels).

   Syno acts as an independent Data Controller for personal data processed in connection with Syno-owned and operated panels and platforms, as well as for research projects and surveys conducted under Syno’s own account. In these cases, Syno determines the purposes and means of processing, including: panelist registration and account management; profile and incentive management; fraud prevention and quality controls; platform security and logging; service communications; cookie/identifier operations on Syno properties; and pseudonymized/aggregated audience analytics and segment creation as described in the Privacy Policy.

2. Syno as Data Processor (for client-managed panels and surveys).

   Where Syno provides its systems, platforms, or tools for use by Clients to operate their own panels, collect data, or run surveys, Syno processes personal data solely on the documented instructions of the Client acting as the Data Controller. In such cases, Syno acts as the Client’s Data Processor in accordance with the applicable data-processing terms and does not determine the purposes or means of processing.

3. Clients as Independent Controllers (their surveys).

   Each Client that designs and runs a survey (or other research activity) determines the purposes and means of processing data for that activity and therefore acts as an independent Data Controller of the survey data it collects. For such activities, Syno processes personal data on the Client’s documented instructions within Syno systems and acts as the Client’s Data Processor, in accordance with the applicable data-processing terms.

4. No joint controllership (unless expressly agreed).

   Syno and Clients are not joint controllers unless a written agreement explicitly states otherwise. Where a survey links to a Client or third-party site, that party’s privacy notice applies for the data collected there.

Exercising your rights.

Panelists may exercise GDPR/UK GDPR/CCPA rights regarding Syno-controlled processing by contacting data.protection@synoint.com. For survey-specific data controlled by a Client, requests should be addressed to the relevant Client indicated in the survey invitation or questionnaire; Syno will assist the Client as required by law.

Key Characteristics of a Panel

Pre-Recruited Members: Individuals are selected and agree in advance to be part of the panel.

Ongoing Participation: Panel members participate in multiple surveys or research activities over time.

Targeted Selection: Members are often chosen based on demographics, behaviors, or other criteria relevant to the research objectives.

Incentives: Participants are usually incentivized through rewards, compensation, or other benefits to ensure engagement and participation.

Data Quality: Panels are managed to maintain high data quality and reliability, with measures in place to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Uses of Market Research Panels

Consumer Insights: Understanding consumer preferences, attitudes, and behaviors.

Product Testing: Evaluating new products or services before launch.

Brand Perception: Gauging brand awareness and perception among the target audience.

Advertising Effectiveness: Measuring the impact of advertising campaigns.

Trend Analysis: Tracking changes in consumer trends over time.

How to register to the Panel?

If individuals intend to use Panel services and become Panelists, they must register with a Panel site and provide various information and data about themselves. For example, first of all they need to fill in e-mail, postal code, year of birth, gender, etc. When registration is confirmed, the user is asked to answer profiling questions about education, hobbies, type of work, etc. These questions can be various and depend on the type of Panel.

If individuals or Panelists have any questions, they can ask by e-mail membersupport@synoint.com.

The most important thing is that the information which individuals provide about themselves must be right, true, correct and complete, by no means Panelist should provide professional advice or trade and/or disclose material nonpublic information.

If individuals provide information which may raise doubts, then permission to use Panel services and requests for reward can be suspended at any time.

This registration process into Panels is voluntary.

Use of Panel App and Optional Features. If a Panelist chooses to install and use the Panel App, the Panelist acknowledges and agrees that their personal data shall be processed by Syno for the same purposes and under the same conditions as apply to the panelist web portal, including account management, survey participation, rewards, fraud prevention, and research quality assurance. Where enabled by the Panel owner and accepted by the Panelist, optional features such as Behavix may be activated, allowing the processing of behavioral signals and approximate location data (e.g. IP-derived location) for quality control, fraud prevention, engagement analytics, and gamification purposes.

Important: Panelists and Respondents must be at least over 16 (sixteen) years old, unless different legal requirements are applicable in the country of the Panel, or have parental consent to participate in Panel activities must be presented.

Important: Panelists and Respondents must be at least 16 (sixteen) years old, unless different legal requirements are applicable in the country of the Panel, or have parental consent to participate in Panel activities must be presented.

Why is it useful to register into the Panel, participate in a Survey and what opportunities it opens up?

