Comscore, Inc. (“Comscore”, “we”, “us” or “our”) interacts with current and prospective clients, investors, and the general public via its website, www.comscore.com, its mobile application, and other websites and portals of the Comscore internet ratings and research group (collectively, “Website”). Our online research community has more than a million participants who are interested in voicing their opinions and in influencing which products and services are offered as described in the applicable privacy policies.

Comscore subsidiaries operate several research panels and the ScorecardResearch business. Participation in each panel is governed by the privacy policy that appears on the website assigned to that research panel, while the panel websites are governed by this policy. For more details on ScorecardResearch, please view the ScorecardResearch privacy policy here.

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how we process – or, in other words, use, collect, transmit, store, share, and delete – your personal information in connection with your use of our Website, including panel websites and portals or other Comscore services that refer to or link to this Policy.

The short version

As further described below, under this Policy we collect the following information, and derive information from such collected information (which may be considered personal information under certain laws):

• personal and online identifiers,
• Internet or other electronic network activity,
• geolocation information (inferred from IP address),
• inferences drawn from information listed in this Policy about your predicted characteristics and preferences, and
• other information about you that is linked to personal information.

We collect information about you or your household from third parties as well. For details about our practices, please read this entire Policy.

What information is collected and why

Information you provide.

We collect self-reported personal information about you when you choose to provide it to us. For example, if you contact us through our Website, we collect personal identifiers such as your name and contact information, as well as any other information that you voluntarily provide to us in order to respond to your inquiry or verify your identity, where necessary. We may also collect personal information that you provide to us when you register for any of our services

Information collected automatically when you use our Website.

Please note that our Website automatically creates logs regarding any activity on our Website. These logs may identify the features that you use, the actions that you take, and the information that you access while on our Website.

The personal information collected from you includes online identifiers (e.g., IP address) and Internet or other electronic network activity including information about your browsing history, operating system, browser type, website preferences, your use of our Website (e.g., time accessed, duration of visit, etc.). We generally use this information in statistical and aggregate formats to assess the effectiveness of our Website and to better understand your priorities and interests.

Information collected using ScorecardResearch cookies or similar technologies (“Tags”).

The Website sets Tags on your browser that collect data for ScorecardResearch, a service offered by Full Circle Studies, Inc. which is also part of the Comscore internet ratings and research group.

Tags collect the following categories of personal information (or infer from such collected information):

• online identifiers (e.g., cookie ID, device ID, IP address, etc.),
• geolocation (inferred from the IP address),
• Internet or other electronic network activity including information about your browsing history, operating system, browser type, website preferences, your use of the Website (e.g., time accessed, duration of visit, etc.).

For more information about ScorecardResearch, please click here.

Information collected from third parties.

In addition to collecting information directly, we may also collect categories of personal information similar to those listed above about you from third parties and combine that data with other data that we collect from or about you.

These third parties include the following categories of sources: website and application operators, and social media platforms. Google and Meta are examples of such third parties.

For a list of some of our specific partners, please click here.

We may work with third parties, including Google Analytics, who collect information about your use of our Website, other websites, and/or online services over time for non-advertising purposes. For more information about how Google Analytics collects and uses information when you use our Website, please click here. To opt out of Google Analytics, click here.

Sensitive personal information collected.

Some of the personal information described above is considered sensitive personal information under certain privacy laws. Applying the definitions in these laws, we collect data that reveals or from which we could derive the following categories of sensitive personal information:

• racial or ethnic origin,
• religious or philosophical beliefs,
• mental or physical condition or diagnosis,
• sex life or sexual orientation, or
• citizenship or citizenship status.

We use these categories of sensitive personal information for the purposes described in this Policy, including some purposes that you have the right to limit as described below.

How we use the information we collect

The information we collect and infer for research purposes helps us make predictions and evaluations about current and future digital consumption behavior based on inferences drawn from the collected information, to enhance our own understanding of digital consumption trends.

We also use the collected information to manage your participation in one of our research panels, to operate and improve our products and services, including our Website, to communicate with you, to provide you with information or services that you have requested, and/or to provide our products and services to our customers.

We may deidentify the personal information we collect so that it is not reasonably linkable to any individual, or obtain deidentified data from other sources. We maintain and use deidentified information only in deidentified form, and we do not attempt to reidentify such information except as needed to determine that the information is appropriately deidentified.

In addition, we share the information with third parties as set out below, for the same purposes.

How we share the information we collect

Sharing for business purposes. We may provide personal information to all categories of third parties and/or service providers listed in this Policy to improve our products and services and to operate our business. We may share all the categories of information listed in this Policy with other companies including Comscore affiliates, subsidiaries, or parent companies as well as third-party data enrichers, data quality aggregators and providers of data matches services:

• to operate our products and services or support general operations;
• to integrate the products and services of our business partners;
• to use third-party cloud services to host our Website, and process and store the information we process about you; and
• for any other lawful business purpose.

