Common Sense Privacy Program

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Privacy Evaluation for Survey Monkey

Last updated
Applications and services with a Warning rating do not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices. Applications and services with a Warning rating have issues narrowly focused around data use related to creating profiles that are not associated with any educational purpose, selling data, and/or using data to target advertisements.

67%

Warning

Learn how we rate

Overview

Survey Monkey allows users to create and publish online surveys, and view the results graphically and in real time. Survey Monkey's terms state they do not provide social interactions between users, but do provide settings for survey creators to make surveys and their results publicly visible to others. The terms state that Survey Monkey or other third parties they work with may display tailored marketing content to users when they visit the services and other third-party websites. Survey Monkey's terms disclose robust data security infrastructure and practices. Lastly, Survey Monkey's terms state the services are not intended for, and may not be used by individuals who are minors.

Survey Monkey can be accessed through its website, and is available for download at the iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use accessed for this evaluation can be found on Survey Monkey’s website. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.

Additionally, other policies used for this evaluation include:

Safety

Survey Monkey's terms state they do not provide social interactions between users, but do provide settings for survey creators to make surveys and their results publicly visible to others. A user's survey responses are owned and managed by the survey creator, and the service treats that information as private to the survey creator, except if the survey creator has chosen to make the questions and responses available via a publicly available link. In addition, the terms state the service may offer publicly accessible blogs and community forums. Users should be aware that any information they provide in these areas may be read, collected, and used by others who access them.

The terms state that when a user responds to a survey, form, questionnaire, or application sent by a Creator, using a SurveyMonkey service, the user will need to reach out directly to that individual or organization to discuss managing, deleting, accessing, restricting access to or otherwise withdrawing consent for use of the information which the user provided to them in their responses.

Privacy

The terms of Survey Monkey state the service is used by survey creators or people who create and conduct surveys online, and survey respondents or people who answer those surveys. Survey Monkey's terms state they collect personally identifiable information from users through survey data and usage and behavioral data automatically collected through the use of the service. Survey Monkey may share a user's information with third parties to improve or promote its services. In addition, Survey Monkey's terms state the service may collect and store the survey responses that users submit, but the survey creator is ultimately responsible for a user's data and how they manage it.

Lastly, the terms state that Survey Monkey or other third parties they work with may display tailored marketing content to users when they visit the services and other third-party websites. The terms state advertising network partners may use cookies, page tags, and/or web beacons to collect non-personal information about a user's activities on the service and other websites in order to track and provide users with targeted advertising based upon their interests.

Security

Survey Monkey's terms disclose robust data security infrastructure and practices. The terms state the service uses encryption with user data in transit and while at rest. The terms also state that Survey Monkey uses reasonable security standards that include user security, authentication, passwords, data encryption, portability, and residency. In addition, Survey Monkey's terms specify physical security practices that include availability, network security, vulnerability management, administrative security, certifications, and appropriate handling of security breaches.

Compliance

Survey Monkey's terms state the services are not intended for, and may not be used by individuals who are minors. In addition, Survey Monkey's terms state they do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals who are minors or allow them to register for the service. If Survey Monkey learns they have collected personal data from , they will delete the information.

In addition, parents and educators should be aware the service creates survey data that is inherently used for data research purposes. When survey data is used with students in the classroom, the data would be covered under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). Under the PPRA, all instructional materials including teacher's manuals, films, tapes, or other supplementary instructional material which is used in connection with any research must be made available for inspection and consent by the parents or guardians of the students. However, the terms do not disclose whether they provide any such parental consent mechanism.

Rating

This product received a Warning rating based on the following details:
  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.
Data Collection
SCORE: 60%

What data does it collect?

  • Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.
  • The categories of collected personally identifiable information are indicated.
  • Collection or use of data is limited to product requirements.
  • Geolocation data are not collected.
  • Unclear whether this product collects biometric or health data.
  • Interactions, behaviors, or usage analytics data are collected.
  • Unclear whether this product collects sensitive data.
  • Data is automatically collected.
  • Opt-in consent is requested from users at the time personal information is collected.
  • Personal information of users is collected by a third party.
Data Sharing
SCORE: 85%

What data does it share?

  • Collected information is shared with third parties.
  • The categories of information shared with third parties are indicated.
  • The purpose for sharing a user's personal information with third parties is indicated.
  • The categories of third parties that receive data are indicated.
  • Data are shared for analytics.
  • Unclear whether data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
  • Third-party services are used to support the product.
  • The roles of third-party service providers are indicated.
  • Third-party login is supported.
  • Contractual limits are placed on third-party data use.
Data Security
SCORE: 90%

How does it secure data?

