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The Oxford shield (Image credit: Minjie Su / Graduate Photography Competition)

Privacy notice for graduate offer holder focus groups

This privacy notice is for graduate offer holders who have been invited to a focus group facilitated by Green Shoots Market Intelligent Limited.

Data protection

In the course of completing the focus group registration form and/or participating in an online focus group, you have provided information about yourself (‘personal data’) to Green Shoots Market Intelligence Limited (a ‘data processer’ acting on behalf of the University of Oxford). We (the University of Oxford) are the ‘data controller’ for this information, which means we decide how to use it and are responsible for looking after it in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and associated data protection legislation.

How we use your data

Acting on behalf of the University of Oxford, Green Shoots Market Intelligence Limited (hereafter referred to as ‘Green Shoots MI’) will use your data to register interest in participating in focus groups to evaluate the graduate application process at Oxford and opinions on Covid-19. By entering your email address on the registration form and clicking “Submit”, you agree to share the data you have entered in the form with Green Shoots MI, and also give permission for Green Shoots MI to contact you directly regarding your participation in this research. Data submitted in the registration form will be collected in accordance with the Green Shoots Market Intelligence data security and privacy policy. It will be used to ensure that those invited to take part represent a variety of typical applicants.

If you are invited and subsequently decide to take part in a focus group facilitated by Green Shoots MI, the information you provide will be used to evaluate the graduate application process at Oxford and opinions on Covid-19.

If you participate in a focus group, you will be asked to give a brief introduction about yourself and the course you have received an offer for to the other participants. You will not be expected to provide any additional personal data. We ask that you do not disclose personal data that reveals your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, and/or trade union membership. We also ask that you do not disclose genetic or biometric data, and personal data concerning health, sex life, and/or sexual orientation. Any additional data that you provide voluntarily during the focus group will be processed in accordance with the Green Shoots Market Intelligence data security and privacy policy.

Whether or not you consent to register your interest or subsequently take part in a focus group, will have no bearing on your application or enrolment as a student at the University of Oxford. Please be assured that:

  • We will never receive details of who registered their interest or who subsequently took part in a focus group. We will only know who was invited to register their interest.
  • Any information that you provide during a focus group will be anonymised by Green Shoots MI as soon as possible after collection. We will only ever receive anonymised data.

We are processing your data for these purposes only because you have given us your consent to do so:

  • by providing your email address and clicking “Submit” on the registration form; and
  • by positively responding to a focus group invitation and/or connecting to an online focus group using the instructions provided by Green Shoots MI.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at [email protected]. In this event, we will stop the processing as soon as we can. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before your withdrawal of consent.

We will only use your data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another related reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your data for an unrelated purpose, we will seek your consent to use it for that new purpose.

Who has access to your data?

Access to your data within the University will be provided to those who need to view it as part of their work in carrying out the purposes described above.

We may share your data with companies who provide services to us, such as online registration forms, email services, video conferencing and the facilitation of online focus groups. These companies are required to take appropriate security measures to protect your data in line with our policies. We do not allow them to use your data for their own purposes. We permit them to process your data only for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

Where we share your data with a third party, we will seek to share the minimum amount necessary. Data collected by Green Shoots MI on behalf of the University of Oxford, will be processed in accordance with the Green Shoots Market Intelligence data security and privacy policy.

Retaining your data

We will only retain your data for as long as we need it to meet our purposes, including any relating to legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

As a graduate applicant, your data will be processed in accordance with our postgraduate applicant privacy policy. If you enrol as a student, your data will be processed in accordance with our student privacy policy.

Data collected by Green Shoots MI on behalf of the University of Oxford, will be processed in accordance with the Green Shoots Market Intelligence data security and privacy policy . Data that you provide voluntarily during the focus groups will be anonymised by Green Shoots MI as soon as possible after collection. We will only receive anonymised data from Green Shoots MI.
Security

Your data will be held securely in accordance with the University’s policies and procedures. Further information is available on the University’s Information Security website.

Where we store and use your data

We store and use your data on University premises, in both a manual and electronic form. Data will also be used and stored at the premises of Green Shoots MI, in both a manual and electronic form.

Electronic data may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area ("EEA"), for example, when we or a data processor acting on our behalf communicate with you using a cloud based service provider that operates outside the EEA, such as Zoom Video Communications Inc.

Such transfers will only take place if one of the following applies:

  • the country receiving the data is considered by the EU to provide an adequate level of data protection;
  • the organisation receiving the data is covered by an arrangement recognised by the EU as providing an adequate standard of data protection e.g. transfers to companies that are certified under the EU US Privacy Shield;
  • the transfer is governed by approved contractual clauses;
  • the transfer has your consent;
  • the transfer is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps requested by you prior to entering into that contract; or
  • the transfer is necessary for the performance of a contract with another person, which is in your interests.

Your rights

Information on your rights in relation to your personal data are explained on the Individual rights page of our Compliance website.

Contact

If you wish to raise any queries or concerns about our use of your data, please contact us at [email protected]