Privacy Notice

1. Who we are and what we do

We are Silverlight Research Ltd (“Silverlight”, “we”, “us” or “our”). We are a company registered in England and Wales under company number 11124869. Our registered office is 78 York Street, London, England, W1H 1DP.

We are registered with the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”), as a data controller. Our ICO registration number is ZA760718.

Silverlight is an expert network, research, market intelligence and information services business. Our activities include identifying industry experts, maintaining expert profiles, facilitating consultations and other interactions between experts and clients, operating expert platforms, collecting and structuring expert insights, creating research and intelligence outputs, and making expert information, expert content and related service materials available through our services, platforms, public websites, social media channels, tools, integrations, APIs and distribution channels.

We introduce experts to clients for consultations, surveys, screenings, written responses, follow-up questions, interviews, diligence projects, market research, strategy research, investment research, commercial research and other professional interactions.

Clients may browse experts on our platform, request expert profiles, invite experts to projects, request consultations, access expert content and receive reports, summaries, datasets, transcripts, analytics, search results and other service materials.

Experts may be contacted by Silverlight team members, Silverlight systems, Silverlight clients, authorised third-party platforms, AI tools, CRM tools, market intelligence platforms, financial information platforms, information vendors, distributors and other authorised commercial partners in connection with relevant projects, research products, expert intelligence products, market intelligence products and related services.

We may create and publish expert insight products, reports, articles, summaries, indexes, benchmarks, datasets, commentary, public research outputs, transcript-derived insights and market intelligence materials based on expert content, client materials, service materials, calls, interviews, surveys, screenings, transcripts and related interactions.

Unless we notify you otherwise, Silverlight is the controller of Personal Data processed under this Privacy Notice. In some circumstances, we may also act as a processor or service provider for a client, platform partner or other third party. Where this applies, our processing will be governed by the relevant contractual arrangements.

2. Who this Privacy Notice applies to

This Privacy Notice applies to you if you:

• visit our website;
• are an expert, prospective expert, consultant, adviser, speaker, respondent or other participant in our expert network;
• are a client, prospective client, client user, platform user, client representative or other person connected with a client;
• correspond with us about our services, becoming an expert, becoming a client, joining a project, participating in a survey, participating in a screening, attending a consultation or receiving expert intelligence;
• communicate with us by post, telephone, video call, email, SMS, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, platform message, online chat, webform or other electronic means;
• participate in a call, meeting, interview, survey, screening, written response, follow-up response, project, platform interaction or other engagement arranged by or through Silverlight;
• are identified by us, our clients, our service providers, our AI tools, our platform tools, our research tools, our CRM tools, our integration tools or publicly available sources as a potentially relevant expert, client, candidate, company contact, industry participant or research source;
• are included in expert profile data, client account data, project data, transcript data, service records, platform records, datasets, analytics, summaries, research products, public reports, published insights, market intelligence products or public indexes;
• give us feedback, ask us for information, attend an event, receive project invitations or receive marketing or service communications from us.

3. What Personal Data means

“Personal Data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual.

This may include, for example, your name, email address, telephone number, online identifier, profile details, professional history, work experience, voice, image, opinions, answers, messages, communications, call participation, transcript contributions, survey responses, screening answers, payment information and platform activity.

“Special Category Personal Data” is more sensitive Personal Data. It includes information revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data used for identification, health data, sex life or sexual orientation.

We do not usually need Special Category Personal Data for our services. You should not provide Special Category Personal Data unless it is necessary, lawful and appropriate for the relevant purpose.

4. Personal Data we collect

The Personal Data we collect depends on our relationship with you and how you interact with us. We may collect and process the following types of Personal Data:

