Privacy Policy

At OnlineSPSS, protecting client information, maintaining research confidentiality, and handling data responsibly are fundamental to our professional services.

We understand that researchers, healthcare professionals, academic institutions, and organizations may entrust us with confidential datasets, unpublished findings, research documentation, and other sensitive materials.

This Privacy Policy explains how OnlineSPSS (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, stores, shares, retains, and protects information when you visit our website, request a project assessment, or engage our statistical consultancy services.

OnlineSPSS serves clients in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and other international markets. We aim to handle personal information in accordance with applicable privacy and data protection laws, including relevant US federal and state privacy laws, UK GDPR, and EU GDPR where applicable.

Identity of the responsible business: This website is operated under the trading name OnlineSPSS. The exact registered company name, registration details and address of the data controller for website and client administration must be completed in Section 17 before publication.

For privacy enquiries, contact info@onlinespss.com.

We collect information necessary to operate our website, respond to enquiries, and deliver our services.

When you contact us or request a project assessment, we may collect:

• Name and email address.
• Telephone number, where provided.
• Academic institution or organizational affiliation.
• Research discipline and project requirements.
• Messages, instructions, and supporting information voluntarily submitted.

Depending on the agreed services, we may receive:

• Research datasets and codebooks.
• Study protocols and statistical analysis plans.
• Questionnaires and survey responses.
• Manuscripts and unpublished research documents.
• Statistical outputs, tables, figures, and analysis scripts.
• Project instructions and supporting correspondence.

Clients are expected to remove unnecessary personal identifiers before submitting research data.

When you purchase our services, we may process billing details, invoice information, transaction references, amounts paid, payment status, and relevant financial correspondence.

Payments may be processed through third-party payment providers, including Stripe and PayPal, depending on the agreed payment method.

Complete payment card information is handled through the applicable payment service rather than being requested through ordinary project enquiry forms.

When you visit our website, technical and usage information may be collected, including:

• IP address and approximate geographic location.
• Browser, device, and operating-system information.
• Pages visited and website interactions.
• Referral sources and advertising campaign information.
• Cookie identifiers and related technical data, where applicable.

These activities may involve Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, and Google Tag Manager.

OnlineSPSS uses collected information for legitimate business, research, and service-related purposes.

These include:

• Responding to research enquiries.
• Preparing quotations and project proposals.
• Assessing research requirements and methodological needs.
• Delivering statistical consultancy, analysis, and reporting services.
• Communicating with clients regarding active projects.
• Processing payments and maintaining financial records.
• Managing revision requests, cancellations, refunds, and complaints.
• Protecting our website and systems from unauthorized access or misuse.
• Understanding website performance and improving our services.
• Measuring advertising performance and managing marketing activities where legally permitted.
• Complying with applicable legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations.

Confidential client research materials are used for the agreed consultancy engagement, except where another use is separately authorized or required by law.

We do not sell client research datasets, unpublished manuscripts, or confidential analytical materials.

For website enquiries, sales, invoicing, client administration and our own business records, the legally registered company operating OnlineSPSS generally determines the purposes and means of processing and acts as a data controller under UK/EU GDPR where applicable.

Depending on the specific purpose, the applicable Article 6 lawful basis may be steps taken at a person’s request before contracting, contract performance, compliance with legal obligations, our appropriately assessed legitimate interests, or consent (such as consent required for particular optional cookies or marketing). We do not treat consent as the default basis for every activity.

Where an institution or other client determines the purpose and essential means of handling participant-level personal data and instructs us to analyze it, that client is generally the controller and OnlineSPSS acts as processor. When Article 28 UK/EU GDPR applies, a binding DPA must be in place before processing, including appropriate subprocessor authorization and safeguards. Our technical providers and independent specialists may be subprocessors depending on their access and roles.

Pseudonymized research data may remain personal data; health information may be special-category data. Where OnlineSPSS is a controller for such processing, it must establish a valid Article 6 basis and a specific applicable Article 9 condition and meet any additional legal safeguards. Potential legal conditions, depending on the facts and law, can include explicit consent or scientific-research processing with appropriate safeguards; neither is assumed to apply universally. Where we act as processor, the instructing controller is normally responsible for identifying and documenting the relevant lawful basis and Article 9 condition, while we comply with our own processor duties.

We may decline to receive regulated personal data until roles, documented instructions, legal grounds, provider access and transfer arrangements have been assessed.

