Personal Data Processing Statement

Statement on the processing of personal data pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (the ‘GDPR’) and Act No. 110/2019 Coll., on the Processing of Personal Data.

Company details:

Mareco IVP s. r. o.
Registered office: Na Žertvách 2196/34, 180 00 Prague 8
Company ID No.: 25610945
VAT ID No.: CZ25610945
Email: info@mareco.cz
Telephone: +420 244 090 211
The company is registered in the Commercial Register maintained by the Municipal Court in Prague, Section C, Insert 3079
Hereinafter referred to as ‘MARECO’.

Business activities

MARECO is a market research agency that carries out market research projects in a wide range of fields and on a wide range of topics, using various market research methods and techniques. Although the primary purpose of these projects is not to collect individuals’ personal data, market research projects necessarily involve the collection, processing and use of personal data.

All personal data that we process in the course of our business activities (market research) is treated as strictly confidential and handled in accordance with the applicable statutory provisions on personal data protection.

For what purposes and to what extent does MARECO process personal data?

MARECO processes only the personal data necessary to provide services within the scope of its business activities (i.e. market research), to comply with statutory obligations and to protect its legitimate interests. Personal data is always processed only to the extent necessary for the relevant purpose.

Personal data is primarily collected, processed and used in order to carry out market research projects, namely for:

Organising and carrying out data collection (contacting respondents, selecting and enrolling respondents in research/recruitment, arranging research dates, dealing with any follow-up questions, etc.)
Processing and analysing the data obtained (listening to and analysing audio/video recordings, analysing visual material provided within a research project, processing sociodemographic information and consumer behaviour data, etc.)
Paying compensation for participation in a market research project (cash payment at the project venue or bank transfer to the respondent’s account)
Quality control – checking the work of interviewers/recruiters, data quality control, etc.

Other purposes of personal data processing include activities connected with the company’s general operation in the legal and commercial environment:

Compliance with obligations imposed by other legislation – bookkeeping, tax administration, archiving accounting documents, etc.
Managing personnel matters for employees and collaborators – entering into contractual relationships (employment agreements, contracts for work, agreements to perform work, etc.), communication and record-keeping
Managing matters related to job applicants – processing information from applicants’ CVs, organising meetings/interviews, etc.
Managing matters related to suppliers and service providers – entering into contracts, monitoring activities, communication, etc.
Managing matters related to customers and prospective customers – entering into contracts, preparing quotations/handling enquiries and general communication, including marketing

What personal data does MARECO process, and about whom?

MARECO generally processes the following personal data:

Respondents (participants in market research projects), in particular:

Contact and identification details – first name, surname, title, address, telephone number and email address. The legal basis for processing this personal data is legitimate interest, as the data is required to carry out market research projects.
Data necessary for paying compensation – date of birth, identity card number and bank account number. The legal basis for processing this personal data is compliance with a legal obligation, as this data is required by legislation.
Basic sociodemographic characteristics – gender, age, number of household members, children in the household, education, etc. The legal basis for processing this personal data is consent (this information is needed to carry out market research projects and to analyse and process the results).
Information on consumer behaviour – consumption and purchasing behaviour, preferences, etc. The legal basis for processing this personal data is consent (this information is needed to carry out market research projects and to analyse and process the results).
Audiovisual materials – audio recordings, video recordings, photographs and visual material provided as part of market research projects – for the purpose of analysing results or checking the work of interviewers.

The legal basis for processing this personal data is consent (the data is needed to analyse and process the results).

Employees and collaborators, in particular:

Contact and identification details – first name, surname, title, address, telephone number and email address
Data necessary for paying compensation – date of birth, personal identification number, identity card number and bank account number
Other information necessary for the performance of contracts, the development of employees and collaborators, and the management and monitoring of work performance.

The legal basis for processing this personal data is legitimate interest (we need the data to ensure cooperation with employees and collaborators) and compliance with legal obligations (the data is required in order to meet statutory obligations such as bookkeeping, tax administration, etc.).

Job applicants, in particular:

Contact and identification details – first name, surname, title, address, telephone number and email address
Curricula vitae

The legal basis for processing this personal data is legitimate interest (we need the data to contact job applicants and carry out the recruitment process).

Suppliers and service providers / customers and prospective customers, in particular:

Contact and identification details of employees and statutory representatives

The legal basis for processing this personal data is legitimate interest (we need the data to communicate with these parties) and the performance of contracts.

Where does MARECO obtain personal data?

In the course of its activities, MARECO obtains personal data from the following sources:

Directly from data subjects (respondents, employees, collaborators, job applicants and customers) – personal data and other information voluntarily provided within a market research project (either directly to us or to our external collaborators), with consent to its processing, on the basis of entering into a contractual relationship, an enquiry or a submitted CV
From the commissioning party of a market research project – databases of customers/employees, etc. provided by the commissioning party on the basis of the consent of the data subjects listed in them
From our own respondent database, in which respondents were included on the basis of their voluntary, explicit consent to being contacted again in connection with participation in further market research projects
From publicly available information sources (websites of companies, organisations and institutions, enquiry portals, etc.)

How long does MARECO process personal data?

We process the personal data of respondents (participants in market research projects) for the duration of the market research project and retain it for no longer than six months after the project ends, unless legislation or contractual arrangements with the project commissioning party provide otherwise.

