The BEST protection you can get in Research
Trust Mark

An Australian first – the ADIA Trust Mark (established 2014)

ADIA’s commitment to rigorous ethical conduct is embodied in the Trust Mark.

For over a decade, the Trust Mark has verified that ADIA member organisations operate to the highest ethical and privacy standards. It stands as an authoritative symbol of assurance for research buyers that their data is safeguarded.

The ADIA Trust Mark is the highest level of protection in market and social research and insights you can buy. ADIA Trust Mark member organisations go over above minimal legislation to ensure that they are meeting the robust requirements of a co-regulated compliance framework.

The three pillars of Trust Mark protection:

1. PRIVACY – ADIA Trust Mark member organisations work exclusively under the Privacy (Market and Social Research) Code. Australia’s first and only Industry APP Privacy Code, which helps ensure the highest level of protection for people taking part in research along with the companies and government organisations buying it.
2. QUALITY – ADIA Trust Mark members comply with the International Standard for Market, Opinion and Social Research certification (ISO 20252) and undergo an annual external audit.
3. ETHICS – ADIA Trust Mark members abide with the bespoke Australian Industry Code of Ethics, which is administered by The Research Society, ensuring that research is undertaken with integrity, transparency, and respect for all participants.

BENEFIT

This trio of privacy, quality, and ethics creates a robust foundation for research you can rely on. The Trust Mark acts as an assurance that every project is not only compliant but conducted according to the highest standards of responsibility – protecting your data, your organisation, and the people behind every insight.

About the ADIA

The Australian Data and Insights Association (ADIA) is the peak industry body for data, insights, and research organisations in Australia. As a $4 billion industry, ADIA represents more than 80 member companies that employ more than 5000 people and 70% of the industry’s annual (data collection) turnover.

ADIA partners with its company members, privacy authorities, business, government and the community to protect and promote the industry and uphold the highest ethical and privacy market and social research standards. In 2003, ADIA (formerly AMSRO) pioneered its privacy code for members, which won an Australian Privacy Award in 2009.

ADIA members constitute a significant force for improving Australian society, with organisations collecting and analysing a wide variety of essential data that enables informed social and economic planning, health policy and practice, and research across many sectors, especially social cohesion, and mutual trust.

TRUSTMARK FAQ’s

Why is having the Trust Mark important?

Business and government departments are increasingly using data to make critical decisions. This appetite for data, combined with consumers increasingly carrying out their lives online, means research that is unethically sourced or breaches privacy is available to buy.   The Trust Mark guarantees business and government decision makers that they are buying research that is quality-assured and meets not only ethical standards, but also work under Australia’s only (non-mandatory) registered Industry APP Privacy Code.  It provides the reassurance that you are using a legitimate, professional research company that is audited by ADIA to ensure compliance. The Trust Mark protects client reputation and integrity.  It also reduces risk for all parties and provides confidence and certainty.

What benefits does the Trust Mark provide to ADIA members?

It’s a fast and easily recognisable way for ADIA members to assure their clients that they uphold the highest ethical standards to deliver professional quality research data.  It provides confirmation that customer details are not used for direct marketing and guarantees clients that their data is protected.  It aligns their business with market and social research companies that commit to best practice.

How do ADIA members qualify for the Trust Mark?

Stringent, mandatory criteria needs to be met to be granted use of the Trust Mark including:

• Privacy: Adherence to the Privacy (Market & Social Research) Code
• Quality assurance: Companies must have the International Standard for Market, Opinion and Social Research qualifications (ISO 20252)
• Ethics: Adherence to The Research Society Code of Professional Behaviour

What do the Privacy Principles mean for Australian research companies?

The ADIA Privacy (Market and Social Research) Code has been developed to provide data, insights and research organisations certainty under the Privacy Amendment Act (launched in 2014).   The Code works to ensure ADIA members follow the highest privacy and ethical standards.

For further information please click here.