OnlineSPSS follows a data-minimization approach.

Clients should remove directly identifying information that is unnecessary for the agreed statistical analysis, including:

• Names and surnames.
• Personal telephone numbers.
• Email and residential addresses.
• Direct patient identifiers.
• Other information that unnecessarily identifies individual research participants.

Where appropriate, identifying fields should be replaced with unique study identifiers or participant codes.

A coded or pseudonymized dataset may still constitute personal data under applicable law.

Clients are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary permissions, ethical approvals, and lawful grounds to provide research materials.

OnlineSPSS does not routinely require directly identifiable patient information for ordinary statistical consultancy engagements.

If unnecessary identifying information is submitted, we will assess the circumstances and take appropriate action, which may include restricting access, securely deleting or isolating affected files, and requesting a corrected dataset.

Projects involving regulated or particularly sensitive personal information may require additional technical and contractual safeguards before data can be accepted.

OnlineSPSS uses 123orderform.com, a third-party online form platform, to collect research enquiries, project information, and file submissions.

Depending on the project workflow, submitted information may be processed or stored through:

• The third-party form submission platform.
• Our website hosting infrastructure.
• Google Cloud services.
• Restricted-access email communications (with transport or message encryption where available and verified).

These services support the secure receipt, communication, storage, and management of research materials.

Access to project information is restricted to authorized OnlineSPSS personnel and, where necessary, approved specialists working on the agreed project.

Clients who prefer another method of sharing confidential materials may contact us to arrange an appropriate alternative.

We do not claim that electronic transmission or storage is entirely risk-free.

OnlineSPSS applies appropriate technical and organizational measures proportionate to the information handled, including need-to-know access restrictions and confidentiality obligations. Encryption, authentication, cloud permissions and backup controls depend on the actual provider, service configuration and contractual arrangements.

No electronic transmission or storage method can be guaranteed completely secure. We do not promise end-to-end encrypted email, exclusive access to provider infrastructure or instantaneous erasure from backups unless the relevant controls have been independently established.

The detailed confidentiality commitments are explained in our Confidentiality & Data Security policy.

OnlineSPSS’s standard retention period for research project files is 90 calendar days after project completion.

This period supports project-related follow-up, agreed revisions, verification, and resolution of outstanding matters.

Following the standard retention period, research files are to be securely deleted from active project storage or appropriately anonymized, unless:

• A different retention period has been expressly agreed with the client.
• Earlier deletion has been requested and can lawfully be performed.
• Retention is required by applicable law.
• Limited retention is reasonably necessary in connection with an active dispute, legal claim, or other lawful obligation.

Where information must be retained under an exception, access and use will remain restricted to the relevant lawful purpose.

Research files may also exist within authorized third-party services, temporary storage, or system backups.

Deletion from these environments is subject to applicable provider capabilities, contractual arrangements, and backup-deletion procedures.

Information remaining temporarily in restricted backups will not be used for ordinary project purposes and will be removed according to applicable backup lifecycles, unless a lawful retention exception applies.

Clients may request deletion of their research materials by contacting info@onlinespss.com.

We will review the request and arrange deletion where appropriate, taking into account applicable legal obligations and contractual requirements.

Invoices, payment confirmations, contractual records, and relevant business correspondence may be retained for longer periods where required for accounting, taxation, contractual administration, or legal purposes.

OnlineSPSS uses authorized third-party services to support its operations.

These may include:

123orderform.com: Collection of project enquiries, submitted information, and research file uploads.

Google Cloud: Cloud-based storage and infrastructure supporting authorized research and business activities.

Website hosting services: Website operation, maintenance, security, and associated technical functions.

Email service providers: Communication, project correspondence, and authorized file transfers.

Stripe and PayPal: Payment processing and transaction administration.

Google Analytics 4: Website traffic measurement and interaction analytics.

Google Ads: Advertising campaign management and conversion measurement.

Google Tag Manager: Management and deployment of website tracking and measurement tags.

Independent research specialists: Performance of agreed statistical consultancy services where additional expertise or capacity is required.

Third-party providers may process information necessary for their respective services.

Where required, appropriate confidentiality, data processing, and contractual safeguards apply.

We do not authorize independent specialists to use confidential research materials for unrelated purposes.

Some third-party providers may process information for their own legally defined purposes, subject to their separate privacy notices.

OnlineSPSS uses Google technologies to evaluate website performance and manage advertising activities.