  • Unclear whether a user's identity is verified with additional personal information.
  • Account creation is required.
  • Managed accounts are available.
  • Multi-factor account protection is available.
  • Third-parties with access to information are required to provide the same security protections as the company.
  • Reasonable security practices are used to protect data.
  • Employee or physical access to user information is limited.
  • All data in transit are encrypted.
  • All data are stored in an encrypted format.
  • Notice is provided in the event of a data breach.
Data Rights
SCORE: 80%

What rights do I have to the data?

  • Users can create or upload content.
  • Users retain ownership of their data.
  • Processes to access or review user data are available.
  • Processes to modify data are available for authorized users.
  • A data-retention policy is available.
  • Unclear whether authorzied users can delete data.
  • A user's data are deleted upon account cancellation or termination.
  • Data are not deleted when no longer necessary.
  • Methods are available to restrict who has access to data.
  • Processes to download user data are available.
Data Sold
SCORE: 25%

Is the data sold?

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Users can opt out from the disclosure or sale of their data to a third party.
  • User information can be transferred to a third party in the event of a merge, acquisition, or bankruptcy.
  • Unclear whether users are notified if their information is transferred to a third party.
  • Unclear whether user information can be deleted prior to its transfer to a third party.
  • Unclear whether third-party transfers are contractually required to use the same privacy practices.
  • User information that is shared is shared in an anonymous or de-identified format.
  • Unclear whether the company describes their de-identification process of user information.
  • Unclear whether data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
  • Unclear whether contractual limits prohibit third parties from reidentifying or de-identified information.
Data Safety
SCORE: 65%

How safe is this product?

  • Users can interact with trusted users.
  • Users can interact with untrusted users, including strangers and/or adults.
  • Profile information must be shared for social interactions.
  • Personal information can be displayed publicly.
  • Users can control how their data are displayed to others.
  • User-created content is reviewed, screened, or monitored by the company.
  • Unclear whether user-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.
  • Unclear whether social interactions between users are moderated.
  • Social interactions of users are logged.
  • Users can report abuse or cyberbullying.
Ads & Tracking
SCORE: 60%

Are there advertisements or tracking?

  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Traditional or contextual advertisements are displayed.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.
  • The company can send marketing messages.
  • The company does provide promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
  • Users can opt out of contextual, or personalised advertising.
  • Users can opt out or unsubscribe from marketing communications.
Parental Consent
SCORE: 50%

Can I provide parental consent?

  • Not intended for children under 13.
  • Personal information from children under 13 years of age is not collected.
  • Unclear whether intended for parents or guardians.
  • Company does not have actual knowledge that personal information from users under 13 years of age is collected.
  • The company does not provide a section, heading, or separate policy for children in their policies.
  • Unclear whether parental consent is required before personal information is collected or disclosed.
  • Unclear whether this product limits parental consent with respect to third parties.
  • Parents can withdraw consent for the further collection of their child's information.
  • Children's personal information is deleted if collected without parental consent.
  • Unclear whether this product provides parental consent notice and method for submission.
School Purpose
SCORE: 0%

Is the product intended for school?

  • Unclear whether intended for students.
  • Unclear whether personal information or education records are collected from preK-12 students.
  • Unclear whether intended for teachers.
  • Unclear whether this product is primarily used by, designed for, and marketed toward students in grades preK–12.
  • Processes to enter education records into the product are not described.
  • Unclear whether additional rights or protections may be provided with an additional school contract.
  • Unclear whether the company is designated as a school official.
  • Unclear whether this product transfers parental consent obligations to the school or district.
Individual Control
SCORE: 30%

Can I control the use of my data?

  • Users can control the use of their information through privacy settings.
  • Unclear whether use of information is limited to the purpose for which it was collected.
  • The context or purpose for which data are collected is indicated.
  • Unclear whether company may combine data with additional data from third-party sources.
  • Unclear whether this product treats combined information as personally identifiable information (PII).
  • Unclear whether notice is provided if the context in which data are collected changes.
  • Unclear whether consent is obtained if the practices in which data are collected change.
  • A grievance or remedy mechanism is available for users to file a complaint.
  • Unclear whether users can request to know what personal information has been shared with third parties.
  • Unclear whether notice is provided in the event the company receives a government or legal request for a user's information.

Common Sense Standard Privacy Report (SPR)

The standard privacy report (SPR) displays all the privacy practices from a product's policies in a single, easy-to-read outline. The report shows a green check mark for better privacy practices and an orange alert for risky or unclear practices. This alert indicates that more time should be focused on these particular details prior to use.

Learn more about the SPR Read the report

About Privacy Evaluations

The privacy evaluations have been designed with the help and support of a consortium of schools and districts across the United States. These evaluations are designed to help educators make informed decisions about the potential privacy implications of educational technology used to support teaching and learning.

Our core evaluation criteria will always be freely available. People are encouraged to read the questions we use and our information security primer. Vendors are encouraged to use our questions and the information security primer to self-evaluate. You can also learn more about our evaluation process. Please be in touch with any questions or feedback.