• identity information, including name, title, username, profile ID, account ID, signature details and identity verification information;
• contact information, including email address, telephone number, postal address, company address, LinkedIn URL, social media handle and other contact details;
• professional information, including employer, company name, job title, role, sector, industry, region, seniority, work history, CV information, academic qualifications, certifications, skills, expertise, languages, publications, board roles, advisory roles and professional background;
• expert profile information, including current and former employers, job titles, company history, industry experience, functional experience, geography, biography, expert tags, availability, project preferences, invitation preferences, compliance responses, hourly rate information, payment details and participation history;
• client information, including client company, team, department, role, project requests, research topics, requested companies, requested job titles, project criteria, client users, account contacts, invoice contacts and account activity;
• project and engagement information, including project briefs, screening criteria, survey questions, diligence questions, interview guides, engagement requests, expert invitations, booking details, attendance records, call duration, project outcomes, cancellation records and feedback;
• communication data, including emails, messages, call notes, video call content, chat messages, SMS, WhatsApp messages, LinkedIn messages, platform messages, meeting notes, support tickets and other correspondence;
• expert content and service materials, including expert responses, comments, opinions, answers, written responses, screening answers, survey responses, follow-up answers, messages, notes, call recordings, video recordings, audio recordings, transcripts, transcript excerpts, summaries, datasets, analytics, platform records, search results, metadata, tags, taxonomies, quality checks, role-based citations, benchmarks and related outputs;
• client materials, including project briefs, questions, instructions, screening criteria, survey questions, diligence topics, uploaded documents, client comments, client communications and related materials;
• payment and financial information, including bank details, payment provider details, invoices, billing records, tax information, payment status, transaction details and compensation records;
• compliance information, including conflict checks, eligibility checks, consent records, confidentiality confirmations, compliance attestations, regulatory restrictions, employer restrictions, project restrictions, expert terms acceptance, client terms acceptance, call consent records and audit trails;
• technical and platform information, including IP address, device information, browser type, operating system, login records, access logs, cookie identifiers, analytics data, traffic data, location data, usage data, page views, search activity, invite activity, booking activity, API activity, MCP activity, connector activity, data feed activity and system interaction records;
• AI, automation and analytics information, including prompts, queries, embeddings, structured data, summaries, classifications, tags, retrieval records, AI-assisted outputs, tool logs, model interaction records and quality review records;
• publication and research product information, including public reports, public indexes, benchmarks, analytics, commentary, comparisons, charts, tables, citations, quoted statements, attributed statements, unattributed statements, transcript-derived insights, market indicators, KPI commentary, industry expectations, expert expectation scores and related outputs;
• marketing and preference information, including communication preferences, opt-in and opt-out records, expert invitation preferences, client preferences, survey preferences and marketing interaction history;
• any other information you choose to provide to us or that is generated, collected, received, inferred or derived in connection with our services.

This list is non-exhaustive. You can ask us for more information by contacting compliance@silverlightgroup.com.

5. Sources from which we collect Personal Data

We collect Personal Data from the following sources:

• directly from you, including through forms, calls, video calls, emails, messages, surveys, screenings, consultations, platform use and other communications;
• from clients, experts, client users, colleagues, employers, representatives, recruiters, referrers, event partners, platform users and other third parties;
• from publicly available sources, including websites, company websites, social media, LinkedIn, Companies House, public registers, publications, conference materials, professional directories, news sources, regulatory sources and reputable information providers;
• from third-party data providers, enrichment providers, analytics providers, CRM providers, research providers, market intelligence providers, financial information providers, recruitment databases and similar sources;
• from our own systems, including our expert network platform, client platform, CRM, call hosting systems, email systems, transcription systems, analytics systems, AI tools, research systems, search systems, publication systems, databases, APIs, MCP servers, connectors and integrations;
• from clients’ project requests, expert requests, invite activity, platform activity, communications and engagement records;
• from recordings, transcripts, notes, summaries, surveys, screenings, written exchanges, follow-up responses and other materials generated in connection with our services;
• from public reports, publications, public commentary, industry sources, financial information platforms, market data platforms, research platforms and other market intelligence sources.

6. Purposes and lawful bases for processing

We will process Personal Data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the context, we may rely on contract, legitimate interests, consent, legal obligation or another lawful basis available under applicable law. We may process Personal Data for the following purposes.

Providing our services: to provide expert network services, expert introductions, expert sourcing, client support, expert support, project administration, engagement administration, platform access, call hosting, surveys, screenings, written responses, follow-up questions, reports, summaries, analytics and related services. Lawful basis: contract, legitimate interests and, where required, consent.