Google Analytics 4 helps us understand how visitors reach and use our website, including page visits, navigation patterns, referral sources, and relevant website events.

Depending on the configuration and applicable consent choices, Analytics may process technical identifiers and interaction information.

Google Ads supports the promotion of our statistical consultancy services and measurement of advertising performance.

Advertising technologies may process ad interactions, referral information, and conversion events.

Features such as remarketing or personalized advertising, where enabled, may involve additional identifiers and processing activities subject to applicable privacy requirements.

Google Tag Manager is used to manage the deployment of website tags.

The information processed depends on the individual services and tags configured through the platform.

Our CookieYes consent interface gives visitors options to accept, reject, or customize non-essential cookies, with a continuing way to change preferences. In locations requiring prior consent, the relevant non-essential tracking is blocked until a valid choice is obtained.

Details and cookie preferences are described in our Cookie Policy.

Confidential research datasets and uploaded research documents are not intended to be transmitted to advertising or website analytics services.

OnlineSPSS uses established statistical and research software according to each project’s requirements.

Certain applications may incorporate automated analytical functions, machine learning, or AI-assisted features.

These features may be used where appropriate and consistent with the agreed methodology, project requirements, and applicable data protection obligations.

Statistical methods, results, interpretations, and final analytical deliverables remain subject to human professional oversight.

We do not substitute unverified AI-generated material for professionally validated statistical analysis.

Where an AI-enabled feature would involve external processing of confidential or regulated research information, the relevant data-handling requirements will be assessed and any necessary safeguards or authorization established before proceeding.

Confidential client research materials are not authorized for unrelated general-purpose AI model training without an appropriate lawful arrangement.

OnlineSPSS provides services internationally.

Depending on the systems, service providers, and project requirements involved, personal information may be processed or stored outside the country in which the client resides.

Where applicable law restricts international transfers, an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism or exception is required.

Such mechanisms may include recognized adequacy arrangements, approved contractual safeguards, or other legally permitted methods.

Where required, further information about relevant international transfer safeguards, or a copy of safeguards subject to appropriate redactions, may be requested through our privacy contact.

If an EU GDPR Article 27 representative is required for our activities, its name and contact details will be disclosed here. That obligation depends on the legal facts and does not automatically arise from serving an occasional EU customer.

Depending on the applicable law, individuals may have rights to access, correct or delete personal information; restrict or object to processing; request portability; or withdraw consent. These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exceptions. Where UK/EU GDPR applies, the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests is expressly highlighted here.

Requests can be sent to info@onlinespss.com. We may reasonably verify identity and authority. When OnlineSPSS acts as processor, we will assist the instructing controller in accordance with the DPA; it may be necessary to direct a research participant to the controller responsible for the study.

UK residents: Where UK GDPR applies, individuals can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if dissatisfied with the handling of their personal data.

EU residents: Where EU GDPR applies, an individual may complain to the competent supervisory authority in the country of habitual residence, work, or relevant alleged infringement.

United States: Applicable US state privacy laws may provide rights to know, access, correct, delete or opt out of certain data uses. Google advertising and cross-context behavioral advertising features may constitute a regulated “sale” or “sharing” under particular state laws even where no money is exchanged for data. Where such requirements apply, individuals may exercise the relevant statutory rights using the methods identified in the applicable privacy notice or cookie settings, including any required advertising opt-out mechanism. Whether OnlineSPSS meets a particular state law’s applicability threshold depends on the statutory criteria and actual business operations.

OnlineSPSS may communicate with existing or prospective clients about our services where permitted by applicable law.

Where consent is legally required, promotional communications will be sent only after the relevant consent has been obtained.

Recipients may request to stop receiving marketing communications.

Opting out of marketing does not prevent necessary messages concerning active projects, invoices, contractual obligations, or important service matters.

OnlineSPSS provides professional and academic research consultancy services and does not direct its website or services toward children.

If we become aware that personal information relating to a child has been collected or submitted without the necessary lawful authorization or safeguards, we will review the matter and take appropriate action.

Research involving minors may require additional ethical, contractual, and data protection arrangements before any relevant information can be accepted.

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services, technology, data-handling practices, or applicable legal requirements.

The latest version will be published on our website with an updated effective date.

Where required by applicable law, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent before introducing materially different processing activities.

OnlineSPSS (trading name)

Website: https://www.onlinespss.com

Privacy contact: info@onlinespss.com

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End of Privacy Policy