Sharing for commercial purposes. We share information collected, or data derived therefrom, as described in this Policy with (i) our customers, including Google, which include media companies, brands, public relations companies, advertising networks, data analytics providers, distribution partners, social networks, marketing and advertising agencies; and (ii) joint industry committees (“JICs”) involved in media audience measurement and research in a particular region, or parties engaged by these JICs. Such parties may combine your data with other data which they have at their disposal.

Under U.S. state privacy laws, we treat these disclosures as “sales” or as “sharing” for interest-based advertising. Applying this treatment, in the last 12 months and going forward, we share for interest-based advertising and otherwise “sell” the following categories of personal information:

• online identifiers,
• Internet or other electronic network activity information,
• general geolocation information (inferred from IP address).
• inferences drawn from the above, and
• other information about you that is linked to personal information.

For data from our research panel websites, we “sell” and share for interest-based advertising personal information that could reveal the categories of sensitive information (as defined under certain privacy laws) listed above. We do not knowingly “sell” or share personal information about children under 18. We “sell” and share each category of information to the categories of third parties listed above.

We do not sell or share the mobile numbers we collect with nonaffiliated third parties for their marketing purposes.

Corporate transactions. In the event of a corporate sale, merger, reorganization, dissolution or similar event, any personal information and data we process from you may become part of the assets we transfer or share in preparation for any such transaction. Any acquirer or successor of our business, in full or in part, may continue to process personal information consistent with this Privacy Policy.

Compliance and compelled disclosures. We share personal information:

• with public authorities to respond to subpoenas, court orders, and other legal process, or as otherwise required by law;
• to protect the rights, privacy, safety, and property of us, our customers, our business partners, or others; and
• to exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims, to enforce our contracts, to investigate, respond to and resolve problems or inquiries (including governmental inquiries), or to permit us to pursue available remedies or limit any damages that we may sustain.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, we may share deidentified

How long we keep personal information

We store your information for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes listed above or as required by applicable local law.

Your choices about your personal information

Certain international and U.S. state laws (including laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia) provide individuals with rights related to their personal information. These consumer rights, and the definitions of “personal information” or “personal data” subject to these rights, vary by jurisdiction. Individuals may be able to exercise the following rights, depending on jurisdiction and subject to certain exceptions:

• The right to confirm whether we process personal information about you;
• The right to access the specific pieces of personal information we process about you, the categories of personal information we process (in some cases with other details about how those categories are processed), and/or the categories or a list of third parties to whom personal information has been sold or shared;
• The right to correct any errors to personal information;
• The right to object to the processing of personal information;
• The right to delete the personal information;
• The right to opt out of (i) the “sale” of personal information as defined by applicable law or (ii) the sharing or processing of personal information for targeted advertising;
• The right to limit the processing of certain “sensitive” personal information (or to withdraw consent to such processing), as defined by applicable law; and
• The right not to receive discriminatory treatment for the exercise of privacy rights in accordance with applicable law.

To exercise any of the applicable rights above, please visit our Data Subject Rights Page. You may also contact us by phone at 1-866-675-6141.

We may need to request additional information from you to verify your identity (e.g., your email address, cookie identifier, machine identifier, and/or device identifier) or understand the scope of your request. However, you will not be required to create an account with us to submit a request or have it fulfilled.

For residents of certain states, if you have submitted a request that we have not reasonably fulfilled, you may contact us to appeal our decision by sending an email with the subject line “Appeal” to DSR@comscore.com.

We may contact you periodically via SMS text message, including for marketing purposes, at a mobile number that you provide and after obtaining your consent if required by applicable local law. Regardless of where you live, if you would like to stop receiving such text messages from us, you can text “STOP” at any time to opt out of further messaging. As explained above, we do not sell or share the mobile numbers we collect with nonaffiliated third parties for their marketing purposes.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of the above rights. We may, however, offer you certain financial incentives permitted by applicable law as compensation for allowing us to collect, sell, share, or maintain your personal information through your participation in our market research efforts.

The annual metrics table, found on our Data Subject Rights Page and below, provides Comscore’s metrics for responding to consumer’s data subject rights requests in 2024.

Median/Mean Days for Substantive Response to Requests in 2023: 28/26

Interest-based advertising and market research

What is interest-based advertising?

Interest-based advertising, also known as behavioral advertising or targeted advertising, allows advertisers to display ads tailored to your individual interests based on how you browse and shop online.

We may use third parties and service providers, as discussed here, to collect information from our Website for interest-based advertising. This process may involve third parties and service providers using tagging technology, such as a cookie, on your device. These tags may collect data about your Web browsing over time and across digital properties, including information about the possible relationships among different browsers and devices. We adhere to the Digital Advertising Alliance (“DAA”) Self-Regulatory Principles in connection to all interest-based advertising activities.

The information collected from Tags is used for interest-based advertising purposes, where appropriate. ScorecardResearch does not use information collected in the European Union (“EU”) for interest-based advertising services.