Expert identification, profiling and matching: to identify, assess, classify, tag, structure, profile, rank, match and invite experts for projects, calls, surveys, screenings, diligence requests, research products, expert intelligence products and market intelligence products. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

Expert profiles and client access: to create, maintain, enrich, display, disclose, publish and make available expert profiles, professional history, experience, job titles, company history, sector expertise, expertise tags, availability, project preferences, rates and, where permitted, contact details to clients, prospective clients, client users, platform users and authorised partners. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

Direct client-to-expert contact: to allow clients, platform users and authorised partners to view expert details, retrieve expert contact details where permitted, invite experts to projects, contact experts directly, book engagements, conduct consultations and communicate about relevant opportunities. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

Recordings, transcripts and service materials: to record, monitor, transcribe, translate, summarise, analyse, retain, structure, search, index, tag, excerpt, quote, cite, reformat, aggregate, anonymise, pseudonymise, distribute, publish, publicly publish, display, publicly display, disclose, license, sublicense, commercialise and otherwise use calls, meetings, interviews, surveys, screenings, written exchanges, communications, expert responses, expert content and related service materials. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract, consent where required, legal obligation where applicable.

Research, intelligence and commercial products: to create, develop, provide, improve, license, sublicense, distribute, publish, publicly publish and commercialise research products, transcript products, data products, expert intelligence products, market intelligence products, financial information products, analytics products, searchable databases, dashboards, reports, summaries, extracts, datasets, benchmarks, role-based citations, public commentary, public indexes and other information services. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

Public publications and public social media: to publish, quote, cite, excerpt, summarise, compare, analyse, reproduce, display and distribute expert content, client content, transcripts, transcript-derived insights, summaries, extracts, datasets, analytics, research outputs, market intelligence outputs, benchmarks, indexes, charts, commentary and reports through public websites, public webpages, newsletters, blogs, LinkedIn, social media, media channels, presentations, public reports, downloadable materials and other public communication channels. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

AI-generated and AI-assisted reports: to use AI tools and other software-assisted tools to analyse, summarise, compare, quote, cite, classify, benchmark and report on expert statements, client statements, transcripts, call recordings, survey responses, screening answers, written responses, messages, market data, KPIs, metrics, industry views, expectations and data points, including for public reports, private client reports, market intelligence products and commercial publications. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

Expert Expectations Index and benchmark products: to create, maintain, publish, distribute and commercialise indexes, benchmarks, indicators, datasets and reports, including an Expert Network Expert Expectations Index or similar products showing what experts are saying, expecting, reporting or observing about industries, companies, sectors, geographies, products, demand, supply, pricing, growth, margins, KPIs, metrics, performance indicators, data points, market conditions, sentiment, trends and other topics. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

AI, automation and software-assisted processing: to use AI tools, machine learning tools, automation, retrieval systems, search systems, transcription tools, translation tools, summarisation tools, analytics tools, classification tools, quality review tools, data enrichment tools and other technology systems to process, analyse, structure, summarise, search, retrieve, tag, classify, route, monitor, quality-check, improve and generate outputs from Personal Data, expert content, client materials, communications, platform records, transcripts and service materials. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

MCP, API, connector and integration access: to allow authorised AI tools, software tools, model providers, CRM systems, relationship intelligence platforms, research platforms, data systems, workflow tools, MCP servers, APIs, connectors, plugins and other integrations to access, retrieve, process, structure, analyse, summarise, search, update, enrich, export, display or make available relevant expert data, client data, project data, transcripts, service materials and related records. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

Third-party platform and information vendor distribution: to share, supply, license, sublicense, distribute, publish, display, disclose or make available expert profiles, expert data, expert contact details where permitted, expert content, transcripts, transcript-derived insights, summaries, extracts, datasets, analytics, research outputs, market intelligence outputs, public reports, public indexes and related service materials to or through clients, client portals, information vendors, financial information platforms, market data platforms, market intelligence platforms, investment research platforms, transcript platforms, expert intelligence platforms, CRM platforms, relationship intelligence platforms, data providers, enterprise systems, intermediaries, distributors and other commercial partners. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

Third-party access for their authorised users: to allow authorised third-party platforms, information vendors, financial information platforms, market data platforms, market intelligence platforms, investment research platforms, transcript platforms, expert intelligence platforms, CRM platforms, relationship intelligence platforms, data platforms, enterprise systems, APIs, MCP-enabled tools, distributors, intermediaries and commercial partners to make expert profiles, expert details, expert content, transcript-derived insights, summaries, extracts, datasets, analytics and related service materials searchable, viewable, retrievable or otherwise accessible to their own authorised clients, customers, users or subscribers. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and, where required, consent.

