Privacy Policy

ARC Thought Labs Pty Ltd T/A Archer Research & Consulting

ABN 55 689 512 114

Last updated: 2 August 2025

ARC Thought Labs Pty Ltd ("ARC", "we", "us", or "our") conducts market and social research on behalf of organisations seeking to better understand consumer opinions, experiences, and behaviours.

We respect your privacy and handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and recognised industry standards including the Privacy (Market and Social Research) Code 2021 and the Research Society Code of Professional Behaviour.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information.

1. Purpose of Market Research

Market and social research helps organisations make better decisions about products, services, and policies.

Research findings are typically reported in aggregated or anonymised form, meaning individuals are not identified in research outputs unless explicit permission is obtained.

ARC does not sell personal information and does not use research data for advertising, promotions, or direct marketing purposes.

Participation in research conducted by ARC is voluntary. You may decline to participate or withdraw from a research study at any time. If you withdraw, we will take reasonable steps to remove or de-identify your personal information, unless we are unable to do so due to the stage of analysis or our legal obligations.

2. What Personal Information We Collect

Depending on the research study, we may collect personal information including:

  • name

  • email address

  • phone number

  • age or age range

  • gender or gender identity

  • location or postcode

  • occupation or industry

  • demographic information relevant to the research study

  • opinions, responses, feedback and user-generated content (such as photos, videos or written tasks) provided during research

  • audio or video recordings of interviews or research sessions

Sensitive information

Some research studies may involve collecting sensitive information as defined under the Privacy Act 1988, which includes health information, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or practices, criminal record, and genetic or biometric information. Sensitive information will only be collected with your explicit consent and where reasonably necessary for the research purposes.

We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for conducting research.

ARC does not collect financial details such as bank account information or Tax File Numbers. Where incentives are provided, payments are handled securely by our third-party panel or recruitment partners.

Minors

Where research involves minors (under 18 years of age), ARC requires the consent of a parent or guardian before any personal information is collected. Where participants are recruited via third-party research panels, we rely on those panel providers to obtain all necessary consents prior to sharing participant data with us, and our agreements with panel providers require them to confirm that appropriate consents are in place.

3. How We Collect Personal Information

Personal information may be collected through various research methodologies and platforms, including but not limited to:

  • research recruitment screeners

  • online surveys, polls or questionnaires

  • in-depth interviews, focus groups or workshops

  • video conferencing platforms used for research

  • online video diaries, digital ethnography, and journaling platforms

  • homework exercises, pre-tasks, or user-generated content (such as images, written responses, or self-recorded videos provided by participants)

  • AI-assisted or AI-moderated chat, voice, or video interviews

  • email, SMS or other direct communications with participants

  • third-party recruiters or panels assisting with participant recruitment

  • our website or contact forms

  • essential cookies set by our website and website hosting platform (Squarespace) to support basic site functionality and analytics such as page visit counts

Where practical, we collect personal information directly from the individual. At or before the point of collection, we will take reasonable steps to make participants aware of the matters set out in this Privacy Policy, including through participant information sheets, screener disclosures, or survey introductions.

Client-provided participant information

In some cases, research participants may be recruited using contact details provided by a client. In these situations, the client is responsible for ensuring that personal information has been collected and shared with ARC in accordance with applicable privacy laws, and our client agreements require clients to confirm this.

4. Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools

ARC may from time to time use artificial intelligence tools to assist with various aspects of research, including transcription, analysis, moderation, and synthesis of research data. These tools are provided by third-party platforms and may process personal information as part of delivering their services.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that any AI tools we use handle personal information securely, do not use research data to train AI models, and operate in accordance with our privacy obligations.

Where a research session involves AI moderation or real-time AI processing, participants will be informed of this before the session begins. The same privacy protections that apply to all research data apply equally to data processed through AI tools.

5. How We Use Personal Information

Personal information may be used to:

  • conduct market research studies

  • analyse responses and prepare research reports

  • manage research participants and research sessions

  • verify the quality and authenticity of research responses

  • communicate with participants about research participation

  • comply with legal obligations

Personal information is removed or de-identified wherever reasonably practicable before analysis and reporting.

6. Disclosure of Personal Information

We may disclose personal information to:

  • clients commissioning the research

  • contractors assisting with research, such as moderators, recruiters, or analysts

  • technology platforms used to conduct or analyse research, including AI tools

  • professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers

  • regulatory authorities where required by law

 Overseas disclosure

Some recipients of personal information — including cloud storage providers, research platforms, AI tools, and contractors assisting with project management or analysis — may be located outside Australia. The countries where these recipients are likely to be located include the USA, the UK, the European Union, Singapore, India, and the Philippines.

Before disclosing personal information to overseas recipients, we take reasonable steps to ensure those recipients handle the information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles. Under Australian privacy law, ARC remains accountable for how overseas recipients handle personal information we disclose to them.

7. Storage and Security

ARC takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, including through:

  • encrypted cloud storage

  • secure research platforms and survey tools

  • restricted access limited to authorised personnel and contractors involved in research projects

We retain personal information only for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfil the research purposes, comply with our client agreements, or meet our legal obligations. As a general guide:

  • participant contact details are typically deleted or de-identified within 12 months of project completion

  • research recordings are typically retained for up to 24 months unless otherwise agreed with the client or required by law

  • aggregated or fully anonymised research findings may be retained indefinitely as they no longer constitute personal information

Once personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or permanently de-identify it.

8. Research Recordings

Some research sessions may be audio or video recorded. Participants will be informed before recording begins and asked to confirm their consent.

Recordings may be shared with the client commissioning the research and with authorised project partners for the purposes of analysis. Recordings are used solely for research purposes unless additional consent is obtained. Recordings are subject to the same storage, security, and retention practices described in Section 7.

9. International Participants

Where ARC conducts research involving participants located in the European Union, the United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions with their own privacy laws, we recognise that additional privacy protections may apply.

For survey-based research where no personal information is collected, these obligations are generally limited. Where qualitative research is conducted with identified participants in these regions — including where images, voice recordings, or other personal data are collected — we work with our clients to ensure that applicable local privacy laws are complied with, including where relevant the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR.

If you are located in the EU or UK and have questions about how your personal information is handled, please contact us using the details in Section 12.

10. Access and Correction

You have the right to request access to personal information we hold about you and to request corrections if that information is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. Requests can be made using the contact details in Section 12. We will respond to access and correction requests within a reasonable timeframe.

11. Complaints

If you believe your personal information has been mishandled, please contact us using the details in Section 12. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and respond substantively within 30 days. If the matter is complex, we will keep you informed of our progress.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.

12. Contact

ARC Thought Labs Pty Ltd
T/A Archer Research & Consulting

📧 privacy@archerresearch.co
🌐 archerresearch.co/contact
 

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The most recent version will always be available on our website. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.