When individuals register into Panels, they are described as Panel members – Panelists.

Panelists have opportunities to participate in Surveys, market research, public opinion polls, other market research activities (in this case they are described as Respondents). They can freely, unrestrictedly and at ease express opinions.

Furthermore, it is an opportunity to influence market decisions.

It is also possible to receive messages and newsletters about Panel news, statistics, offers, etc.

Participation in Surveys, market research, public opinion polls, other market research activities are voluntary.

Panelists and Respondents may earn points, which can be redeemed for various rewards or cash. The earned points are personal, and Panelists and Respondents cannot transfer them to anybody else. At the beginning of a Survey or other market research activities, Respondents will receive information about the number of points that it is possible to earn. Respondents can earn points for fully completed interviews. The participation in Panel may not be remunerated or there might be used other forms of remuneration upon case by case.

If Panelists or Respondents breach these Terms all the points or incentives which have been earned may be lost.

Rewarding process might be varied in each case, depending on the exact Panel terms, Panel owner terms, research conditions, the terms of the Survey, etc.

How to opt-out from registration and services?

Panelists may opt-out from registration in the Panel and using other services, such as Surveys, market research, etc. at any time and for any reason.

Panelists need to follow procedures in their panelist account or send a request to the e-mail indicated in the Panel site, or you can ask for information by e-mail through membersupport@synoint.com.

Integration with other systems

Panels which belong to Syno systems and platforms may be integrated with other market research marketplaces. These cooperation partners help us to provide more Survey opportunities and to provide better access to Panel services. Please read more about our cooperation partners and processing purposes in Syno’s Privacy Policy (https://www.synoint.com/privacy-policy/) and Cookie Policy (https://www.synoint.com/cookies-policy/). The current list of trusted partners is regularly updated there.

Audience Analytics, Segment Creation and Trusted Partners

Syno may use pseudonymized profile data of Panelists and Respondents to support audience segmentation, data modeling, and analytics-based market activation. This includes using your survey responses, behavioral indicators, or technical identifiers (such as device or cookie IDs) to create research-based audience segments and statistical profiles.

This pseudonymized data may be shared with selected third-party partners, including audience analytics providers, market research firms, advertising platforms, and data activation vendors. These partners are contractually obligated to use the data solely for specified purposes, under confidentiality and data protection obligations. No directly identifying personal data (e.g., your name, email, or address) will ever be shared.

The data may be used to form audience groups such as “technology early adopters” or “eco-conscious consumers” that support improved audience insights and more relevant research or advertising outcomes.

A regularly updated list of partners involved in these activities is available via Syno’s legal section and may be accessed at: https://www.synoint.com/legal-and-quality/

Behavioral and technical data collected via optional tools (such as Behavix), including interaction patterns and approximate location data, may form part of pseudonymized analytics and audience segmentation processes, strictly without direct identification of Panelists.

By joining the Syno Panel, you acknowledge that Syno processes your pseudonymized data under its legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) for audience analytics and market activation. This is an intrinsic part of panel participation. You may object at any time by contacting data.protection@synoint.com or by closing your Panel account. Where optional tools or mobile-specific features are enabled, Panelists may withdraw from such optional processing at any time by disabling the feature, uninstalling the Panel App, or contacting data.protection@synoint.com, without affecting their core panel membership unless such processing is essential for fraud prevention.

How to ensure proper use of the Panel?

Activities in Panels must comply with:

• ESOMAR (formerly known as The European Society for Opinion and Market Research) and keep all requirements of the ICC/ESOMAR Contents International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics ( www.esomar.org );
• Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General data protection regulation (“GDPR”)) and other international and local legal acts related to protection of personal data and information security.
• “California Consumer Privacy Act” is a state statute intended to enhance privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of California, United States. In June 2018, the CCPA was signed into law, creating new privacy rights for Californians and significant new data protection obligations for businesses. The CCPA went into effect Jan. 1, 2020. California’s Office of the Attorney General has enforcement authority. (CCPA).
• “Data Protection Law” means all laws relating to data protection, the Processing of Personal Data, privacy and/or electronic communications in force in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. “UK GDPR” has the meaning given in section 3 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Other local applicable legal requirements.