Compliance, monitoring and fraud prevention: to monitor compliance, prevent fraud, verify identity, manage conflicts, enforce terms, investigate misuse, maintain audit trails, protect confidential information, comply with regulatory requirements and maintain service integrity. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and legal obligation.

Client relationship management and marketing: to manage client relationships, send service communications, product updates, marketing communications, invitations, offers, platform updates, event invitations and information about services that may be relevant. Lawful basis: legitimate interests and consent where required.

Expert relationship management and project invitations: to contact experts about projects, consultations, surveys, screenings, written responses, events, platform opportunities, expert preferences, payment matters, compliance matters and expert support. Lawful basis: contract, legitimate interests and consent where required.

Payments and accounting: to manage expert payments, client payments, invoices, banking details, payment processing, tax records, accounting records, expense records, financial administration and debt recovery. Lawful basis: contract, legitimate interests and legal obligation.

Website, platform and systems operation: to operate, secure, improve, test, maintain and optimise our websites, platforms, systems, portals, databases, APIs, integrations, analytics, user experience and security controls. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and legal obligation.

Business operations and corporate transactions: to manage our business, conduct audits, obtain professional advice, enter into partnerships, finance, restructure, sell or transfer all or part of our business, merge with another business or conduct similar corporate transactions. Lawful basis: legitimate interests, contract and legal obligation.

Legal rights and obligations: to comply with laws, respond to lawful requests, enforce agreements, protect our rights, defend claims, pursue claims, handle disputes, respond to regulators and maintain legal records. Lawful basis: legal obligation, legitimate interests and contract.

7. AI, MCP, API and software tool access

We may use, connect or make available Personal Data, expert profiles, expert contact details where permitted, expert content, client materials, transcripts, summaries, datasets, communications and service materials through AI tools, software tools, MCP servers, APIs, connectors, plugins, retrieval systems, search systems, workflow systems, CRM systems, relationship intelligence systems, transcription systems, analytics systems and similar technology.

This may include tools and systems provided by Silverlight or by third-party providers, such as large language model providers, AI assistants, cloud providers, CRM providers, relationship intelligence providers, database providers, transcription providers, analytics providers, workflow providers, search providers and integration providers.

For example, where configured and authorised by Silverlight, tools such as Claude, ChatGPT or similar AI assistants may access relevant expert details, project data, client records, transcripts, notes, summaries, messages, datasets or service materials through MCP connections, APIs, connectors or other controlled integrations.

We may use these tools to:

• retrieve expert details and match experts to projects;
• analyse expert profiles, work experience, project history, communications, relationship context and availability;
• generate expert shortlists, tags, classifications, search results and suitability assessments;
• summarise calls, transcripts, surveys, screenings, written responses and messages;
• create reports, datasets, insights, citations, benchmarks and market intelligence;
• quote, cite, excerpt, compare and analyse statements from experts, clients, calls, transcripts, surveys, screenings, written responses and communications;
• support client service, expert support, compliance review, quality control and operational workflows;
• improve our services, platforms, databases, research products and commercial offerings;
• structure, index, search, analyse and retrieve information more efficiently;
• create public or private reports, public indexes, market benchmarks, KPI summaries, trend reports and expert expectation products;
• make expert profiles, expert details, expert content, transcript-derived insights, summaries, extracts, datasets, analytics and related service materials available through authorised third-party systems and their authorised users, where permitted by our contracts, preferences, lawful bases and safeguards.

We will apply appropriate technical, contractual and organisational safeguards where third-party providers process Personal Data on our behalf or as independent controllers. These safeguards may include access controls, confidentiality obligations, data processing terms, security obligations, transfer mechanisms, audit controls and usage restrictions.

We do not intend to use AI tools to make solely automated decisions about individuals that produce legal or similarly significant effects without appropriate safeguards and notices.

