Data Privacy Policy

MAQResearch Inc ("MAQ" or "the company"), as a leading Background Screening and Due Diligence services provider, is aware of the need to keep the personal data of its stakeholders (e.g., current and former employees, applicants, contractors, clients and clients' employees and applicants) private and secured and is to be used solely for legitimate purposes.

Our goal is to demonstrate our commitment to compliance with business, legal and regulatory requirements pertinent to the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA), cooperating fully with the National Privacy Commission (NPC), and protecting the right to privacy of our stakeholders. We value your privacy as much as we value ours. We are aware that personal data comprises one's identity and in this modern times, personal and sensitive information's confidentiality is of utmost importance.

Please note that the terms "personal data" and "information" are used interchangeably. When we talk about "personal data," the term includes the concepts of personal information, sensitive personal information, and privileged information. The first two are typically used to distinctively identify you. For their exact definitions, you may refer to the DPA.

This policy will apply in all locations where we operate, to all forms of information, and to all systems used to collect, store, process, or transfer information.

What Data Do We Collect?

Depending on the nature of your relationship with MAQ, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

  • Identity and contact information — full name, date of birth, nationality, government-issued identification numbers, home address, email address, and phone number.
  • Employment and educational history — past and present employers, positions held, dates of employment, academic institutions attended, degrees or certifications obtained, and professional licenses.
  • Reference and background information — information obtained from publicly available records, former employers, academic institutions, government agencies, and professional references as part of background screening engagements.
  • Client and account information — company name, billing details, authorized representative details, and service agreements.
  • Website usage data — IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs, collected automatically when you use our website.
  • Communications data — records of correspondence you send to us through our website contact forms or email.

We do not collect special categories of sensitive personal data (e.g., racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, genetic or biometric data) unless expressly required by a legitimate background screening engagement and with your explicit consent or as permitted by law.

How Do We Collect Your Data?

We collect data through the following methods:

  • Directly from you — when you fill out forms on our website, submit an inquiry, create an account, or provide information as part of a background screening process.
  • From our clients — when a client engages MAQ to conduct a background check on you, the client provides us with your basic identifying information to initiate the process.
  • From third-party sources — government agencies, courts, educational institutions, past employers, and professional licensing bodies as part of verification activities.
  • Automatically via our website — through cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit maqresearchinc.com. See the Cookies Policy section below for details.

How Will We Use Your Data?

MAQ processes personal data for the following specific purposes:

  • Performing background screening, due diligence, and verification services on behalf of our clients.
  • Managing client accounts, contracts, and billing.
  • Responding to inquiries and providing customer support.
  • Complying with legal and regulatory obligations, including requirements under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and orders from competent authorities.
  • Improving the functionality and security of our website and internal systems.
  • Administrative, historical, and statistical analysis for internal business operations.

We process personal data only on the basis of legitimate interest, contractual necessity, legal obligation, or explicit consent, as applicable under the DPA. We do not sell personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.

How Do We Store Your Data?

MAQ stores personal data on secured servers and systems with access restricted to authorized personnel only. Our data storage practices include:

  • Encryption — data transmitted to and from our website is encrypted in transit using TLS (HTTPS). Sensitive records stored in our systems are protected with encryption at rest where applicable.
  • Access controls — access to personal data is granted on a need-to-know basis and is subject to role-based permissions, authentication requirements, and audit logging.
  • Physical and organizational measures — our systems are hosted in data centers with appropriate physical security. Staff with access to personal data are bound by confidentiality obligations.
  • Retention — personal data is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Background screening records are typically retained for a period consistent with our contractual obligations and the retention schedules required under Philippine law. Upon expiry of the retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymized.

Access to Information

Your personal information is accessed and used by MAQ personnel who have legitimate interest in it for the purpose of carrying out their mandated duties for the company. We use and share your information as permitted or required by law and MAQ's normal business operations including a variety of administrative, historical, and statistical purposes.

Share and Disclosure of Information to Third Parties

MAQ may share personal data with the following categories of third parties, strictly on a need-to-know basis and in accordance with the DPA:

  • Clients — the company that engaged MAQ to conduct a background screening will receive the results of that screening as the primary output of our service.
  • Government agencies and regulatory bodies — courts, law enforcement, the NPC, and other competent authorities when required by law or court order.
  • Verification sources — educational institutions, previous employers, licensing boards, and similar entities contacted as part of the verification process.
  • Service providers — third-party vendors who support our operations (e.g., cloud hosting, email delivery, payment processing) under data processing agreements that obligate them to protect your data.