If any person believes that any activities in Panels may be suspicious, please inform about this by e-mail indicated in Panel site or by email membersupport@synoint.com or dataprotection@synoint.com

Commitments and unauthorized use

All Panelists, Respondents and other users agree not to:

• breach these Terms;
• create an account in a Panel with a false identity;
• open, use, or maintain more than one (1) membership account in the same Panel unless otherwise agreed;
• use or attempt to use another Panelist’s or Respondent’s account without authorization;
• collect any personal data of other Panelists, Respondents, other members, or Panel / Survey owners;
• send or transmit any viruses, corrupted data, spyware, malware, trojans, or other harmful, disruptive, or destructive code;
• use spiders, robots, or other automated data mining techniques to download, store, reproduce, or distribute data or content available in connection with the Panel, or manipulate the result of Surveys;
• engage in any fraudulent activity (e.g., speeding through surveys, submitting false information, or taking the same survey more than once);
• disrupt or interfere with the security of Panel sites and Surveys links;
• send unsolicited and spam emails to Panel / Survey owner, other Panelists and Respondents;
• post or transmit any threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, lewd, scandalous, or inflammatory material or content;
• encourage and / or advise any other Panelists and Respondents or Panel owner employees to commit an act in conflict with the Terms;
• use any restricted content - unless otherwise noted, all materials, including, without limitation, all concepts, text, designs, graphics, drawings, photographs, video clips, music and sounds, and all trademarks, service marks and trade names used in a Survey, other research program or other service and/or on Syno site, a survey site, a Panel Site or a partner site and the selection and arrangements thereof, are subject to intellectual property rights, including but not limited to copyrights, trademarks and patents or the right to apply for their registration anywhere in the world, held by or licensed by Syno, a survey owner, a Panel owner, a partner, or other third parties who are the respective owner of, or controls, such restricted content. When using a service or participating in a Survey, other research program or other service, Panelists may be exposed to restricted content. Panelists are not granted any rights to the restricted content and all intellectual property rights are expressly reserved. No license to use, reveal, download, copy, distribute, or reproduce (including but not limited to posting to any website, social media or blog) the restricted content or the subject matter of the restricted content is granted to Panelists. Please be advised that legal action may be taken in the event any unauthorized use of the restricted content is traced back to Panelist. Panelists are hereby informed and acknowledge that Syno shall fully cooperate with all third-party requests for disclosures (including but not limited to the disclosure of Panelist’s identity) related to claims that Panelist has used restricted content in violation of these Terms which Syno deem are legitimate. Panelist may only participate in a Survey, other research program, other service and/or use Syno site, a Survey site, a Panel Site, or a partner site in a manner that does not infringe on Syno, or a third party’s, intellectual property rights

All Panelists, Respondents and other users agree to User Content obligations

To be responsible for all User Content. You are also responsible to obtain, where relevant, third party’s approvals, consents, and/or authorizations for Your and Our use of Your User Content. User Content, including photographs, sound or video recordings may be considered to be Personal Data. Your User Content may become publicly available and shared with third parties including, but not limited to, Our Clients, clients of Our Clients, Survey Owners, Panel Owners, Partners and third-party service providers. You shall ensure that User Content does not contain copyrighted or trademarked content or material of any third party, including audio, video, images, or the likeness of anyone other than You, unless You have procured the approvals, consents and/or authorizations from such third parties required for Your and Our use of such User Content. You will not receive compensation for Our, Our Partners’ or Our Clients’ use of any User Content.

By using, uploading, posting, submitting or permitting Us to collect (such permission deemed granted upon Your consent with these Terms and use of the relevant Service) User Content in connection with the Services, You hereby grant to Us a perpetual, irrevocable, unlimited, transferrable, sub-licensable, world-wide, royalty free, right and license to edit, copy, transmit, publish, display, create derivative works of, reproduce, modify, distribute, and otherwise use Your User Content at Our own discretion. You will not receive any compensation for Your User Content or Our use of it, except where expressly agreed.

You are solely responsible to ensure that Your User Content, and Our use of it according to these Terms, will not infringe any third parties’ intellectual property rights. We do not and cannot review all User Content and We accept no liability whatsoever for Your User Content. We have the right, but not an obligation, to delete, remove, or edit Your User Content, which We, at Our sole discretion, deem to: (a) violate these Terms; (b) violate intellectual property rights; or (c) be abusive, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise unacceptable.