8. Sharing information

We may share Personal Data and related materials with the following categories of recipient where lawful and appropriate:

• clients, prospective clients, client users, client representatives and client affiliates;
• experts, prospective experts and expert representatives;
• Silverlight group companies, affiliates, contractors, consultants, staff, officers, agents and advisers;
• platform providers, hosting providers, cloud providers, email providers, messaging providers, call hosting providers, transcription providers, translation providers, analytics providers, search providers, database providers, CRM providers, relationship intelligence providers, payment providers and IT support providers;
• AI providers, machine learning providers, automation providers, large language model providers, MCP providers, API providers, connector providers, plugin providers, retrieval system providers, workflow tool providers and related technology vendors;
• financial information platforms, market data platforms, market intelligence platforms, investment research platforms, research platforms, information vendors, data vendors, transcript platforms, expert intelligence platforms, CRM providers, relationship intelligence platforms, enterprise systems, intermediaries, distributors, commercial partners and similar companies;
• public website users, website visitors, newsletter recipients, social media followers, LinkedIn users, publication readers, report recipients, event attendees, media recipients and other public or semi-public audiences where materials are published or distributed publicly;
• professional advisers, lawyers, accountants, auditors, insurers, bankers and corporate finance advisers;
• regulators, courts, law enforcement authorities, public authorities, tax authorities and government bodies;
• buyers, sellers, investors, lenders, shareholders, potential acquirers, merger partners and other parties involved in a corporate transaction, financing, restructuring, sale, transfer or investment process;
• other third parties where you have agreed, where necessary for our services, where required by law, where necessary to protect rights, or where otherwise permitted by applicable law.

We may share, license, sublicense, distribute, publish, publicly publish, display, publicly display or otherwise make available expert profiles, expert details, expert contact details where permitted, expert content, client content, transcripts, transcript-derived insights, summaries, extracts, datasets, analytics, research outputs, market intelligence outputs, public reports, indexes, benchmarks and related service materials to or through financial information platforms, market data platforms, market intelligence platforms, investment research platforms, transcript platforms, expert intelligence platforms, data vendors, information vendors, distributors, intermediaries, CRM platforms, relationship intelligence platforms, enterprise systems, APIs, MCP-enabled tools, our own websites, public webpages, blogs, newsletters, LinkedIn, social media channels and other commercial or public communication channels, including where those third parties make such materials searchable, viewable, retrievable or otherwise accessible to their authorised clients, customers, users or subscribers.

Examples of the types of third-party platforms and services covered by this Privacy Notice include financial information platforms, market data platforms, investment research platforms, transcript libraries, expert intelligence platforms, relationship intelligence platforms, CRM systems, enterprise software platforms, research databases, analytics platforms, AI-enabled search tools, API-enabled tools, public websites, public research portals, newsletters, social media platforms and similar services.

9. Expert profile and expert contact sharing

If you are an expert or prospective expert, we may create, maintain, enrich, display, disclose, publish and share expert profile information about you. This may include your name, current job title, current company, previous job titles, previous companies, industry experience, work history, biography, seniority, geography, expertise, skills, LinkedIn profile, availability, rates, project preferences, compliance status and other relevant profile details.

We may make expert profile information available to clients, prospective clients, client users, platform users, authorised partners, research platforms, market intelligence platforms, financial information platforms, data platforms, CRM systems, relationship intelligence platforms, enterprise systems, intermediaries, distributors and, where appropriate, public audiences through websites, reports, articles, indexes, social media or other publication channels.

Where permitted by your preferences, consent, contract or applicable law, we may also make your contact details available so that clients, authorised partners or authorised users of third-party platforms can contact you directly about relevant projects, calls, surveys, screenings, written responses, expert discovery, relationship intelligence, market intelligence, diligence, analytics or other opportunities.

Clients and authorised partners may access, retrieve, search, filter, export, integrate, enrich, analyse, display, publish or use expert details through our platform, APIs, integrations, MCP tools, CRM systems, relationship intelligence systems, data feeds, search tools, dashboards or other distribution channels.

We may also make expert profile information, expertise information, work history, availability, project suitability information and, where permitted, contact details available to third-party CRM platforms, relationship intelligence platforms, market intelligence platforms, financial information platforms, research platforms, data platforms, enterprise systems, APIs, MCP-enabled tools and similar providers, including where those providers make such information searchable, viewable or otherwise accessible to their own authorised clients, customers, users or platform subscribers in connection with research, expert discovery, relationship intelligence, market intelligence, diligence, analytics or related commercial services.

