All of our products and services meet the requirements stipulated by the current data protection laws. As a member of the Association of German Market and Social Research (Arbeitskreis Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforschungsinstitute e.V., www.adm-ev.de), we hold firmly to the provisions outlined in the Federal Data Protection Law (Bundesdatenschutzgesetzes [BDSG]) and all other laws and regulations related to data protection.
The GfK and its employees also observe strict codes of conduct governing both its national and international market research activities, including the:
In the context of our daily business practices, this means that the data in our microgeographic databanks never reveals the identity of an individual, but rather a specific geographic area. Microgeographic assessments, although place- rather than person-based, could potentially allow one to make certain conclusions regarding the individuals who live in these areas. Consequently, it is a requirement that every microgeographic area under evaluation contain at least five households. This is achieved through the creation of so-called "micro-cells," each of which has on average seven households (but always at least five) living within its boundaries. The highlest level of detail offered by our databank does not reveal the boundaries of this cell, but rather the corresponding street segments.