Proprietary (property) of rights

Unless otherwise noted, all materials, including, without limitation, all concepts, text, designs, graphics, drawings, photographs, video clips, music and sounds, and all trademarks, service marks and trade names used in a Panel, Survey, Syno group of companies sites are subject to intellectual property rights, including but not limited to copyrights, trademarks and patents or the right to apply for their registration anywhere in the world, held by or licensed by Syno group of companies and / or a Survey owner, a Panel owner or other third parties who are the respective owner of, or controls, such content.

Confidentiality

Panelists and Respondents hereby undertake during the term of the participating in the Panel, Survey and other market research activities and for a period of 2 (two) years thereafter not to disclose to any third-party confidential information concerning the Syno group of companies and / or a Survey owner, a Panel owner or other third parties who are the respective owner of, or controls, such content, except for such information necessarily provided in connection with the use provided services and such information can be revealed according to the laws of the Region of the Syno.

Liability and disclaimer

To the extent permitted by applicable law, Syno group of companies and its sub-processors and sub-contractors, Survey owner, Panel owner, researcher or other third parties who are owner of the products and projects which Panelists, Respondents and other members and users use in accordance with these Terms, shall not be liable to Panelists, Respondents and other members and users in any respect, including without limitation, for any matter related to these Terms, Panel sites, Panel and Survey services and other services or for any submissions make, or for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, incidental, reliance, exemplary or consequential damages, loss of profits, loss of expected savings, or any other non-direct damages, whether or not have been advised of the likelihood or possibility of such damages.

The limitation of liability and the disclaimer in these Terms shall apply regardless of the form of action, whether in contract, warranty, delict, quasi-delict, strict liability, negligence or other tort and shall survive a fundamental breach or breaches or the failure of the essential purpose of contract or the failure of an exclusive remedy.

Also, in accordance with these Terms, Panelists, Respondents and other members and users expressly agree that their participation in Panel, Survey, other market research activities and services and browsing of Panel site, Survey site, Syno group of companies’ sites are at their sole risk and responsibility.

Panelists, Respondents and other members and users agree to fully and effectively indemnify, defend, and hold Syno group of companies and its sub-processors and sub-contractors, Survey owner, Panel owner, Clients, researcher or other third parties who are owner of the products which Panelists, Respondents and other members and users use, harmless from and against any and all damages, expenses, liabilities and losses of any kind, including legal fees, arising, whether directly or indirectly, from any breach caused by the Terms and / or breach laws of the Region of the Syno.

Force Majeure

Neither party in accordance with these Terms shall be liable for failure to fulfill its obligations under these Terms if that failure is, directly or indirectly, caused by conditions beyond the reasonable control of parties, including acts of God, fire, flood, earthquake, strike, or other natural disasters (Force Majeure). Any such non-performance shall not constitute a breach of this Terms, and the time for performance of such provision, if any, shall be deemed to be extended for a period equal to the duration of the conditions preventing such performance.

Other applicable and useful documents

By confirming these Terms all Panelists and Respondents confirm that they have read and agree with following Syno documents related to provision of Syno Services:

Privacy policy: https://www.synoint.com/privacy-policy/

Security policy: https://www.synoint.com/security-policy/

Cookies policy: https://www.synoint.com/cookies-policy/

DPO: https://www.synoint.com/dpo/

Data processing terms: https://www.synoint.com/data-processing-terms/

Final provisions

These Terms are governed by the law of the Region of the Syno.

Any dispute, controversy, disagreement or claim arising out of or in connection with the Terms, as well as issues of the violation, termination or validity / invalidity hereof shall be settled by mutual negotiations.

If any provision of the Terms contradicts the laws of Region of the Syno or due to any reason becomes partially or fully invalid, this shall not make other provisions of the Terms invalid, in such case all parties agree to change the invalid provision with the legally effective norm, which, as far as possible, would have the same legal and economic result as the changed norm.

These Terms can be changed by sole discretion of the Syno group of companies at any time.

The main and always updated version of these Terms is posted in English on www.synoint.com/legal-and-quality/

Older versions

2024-01-01 Terms and Conditions for Panellists