You can change your invitation and contact preferences by using the relevant preference page or by contacting compliance@silverlightgroup.com.

10. Expert content, transcripts and derived insights

If you participate in an engagement, call, survey, screening, written response, follow-up question, interview or other interaction arranged by or through Silverlight, we may collect and process the content of that interaction.

This may include recordings, transcripts, notes, summaries, written answers, survey responses, screening answers, follow-up answers, messages, chat content, comments, opinions, insights, datasets, metadata, tags, analytics, benchmarks, role-based citations and other related outputs. We may use these materials for:

• providing services to the relevant client;
• quality assurance, compliance, verification and audit purposes;
• creating, improving and operating our platforms and databases;
• creating transcript products, expert intelligence products, market intelligence products, research products, data products, analytics products, searchable databases, dashboards, summaries, extracts, datasets, benchmarks and related commercial offerings;
• sharing, licensing, sublicensing, distributing, publishing, publicly publishing, displaying, publicly displaying, disclosing or otherwise making available transcripts, transcript-derived insights, summaries, extracts, datasets, analytics and related service materials to clients, information vendors, financial information platforms, market data platforms, market intelligence platforms, investment research platforms, transcript platforms, research platforms, enterprise systems, distributors, intermediaries, public website users, social media users and other commercial or public audiences;
• distribution through third-party information vendors, financial information platforms, market data platforms, market intelligence platforms, investment research platforms, transcript platforms, research databases, data feeds, APIs, CRM platforms, relationship intelligence platforms, enterprise systems, MCP-enabled tools, distributors, intermediaries and other commercial partners, including where such third parties provide access to their own authorised clients, customers, users or subscribers;
• publication through Silverlight websites, public webpages, blogs, newsletters, LinkedIn, social media, media channels, public reports, public research products, downloadable materials, public indexes, industry briefings, presentations, marketing materials and similar channels;
• AI-assisted, software-assisted, analyst-assisted, search, retrieval, analytics, workflow, platform, research and market intelligence purposes;
• aggregation, anonymisation, pseudonymisation, indexing, tagging, classification, enrichment, citation, excerpting, benchmarking and other processing connected with our business;
• creating and publishing public or private reports that quote, cite, excerpt, compare, summarise or analyse what experts, clients, client users or other participants say in calls, surveys, screenings, written responses, messages or other communications, where permitted by our contracts, lawful bases, notices, consents and safeguards;
• creating and publishing indexes, including an Expert Network Expert Expectations Index or similar products, showing what experts are saying, expecting, reporting or observing about industries, companies, sectors, geographies, products, demand, supply, pricing, growth, margins, KPIs, metrics, performance indicators, data points, market conditions, sentiment, risks, opportunities, trends and other topics.

Where we disclose or publish materials externally, we may disclose or publish them in identifiable, pseudonymised, anonymised, aggregated, excerpted, role-based or unattributed form, depending on the product, service, contract, consent, lawful basis and applicable safeguards.

11. Client materials, communications and client-derived insights

If you are a client, client user, client representative or associated person of a client, we may collect and process client materials and client communications.

This may include project briefs, research topics, questions, screening criteria, survey questions, diligence questions, interview guides, documents, client data, client confidential information, Personal Data, messages, call participation, platform activity, expert invitations, booking records and other materials provided by or on behalf of a client.

We may use client materials to provide services, source experts, conduct engagements, administer screenings and surveys, generate expert content, create service materials, operate and improve our business and products, comply with legal and compliance obligations, and create anonymised, pseudonymised or aggregated insights.

We may use client communications, project data and client materials to create, develop, improve, test and commercialise AI-assisted products, software-assisted products, analyst-assisted outputs, search products, retrieval products, workflow products, expert intelligence products, market intelligence products, research products, datasets, benchmarks and public or private reports.

We may quote, cite, summarise, compare, analyse or otherwise refer to client statements, client questions, client communications, project topics, project criteria, client feedback and client-derived insights in reports, summaries, datasets, analytics, benchmarks, public indexes, market intelligence products and research outputs where permitted by our agreements, lawful bases, notices, consents and safeguards.

We will not intentionally disclose client confidential information to other clients or public audiences except as permitted under our agreements, authorised by the client, required by law, or otherwise described in this Privacy Notice.