Unless contractual arrangements or legislation provide otherwise, we process the personal data of clients, employees, collaborators and suppliers for the duration of the contractual relationship. We then retain it for as long as our services remain relevant to the data subject or their current position in the supplier/customer organisation, and therefore for as long as there remains a mutual and legitimate interest in maintaining such contact.

Who determines what happens to personal data (controller vs processor)?

Data protection distinguishes between two main roles. The controller determines the purpose—meaning why, how and to what extent personal data will be processed. A processor, on the other hand, only handles the data technically on the controller’s instructions.

For market research projects: the controller (the party determining the purpose of processing) is usually our client—the commissioning party of the research. In such cases, MARECO acts as the processor and processes the data on the client’s instructions.

In other cases (if you are our employee, supplier, job applicant or website visitor), MARECO itself is the controller of your personal data.

To whom does MARECO disclose personal data?

Personal data is primarily processed by MARECO staff using MARECO resources (computers, archives, etc.). Some personal data needs to be processed by processors appointed by MARECO. These processors are always selected with regard to the safeguards they provide for the technical and organisational protection of the personal data we disclose, and they operate under a contract. They include providers of IT services for the development, operation and support of information systems; providers of banking, postal, communications and electronic communications services; and external collaborators or suppliers engaged for the performance of contracts.

Personal data is disclosed to other third parties (i.e. parties other than the appointed and vetted processors described above) only where required by applicable legislation (for example, where accounting or tax administration requires disclosure to state authorities and institutions) or where the data subject has consented to the disclosure (for example, disclosure to the commissioning party of a research project).

We always seek to minimise the disclosure of personal data. In market research projects, we do so primarily by anonymising or pseudonymising data. Where disclosure does take place—for example, when recordings of interviews/focus groups or visual material obtained during a project are provided to the commissioning party or its partners—it is done only with the data subject’s (i.e. the respondent’s) explicit consent.

In the vast majority of cases, personal data is processed within the EU/EEA (European Economic Area). If a market research project is commissioned by an entity based outside the EU/EEA (typically in the USA, the United Kingdom, etc.) and personal data is transferred (typically recordings of interviews/focus groups, visual material obtained during the project, etc.), the transfer takes place only with the data subject’s (i.e. the respondent’s) explicit consent.

How does MARECO protect personal data?

Keeping personal data secure and confidential is a priority. MARECO has adopted a set of technical and organisational measures to protect personal data. Their principal purpose is to prevent the loss, destruction or alteration of personal data and to ensure that no unauthorised access, unauthorised transfer, unauthorised processing or other misuse of personal data takes place. Personal data may be accessed only by MARECO staff and appointed processors who have been trained to handle personal data and are bound to comply with the applicable legislation and internal personal data handling rules. If personal data is disclosed to other third parties (typically recordings of interviews/focus groups or visual material obtained during a project and supplied to the project commissioning party), those third parties, including their staff who access the data, must respect the data subjects’ right to privacy and comply with the applicable personal data legislation.

What rights do data subjects have in connection with the processing of personal data?

Right to information and transparency
Data subjects whose data we process may contact us free of charge at any time with any questions concerning the collection, processing and use of their personal data.
Right of access to personal data
Data subjects have the right to request a copy of the personal data that MARECO processes about them.
Right to rectification of personal data
If a data subject believes that the personal data held by MARECO is inaccurate or incomplete, they have the right to request its correction or completion.
Right to erasure of personal data
A data subject has the right to request the erasure of their personal data if it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was processed.
Right to restriction of personal data processing
A data subject has the right to request restriction of processing if they contest the accuracy of their personal data or if the processing is unlawful but they oppose erasure. At the data subject’s request, selected personal data may continue to be processed, for example so that the data subject can pursue a legal claim for which the data processed by us is needed.
Right to data portability
In the case of automated processing, a data subject has the right to receive the personal data held about them in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
Right not to be subject to automated individual decision-making, including profiling
Decisions concerning a data subject will therefore not be made solely by computer algorithms without human assessment where this would produce legal or other significant effects for that person. Exceptions apply where the data subject consents, the law permits it, or it is necessary for entering into a contract.
Right to object to personal data processing
A data subject may object to the processing of personal data at any time. In such a case, MARECO will no longer process the data subject’s personal data for the given purpose. This may also constitute grounds for terminating the data subject’s participation in a market research project.
Right to withdraw consent to personal data processing
Data subjects provide all personal data to us voluntarily and consent to its processing. They have the right to withdraw their consent to processing at any time.
Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
If a data subject believes that the processing of their personal data infringes the applicable law, they have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority, which in the Czech Republic is the Office for Personal Data Protection (address: Pplk. Sochora 27, Prague 7, 170 00; telephone: +420 234 665 111).

Does MARECO use cookies on its website?

The website www.mareco.cz uses cookies. They help us understand how visitors use our website so that we can continuously improve it. While essential technical cookies are used automatically to ensure that the website functions correctly, we need your active consent to use analytical and other cookies. You can provide this consent via the cookie banner when visiting our website.

For further information or to exercise your rights, please contact us at info@mareco.cz.

Last revision of the Personal Data Protection Statement: 25 January 2026