Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using any of our websites then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

QS may change this policy from time to time. Changes to our policy will be updated on our web sites only. You should check our policy from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any modifications. This policy was last updated on 15 January 2013.

1. What Information We Collect

We may collect the following information:

• Name and job title
• Contact information including email address
• Demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests
• Other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers, and registrations to our events and products

All data collected by QS is stored in a one database environment, regardless of which of our websites you contacted us through.

A. Registration

In order to become a User, you must provide us the following information to create an account: first name, last name, email address and password. Without this minimal amount of information, you cannot create an account. QS requests other information from you during the registration process, (e.g., gender, location, etc.) that QS uses to provide better, more customized marketing services such as updates, better ads, and more valuable information. You acknowledge that this information is personal to you, and by creating an account on our websites; you allow QS and selected third parties, to identify you and to allow to use your information in accordance with our User Agreement.

B. Cookies

Like most websites, we use cookies and web log files to track site usage and trends, to improve the quality of our service, to customize your experience on our websites, as well as to deliver QS and third-party advertising to Users both on and off the our websites. A cookie is a tiny data file that resides on your computer, mobile phone, or other device, and allows us to recognize you as a User when you return to the our websites using the same computer and web browser. You can remove or block cookies using the settings in your browser, but in some cases doing so may impact your ability to use our websites.

In the course of serving advertisements or optimizing the services to our Users, we may allow authorized third parties to place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser. Any information provided to third parties through cookies will not be personally identifiable but may provide general segment information (e.g., your industry or geography or information about your professional or educational background) for the enhancement of your user experience by providing more relevant advertising. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies, but you can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. Our websites does not store unencrypted personally identifiable information in the cookies.

C. Advertising

To support the services we provide at no cost to our Users, as well as provide a more relevant and useful experience for our Users, we target and serve our own ads and third-party ads.

We target ads to Users based on general profile information or on non-personally identifiable information inferred from a User’s profile (e.g., industry, school, gender, age, nationality, or other relevant information). QS does not provide personally identifiable information to any third party ad network.

If in the future we show advertising on our websites, the advertiser may use cookies to track the number of anonymous users responding to the campaign. We will not have access to or control of cookies placed by third parties.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies by modifying your browser preferences. You can accept all cookies, be notified when a cookie is set, or reject all cookies.

D. Log files, IP Addresses and Information About Your Computer and Mobile Device

Due to the communications standards on the internet, when you visit our websites we automatically receive the URL of the site from which you came and the site to which you are going to when you leave our websites.

Additionally, advertisers receive the URL of the page you were on when you click on an ad on our websites. QS also receives the internet protocol (“IP”) address of your computer, your computer operating system and type of web browser you are using, email patterns, your mobile device and mobile operating system (if you are accessing our websites using a mobile device), as well as the name of your ISP or your mobile carrier.

E. Rights to Access, Correct and Eliminate Information About You

You have a right to access, modify, correct and eliminate the data you supplied to QS. If you update any of your information, we may keep a copy of the information that you originally provided to us in our archives for uses documented in this policy. You may request deletion of your information at any time by contacting [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days. Please note, however that information you have shared with others, or that other Users have copied, may also remain visible even if you request its deletion.

F. Data Retention

QS will retain your information for so long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce this Agreement.

2. What We Do With The Information We Gather

By providing information to QS for the purposes of creating your User account or adding any additional details to your QS profile, you are expressly and voluntarily accepting the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy and QS’s User Agreement that allow QS to process information about you.

Supplying information to QS, including any information deemed “sensitive” by applicable law, is entirely voluntary on your part. You have the right to withdraw your consent to QS’s collection and processing of your information at any time, in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy and the User Agreement, by changing your Settings, or by closing your account, but please note that your withdrawal of consent will not be retroactive.

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:

• QS Communications
• Internal record keeping 
• Enhance our products and services
• We may periodically send promotional email about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided
• From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone or mail. We may use the information to customize the website according to demographic interests

3. Links to Other Websites

Our websites may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

4. Controlling your personal information

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

• When you are asked to fill in a form on any of our websites, look for the tick box that indicates you do not want the information to be for direct marketing purposes
• If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by sending an email to [email protected] and stating that you would like to be removed from our marketing lists
• To remove yourself from email communications, please send an email to [email protected] stating that you would like to be removed from our marketing lists

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. A small fee will be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to [email protected].

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

5. Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we safeguard and secure the information we collect online via electronic and managerial procedures.

To protect any data you store on our servers, QS also regularly audits its system for possible vulnerabilities and attacks. However, since the internet is not a 100% secure environment, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to QS. There is no guarantee that information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards.

6. Your Obligations

As a User, you have certain obligations to other Users. Some of these obligations are imposed by applicable law and regulations, and others have become commonplace in user-friendly

• You must, at all times, abide by the terms and conditions of the then-current Privacy Policy and User Agreement. This includes respecting all intellectual property rights that may belong to third parties (such as trademarks or photographs).
• You must not download or otherwise disseminate any information that may be deemed to be injurious, violent, offensive, racist or xenophobic, or which may otherwise violate the purpose and spirit of QS and its community of Users.
• You must not provide to QS and/or other Users information that you believe might be injurious or detrimental to your person or to your professional or social status.
• You must keep your password confidential and not share it with others.
• Any violation of these guidelines may lead to the restriction, suspension or termination of your account at the sole discretion of QS.

7. How to Contact Us

You may also write to us with any questions or concerns bout this Privacy Policy at:

QS Headquarters:
1 Tranley Mews Fleet Road
London, NW3 2DG
United Kingdom