12. Public reports, website and social media publication

We may publish, publicly display, publicly distribute, quote, cite, excerpt, summarise, compare, analyse, reproduce, reformat, aggregate, anonymise, pseudonymise, commercialise and otherwise use expert profiles, expert content, client content, transcripts, transcript-derived insights, service materials, datasets, analytics, benchmarks, market observations, KPI commentary and industry insights in public materials. Public materials may include:

• Silverlight websites and public webpages;
• blogs, newsletters, articles and public research notes;
• LinkedIn posts, social media posts and other public social media channels;
• public reports, white papers, downloadable materials and presentations;
• public dashboards, indexes, benchmarks and market intelligence products;
• public marketing materials, sales materials, event materials and media materials;
• third-party websites, platforms, databases, information vendors, financial information platforms, market data platforms, investment research platforms, transcript platforms, CRM platforms, relationship intelligence platforms and other public or commercial distribution channels.

Public materials may include identifiable, pseudonymised, anonymised, aggregated, excerpted, role-based or unattributed information, depending on the context, contractual permissions, consent position, lawful basis, fairness assessment and applicable safeguards.

13. Expert Network Expert Expectations Index and similar products

We may create, maintain, publish, distribute, license, sublicense, commercialise and update an Expert Network Expert Expectations Index or similar products.

These products may show, summarise, compare, score, benchmark, index or analyse what experts, clients, client users or other participants are saying, expecting, reporting, observing or forecasting about industries, sectors, subsectors, geographies, companies, markets, products, technologies, business models, demand, supply, pricing, volumes, margins, costs, inventory, orders, backlog, churn, retention, hiring, budgets, spending, growth rates, performance indicators, operational metrics, financial metrics, customer metrics, sales metrics, product metrics, KPIs, risks, opportunities, sentiment, confidence, expectations, trends, market conditions, data points, public companies, private companies, portfolio companies, suppliers, customers, competitors and other market participants.

The index and similar products may be based on expert content, client materials, transcripts, transcript-derived insights, survey responses, screening answers, written responses, follow-up answers, platform records, datasets, analytics, AI-assisted analysis, analyst-assisted analysis, third-party data, public sources and other service materials.

The index and similar products may be made available privately to clients, publicly through Silverlight channels, or through third-party platforms, financial information platforms, market data platforms, market intelligence platforms, investment research platforms, information vendors, data vendors, CRM platforms, relationship intelligence platforms, distributors, intermediaries and commercial partners.

14. Aggregated, anonymised and pseudonymised information

We may anonymise, pseudonymise, aggregate, de-identify or otherwise transform Personal Data and service materials so that they can be used for research, analytics, benchmarking, product development, commercial products, AI-assisted products, public reports, public indexes, market intelligence products, expert intelligence products, datasets and statistical analysis.

Where information is truly anonymised so that individuals are no longer identifiable, it is no longer Personal Data under UK GDPR. We may use and share anonymised information without further notice.

Where information is pseudonymised but individuals may still be identifiable through additional information, it remains Personal Data and we will process it in accordance with applicable law.

15. Special Category Personal Data and sensitive information

We do not generally require Special Category Personal Data for our services.

You should not provide Special Category Personal Data, material non-public information, inside information, trade secrets, privileged information, confidential employer information, patient information, customer information or other restricted information unless you are authorised to do so and it is appropriate for the relevant engagement.

If you provide Special Category Personal Data or sensitive information, we may process it where necessary for the relevant purpose and where a lawful basis and any required additional condition applies.

16. Cookies, website analytics and online tracking

When you visit our websites, we may collect technical information such as IP address, browser type, operating system, device information, website usage, traffic data, location data, web logs and other communication data.

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate our websites, maintain security, improve user experience, understand website traffic and support analytics.

Some cookies are essential for website operation and security. Other cookies may be used for analytics, performance, preferences or marketing where permitted by law.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings or any cookie preference tool made available on our website.

17. International transfers

We operate internationally and may transfer Personal Data outside the UK, the EEA or your country of residence.

This may occur where our clients, experts, staff, affiliates, service providers, AI providers, cloud providers, platform providers, CRM providers, relationship intelligence providers, research providers, information vendors, distributors, public platform providers, social media platforms or other commercial partners are located outside the UK or EEA.

