Articles

As we close out an intense summer for the insights industry, the Insights Association has been focused on a wide variety of policy issues, including: the launch of a new program for legally transferring European Union personal data to the U.S.; looming worries in complying with state comprehensive consumer data privacy laws that came into effect on July 1, and newly-passed state laws in Florida and Tennessee; the latest developments in compliance concerns and regulation of artificial intelligenc...

As temperatures rose, so did the threats and opportunities for the insights industry in advocacy during May, ranging from three new comprehensive state privacy laws, advancing regulation of artificial intelligence, compliance concerns with state sales taxes, jousting over the Census Household Panel, restrictions on high-end incentives for research subjects, state legislation to ban non-competes, and a new Maryland law restricting most telephone calls for research purposes.

Welcome to spring, where the insights industry has been facing challenges in regulation and legislation, including state and federal data privacy (especially the finalized rules you need to know in California), the treatment of research subjects as independent contractors, and prohibitions on non-compete agreements. We also welcomed the new scathing conclusions of a federal investigation into the Census Bureau’s attempt to compete against the insights industry, and reviewed the players on Congr...

As we begin a new year, let’s take a quick look back at the insights industry’s successes and challenges covered by the Insights Association in December 2022, including: wins and losses on taxes specifically targeting insights; wins and losses on state privacy bills; last-minute preparations for new state privacy laws; bringing transparency to the Census Bureau’s attempts to compete with our industry; and state and federal legislation impacting our ability to treat research subjects as indepe...

With American Thanksgiving now in the rearview mirror, let’s look back at the biggest challenges the insights industry tangled with this month, including new privacy rules in California and at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); some wins, losses and new laws in California; and new federal labor rules that could treat research subjects receiving incentives as if they are employees of research companies.

New federal labor rules could mistakenly classify "participants in surveys, focus groups, and other market research activities" as "employees of the research companies," which the leading trade association for the insights industry called "the wrong result and presumably not the intention of the proposal."

Consumer data privacy and security concerns, including progress towards a new trans-Atlantic data deal, a new law in California and proposed rules in California and at the FTC, were top of mind for the insights industry in October. In addition, concerns about draft U.S. Department of Labor regulations impacting research subjects’ status as independent contractors, and miscellaneous other new laws, remain salient.

To our pleasant surprise, Congress has actually been cutting compromises on federal privacy legislation, as the Insights Association has been seeking, so that has been a big focus this month, along with other privacy and data security concerns. Also on this month’s docket have been rules to treat a research subject as an independent contractor, the use of employee non-compete agreements, funding for the U.S. Census, and the regulation of alcohol market research.

Since our last Fighting for You, the Insights Association has been charging full-steam into debates over consumer privacy and data security at the state, federal and trans-national levels; opposing a new project at the Census Bureau that would compete directly against the insights industry; scrutinizing Congressional legislation and possible Securities and Exchange Commission regulation that could treat research subjects like employees, instead of independent contractors; and advocating against ...

Thanks to help from researcher Vera Cooley, the Washington State House Committee on Finance amended legislation before passage on February 28, preventing a detrimental impact on the survey, opinion and marketing research profession.