We do not transfer personal data internationally unless required by the nature of the engagement and with appropriate safeguards in place. We do not disclose personal data to any third party for their own direct marketing purposes.

Data Protection

We shall implement acceptable and appropriate organizational, physical, and technical security measures for the protection of personal data which we collected, and demonstrate our commitment to implementing best practices for managing information security. These steps of protection shall aim to maintain the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, alteration, and disclosure as well as unlawful processing. Your personal data will only be accessed by our authorized personnel/ personal data processor who hold such information under strict confidentiality. We shall restrict access to information to anyone who wants to obtain such data without justifiable reason. Any incident of security breach about said personal data which comes to our knowledge will immediately be acted upon as the law mandated. MAQ will take the necessary steps to address said breach and mitigate its negative effects. If there is a strong belief that an incident affects your personal data, MAQ will notify you of such incident in an appropriate manner.

Confidentiality

MAQ personnel shall operate and hold personal data under strict confidentiality.

Data Rights

Under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and, where applicable, other data protection regulations, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

  • Right to be informed — to know how your data is collected, processed, and used.
  • Right to access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification — to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to erasure or blocking — to request deletion or suspension of processing of your data on reasonable grounds.
  • Right to object — to object to the processing of your personal data, including processing for direct marketing.
  • Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format where technically feasible.
  • Right to lodge a complaint — to file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) at privacy.gov.ph if you believe your rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@maqresearchinc.com. We will respond to verified requests within the timeframe required by applicable law.

Right to Privacy

As provided by the Act, you may object to the processing of your personal data, request to access your personal information, and/or have it corrected, erased, or blocked on reasonable grounds. For the details of your rights as data subject, you can get in touch with our Data Privacy Officer at contact details below or at the NPC at https://privacy.gov.ph. MAQ will take note of your request and shall reserve the right to deal with the matter in accordance with the law.

Right to Damages

The data subject shall be indemnified for any damages sustained due to such inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, false, unlawfully obtained or unauthorized use of personal data, taking into account any violation of his or her rights and freedoms as data subject.

Cookies Policy

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your web browser when you visit a website. MAQ uses cookies to ensure the proper functioning of our website and to understand how visitors use it.

How Do We Use Cookies?

We use the following categories of cookies on maqresearchinc.com:

  • Strictly necessary cookies — these are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They include:
    • maqresearch_inc_session — a session cookie that keeps you logged in during your visit and protects against cross-site request forgery (CSRF). It is deleted when you close your browser.
    • XSRF-TOKEN — a security token used to prevent unauthorized form submissions.
  • Third-party security cookies — we use Google reCAPTCHA on certain forms to protect against automated abuse. Google may set cookies as part of this service. Their use is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

We do not use advertising cookies or sell cookie data to third parties.

How to Manage Cookies

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

  • View which cookies are stored and delete them individually or in bulk.
  • Block third-party cookies.
  • Block all cookies from specific websites.
  • Block all cookies from all websites.

Please note that disabling strictly necessary cookies will prevent core features of the website — such as logging in — from working correctly. Browser-specific instructions for managing cookies can be found through your browser's help documentation:

Do Not Track

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not wish to be tracked across different websites or online services.

Our website does not engage in cross-site behavioral tracking or advertising tracking. Because we do not track users across third-party websites, we do not alter our data collection practices in response to DNT signals at this time. The only cookies we set are strictly necessary session cookies as described in the Cookies Policy section above.

If you have concerns about tracking, you may manage cookies directly through your browser as described above.

Children's Online Privacy Protection

MAQ's website and services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. Background screening engagements conducted by MAQ relate to employment or professional due diligence purposes and, by nature, involve adult data subjects.

If you believe that a child under 18 has provided us with personal data without appropriate parental or guardian consent, please contact us immediately at dataprotection@maqresearchinc.com so that we may delete the information promptly.

Contact Information

For your concerns regarding your privacy rights, or any matter regarding Data Privacy Act of 2012, you may contact our Data Protection Officer through the following details: dataprotection@maqresearchinc.com