How do I manage my preferences for interest-based advertising?

You may visit www.aboutads.info/choices to learn more about interest-based advertising, to opt out of our collection and transfer of Web browsing information for interest-based advertising purposes, and to opt out of the collection and use of information for this purpose by other companies that participate in industry self-regulation. Additionally, to opt out of our collection and transfer of personal information for third parties to use for their own interest-based advertising purposes, you can use any controls that are provided for this purpose by the operating system on your mobile device. Please note that opting out will not stop advertising from appearing in your browser or in the applications you use. It may make the ads you see less relevant to your interests. You may also continue to receive interest-based advertising from other companies.

What is market research?

Market research is an organized effort to gather information about markets and customers. With the use of ScorecardResearch tags and surveys, Comscore’s market research group collects and analyzes information to provide products and services to companies around the world. This information helps companies better understand and meet the needs of consumers.

How do I manage my preferences for market research?

To control your level of participation in our market research programs or opt out, click here. By opting out of our market research program, Tags will only be able to count your visit to a particular site but not identify your device beyond that count. Additionally, if your mobile device platform offers settings to limit data collection for interest-based advertising, you can use these settings to opt out of participating in our market research programs.

What does opting out of market research on your browser do?

The browser opt-out mechanisms linked above are cookie based (i.e., a cookie must be on your device to tell our systems that you have opted out). The cookie-based method does not prevent us from identifying certain events (e.g., when a user visits a website). The method, however, prevents us from associating that event with your browser or otherwise identifying you beyond us merely counting your visit. If you delete, block, or otherwise restrict cookies, this opt-out may not be effective. Additionally, because different devices and different Internet browsers require their own version of the opt-out cookie, you may need to perform this opt-out process on any devices and browsers that you want to be opted-out.

Other important information about your personal information

Security. We use organizational, technical, and administrative measures to protect your personal information. For an overview of our security measures, click here.

Third-party links and services. Our Website may contain links to third-party websites. We do not control these linked websites and this Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any third-party website that you visit before you provide any information to that website’s owner.

Controller of Personal Information. Global privacy laws may differentiate between the controller and processor of personal information. For additional information about Comscore’s role with regards to the processing of personal information, please see https://www.comscore.com/About/Privacy.

International visitors and information transfers

If you visit our Website or participate in our program from locations outside of the United States, please note that any information you provide to us through your use of our Website or your participation in the program may be transferred to and processed in countries other than the country from which you accessed our Website or participated in our program, including the United States where our central database is operated. Subject to the next paragraph below, please be aware that the United States, and other countries in which your data may be maintained, may have data protection laws that are different from the laws in your country.

We take measures to help protect your personal information when it is transferred from the European Economic Area (“EEA”), Switzerland and the United Kingdom to other countries. We may rely on European Commission adequacy decisions about certain countries, as applicable (see here). Where applicable, we rely on standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission (see here) in our contracts with third parties that receive information outside the EEA, Switzerland and United Kingdom, or we transfer information on the basis of permissible statutory derogations.

For individuals based in the EEA, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, Comscore B.V., Hogehilweg 17, 1101 CB Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is the controller for personal data collected and processed from Website users. Comscore B.V. is a subsidiary of Comscore, Inc.

For more information about our policies on the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”), please click here. Our GDPR Supplemental Policy includes additional information, which complements this Privacy Policy, relating to the processing of ‘personal data’ and the exercise of rights under the GDPR, Swiss and United Kingdom data protection laws.

(EU-U.S. DPF), the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (Swiss-U.S. DPF) as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Comscore has certified to the U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (EU-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of personal data received from the European Union in reliance on the EU-U.S. DPF and from the United Kingdom (and Gibraltar) in reliance on the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF. Comscore has certified to the U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of personal data received from Switzerland in reliance on the Swiss-U.S. DPF. If there is any conflict between the terms in this privacy policy and the EU-U.S. DPF Principles and/or the Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles, the Principles shall govern. To learn more about the Data Privacy Framework (DPF) program, and to view our certification, please visit https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/. For more information about our compliance with the DPF program, please view our Data Privacy Framework Statement.

Changes to our privacy policy

We reserve the right to modify or update this Policy periodically. If we change our practices with respect to your information, we will notify you by posting a revised Policy on our Website with a ”Last Updated” date and such modified or amended version of this policy shall be effective as to you and your information as of that revision date. We encourage you to revisit this Policy periodically to stay informed about our practices with respect to your information.

Authoritative Version. When the text of this Policy is available in multiple languages, the English version is the authoritative version, except where prohibited by applicable law.

Contacting us

If you have any concerns, questions, or would just like to better understand our privacy practices, please send an email to privacy@comscore.com. If you prefer to contact us by mail, please write to Comscore, Inc., ATTN: Privacy, 11950 Democracy Drive, Reston, VA 20190.