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privacy
policy

Effective Date: October 1, 2025 

Hotspex Inc. (the "Company," "we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and safeguard information when you visit our website: https://www.hotspex.com and when you engage with our brand strategy, market research, and consumer insights services.

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We provide our services in jurisdictions across North America, Europe, and Asia where specific requirements may apply as set out in this Privacy Policy. As you use the Platform, we want you to clearly understand how we collect and use your information, ways you can protect your information and how we help you in protecting your information.

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Hotspex is committed to complying with applicable data protection laws, regulations, and global standards. This Policy is based on internationally recognized principles of data protection and adopts the fundamental principles of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as our minimum standard. While these principles guide our global practices, this does not make the GDPR itself directly applicable to all jurisdictions in which Hotspex operates.

 1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected, used, or disclosed by Hotspex (“we,” “us,” or “our”) in connection with our market research and insights activities. This includes information gathered through our websites, online platforms, surveys, research tools, recruitment processes, client projects, and communications (collectively, the “Platform”). 

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This Policy applies to all individuals whose information we process, including clients, research participants, employees, contractors, and vendors, and covers our operations across North America, Europe, and Asia, where applicable privacy and data protection regulations may apply. 

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It describes how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect personal information, as well as the rights and choices available to you regarding that information. This Policy applies regardless of the device, channel, or method you use to interact with us.

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By using our website or services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. 

2. Information We Collect 

We may collect the following types of information: 

  • Personal Information You Provide: Name, email address, phone number, postal code, and company details when you fill out a contact form, request information, or subscribe to our updates.

  • Device Information: We also automatically collect information about your browser type, device (desktop or mobile), and browser software version to optimize your experience on the website and maintain a record of your activity.

  • Business & Project Information: Details you provide about your brand, market, or customer research needs.

  • Automatically Collected Information: IP addresses, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and usage patterns through cookies, analytics tools, and similar technologies.​

  • Survey & Research Data: If you participate in consumer or market research conducted by us, we may collect your survey responses, demographic details, and other information relevant to the project. This may include written, verbal, audio, or video responses you voluntarily provide. Such data may contain your opinions, image, voice, and any other personal information you choose to share. All responses are collected and processed solely for research and analytical purposes in accordance with this Privacy Policy.​
  • Geolocation data: Precise location information about a particular individual or device.​
  • Internet or other electronic network activity information such as browsing history, search history, and information regarding a consumer's interaction with an Internet website, application, or advertisement.​
  • Sensitive Information (if applicable) In limited cases, and only with explicit consent, we may collect information such as demographic or psychographic data relevant to research projects.​

3. How We Use Information

We use collected information to: 

  • Provide, manage, and improve our website, services and related support. 

  • Analyze and improve the services and website. 

  • Advertise and market. 

  • Respond to inquiries, project requests, and client communications. 

  • Conduct consumer insights, surveys, and market research. 

  • Protect our legal rights and prevent misuse. 

  • To support our internal business purposes (including administration, planning and product development). 

  • Comply with legal obligations and enforce our agreements. 

4. How We Share Information 

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may share information only in the following situations:

  • Service Providers: With trusted third-party vendors who assist in delivering our services (e.g., analytics, hosting, survey platforms).

  • Research Participants: In anonymized or aggregated form, never linked to personally identifiable information, unless you consent.

  • Legal Compliance: When required by law, regulation, or legal process.

  • Business Transactions: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

 

Please note, we only share your personal information where we are satisfied that we have an appropriate legal basis to do so.

5. Cookies & Tracking 

Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that we transfer to your computer's hard drive through your web browser for record-keeping purposes. Some cookies allow us to make it easier for you to navigate our website. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies.

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Like many websites, we use cookies to recognize you when you return to our website so that we can provide you with customized experience. 

 

We use cookies, analytics tools, and similar technologies to: 

  • Understand website traffic and usage trends. 

  • Improve user experience and tailor content. 

  • Support marketing and advertising campaigns. 

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You can adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies, though some features may not work properly. 

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information. However, no system is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.

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We take reasonable measures to destroy or de-identify Personal Information when it is no longer necessary for the intended purpose or ay legally permitted secondary use. 

7. Data Retention

As a general rule, we retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, maintain appropriate business records, and enforce our agreements. In general, for example, we will retain relevant personal information of clients and Site visitors for at least seven (7) years from the date of our last interaction with you and in compliance with our obligations under applicable laws. We may retain personal information for longer where required by our regulatory obligations, professional indemnity obligations, or where we believe necessary to establish, defend, or protect our legal rights and interests or those of others. 

8. Your Rights 

Depending on your location, you may have the right to: 

  • Access, update, or delete your personal information. 

  • Withdraw consent to certain processing activities. 

  • Opt out of marketing communications at any time. 

  • Request information about how your data is used. 

 

The Personal Data we are provided with is for contact purposes. Under the GDPR, CCPA and CPRA, there are certain requests you can make related to personal data which we will respond to as much as we can under applicable laws. 

 

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@hotspex.com 

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Sometimes we will not be able to fulfill your request: if it prevents us from complying with our regulatory obligations or impacts other legal matters, if we cannot verify your identity, or it requires extraordinary cost or effort, we will tell you in a reasonable time and give you an explanation. 

9. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. Please note, that this Policy only applies to us and not to any third-party websites that may process, share, or distribute your personal information or other information. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. 

10. Children’s Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to, nor intended for, children under 13 (or under 16 in certain jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect information from minors under the age of 16. If you believe we have unintentionally collected such information, please notify us at privacy@hotspex.com, and we will delete it from our servers.

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However, we do conduct specific projects that involve minors. In these cases: 

  • Recruitment is done at the survey level, targeting specific groups. 

  • Participants under 16 are recruited through their parents or guardians, not directly. 

  • All vendors involved in these projects comply fully with these requirements. 

11. International Data Transfers

If you access our website or services from outside Canada, your data may be transferred to and processed in jurisdictions with different data protection laws. Where required (e.g., under GDPR), we implement safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs). 

12. Changes to This Policy

From time to time, we may update this Policy to reflect new or different privacy practices or to reflect changes in industry standards or legal requirements.

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We will place a notice online when we make material changes to this Policy. Additionally, if the changes will materially affect the way we use or disclose Information, we will notify you in advance of the change by sending a notice to the primary email address associated with your account or by posting a notice on our Site. We encourage you to periodically review this Policy for the latest information on our privacy practices.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact us at privacy@hotspex.com

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