Where required, we will use appropriate safeguards for international transfers. These may include adequacy decisions, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to EU Standard Contractual Clauses, EU Standard Contractual Clauses, contractual safeguards, technical safeguards, organisational safeguards or another lawful transfer mechanism.

No internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we maintain appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect Personal Data.

18. Security

We use technical and organisational measures designed to protect Personal Data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access.

These measures may include access controls, authentication, role-based permissions, logging, encryption where appropriate, confidentiality obligations, staff training, vendor controls, contractual protections and security review processes.

Where you have a password or account access, you are responsible for keeping your credentials confidential and complying with applicable security procedures.

19. Retention

We retain Personal Data for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and any compatible or permitted purposes.

Retention periods depend on the type of information, relationship, legal requirements, business needs, contractual requirements, limitation periods, accounting obligations, compliance obligations, product needs, publication needs, archival needs and whether information has been anonymised. Examples include:

• client transaction, invoice and accounting records may be retained for up to seven years or longer where required by law;
• expert profile data may be retained for as long as the expert remains in our network or may be relevant to our services, unless deletion or restriction is required by law;
• project, engagement, call, transcript, survey, screening, communication, platform and service records may be retained for as long as needed for service delivery, compliance, audit, quality assurance, legal, contractual, operational, research, analytics, product, publication and commercial purposes;
• public reports, public indexes, public publications, published materials and related archival records may remain publicly available unless removal is required by law or determined appropriate by Silverlight;
• anonymised, aggregated or de-identified information may be retained indefinitely;
• records needed for legal claims, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, enforcement, regulatory compliance or audit may be retained for longer where necessary.

At the end of the applicable retention period, we may delete, anonymise, aggregate or archive Personal Data in accordance with applicable law and business requirements.

20. Your rights

Depending on your location and the applicable law, you may have rights in relation to your Personal Data, including:

• the right to be informed about how we use your Personal Data;
• the right of access to receive a copy of Personal Data we hold about you;
• the right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data;
• the right to erasure, also known as the right to be forgotten;
• the right to restrict processing;
• the right to object to processing, including direct marketing;
• the right to data portability;
• the right to withdraw consent where we rely on consent;
• rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling.

These rights are not absolute. We may continue to process Personal Data where we have lawful grounds to do so, including where processing is necessary for legal claims, compliance obligations, contractual obligations, legitimate interests, freedom of expression, research, archiving, security, fraud prevention or other lawful purposes.

Where Personal Data has been included in public materials, reports, indexes, datasets, publications, social media posts, third-party platforms or commercial products, we will consider any request to remove, correct, restrict or object to processing in accordance with applicable law, contractual obligations, technical feasibility, archival considerations, freedom of expression, legitimate interests and the rights and interests of others.

To exercise your rights, contact compliance@silverlightgroup.com.

21. Marketing and communications

We may send service communications, project invitations, expert invitations, platform notices, client updates, expert updates, product information, event invitations and marketing communications.

You can opt out of marketing communications by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting compliance@silverlightgroup.com.

Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending service, transactional, legal, compliance, payment, project-related or account-related communications.

22. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle Personal Data, please contact us first at compliance@silverlightgroup.com so that we can investigate.

You may also complain to the ICO. Information Commissioner’s Office, website https://ico.org.uk, telephone 0303 123 1113.

If you are located outside the UK, you may also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

23. EU representative and data protection contacts

Silverlight may process Personal Data of individuals in the European Economic Area. If Silverlight has processed or is processing your Personal Data, you may be entitled to exercise rights under applicable data protection law.

You may contact our EU data protection representative by sending an email to DataRep at datarequest@datarep.com quoting “Silverlight Research Ltd” in the subject line, or by contacting DataRep via the online webform at www.datarep.com/data-request.

For questions about this Privacy Notice or how we process Personal Data, contact compliance@silverlightgroup.com.

Our designated data protection officer contact is DataCo International UK Limited, c/o One Peak Partners, 41 Great Pulteney Street, 2nd floor, London W1F 9NZ, United Kingdom. Telephone +44 20 3318 1718. Website www.dataguard.co.uk.

24. Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our services, platforms, products, technology, legal obligations, data processing activities or business operations.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Notice periodically. The date at the top of this Privacy Notice shows when it was last updated.