Privacy Policy

Effective date: Nov 6, 2023
Last updated: Apr 13, 2026

1. Who we are

Forecasting Research Institute (“FRI”, “we”, “us”) is a nonprofit organization incorporated in Delaware (USA). We operate https://forecastingresearch.org/. 

For questions about this policy or our privacy practices, contact info@forecastingresearch.org.

2. Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information in connection with our website and routine organizational operations. For example, when you:

  • Visit or use our website.
  • Contact us or subscribe to updates (e.g., newsletter).
  • Apply for roles or contracting opportunities.
  • Engage with us as a vendor, partner, donor, collaborator, or other business contact.

Research participants: If you participate in a specific research study, forecasting tournament, interview, or similar research activity, the privacy notice and/or consent materials provided for that activity govern how participant data is handled (including any study-specific retention, sharing, or confidentiality details). This general policy applies only to the extent that those study-specific materials do not address an issue.

3. The information we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

  •  Contact information (e.g., name, email address, organization, role; and if you provide them, phone number and postal address).
  • Communications (e.g., messages you send us and our replies).
  • Website log data (e.g., IP address, browser/device information, pages visited, time and date of visit, time spent on pages, and related statistics).
  • Newsletter signup information (e.g., email address) if you subscribe.
  • Application or engagement information (e.g., CV/resume, cover letter, references) if you apply for a role or collaborate with us.
  • Donation/payment-related information (typically handled by payment processors; we generally do not store full payment card numbers).

4. How we use personal information

We use personal information to:

  • Operate and improve our website and services.
  • Communicate with you and respond to inquiries.
  • Administer newsletters and organizational updates (where you sign up).
  • Manage recruitment, contracting, collaborations, and vendor/partner relationships.
  • Maintain security, prevent fraud or abuse, and monitor for technical issues.
  • Comply with legal obligations and enforce our policies.

5. Legal bases

Where applicable law requires a legal basis for processing personal information (including under the GDPR and UK GDPR, and similar frameworks in other jurisdictions), we generally rely on one or more of the following:

  • Legitimate interests such as operating and securing our website, preventing fraud, maintaining business records, and communicating with contacts and collaborators in the ordinary course of our work. We balance these interests against individual privacy rights and do not process data in ways that would override those rights.
  • Consent, where we ask for it, such as when you sign up for our newsletter.
  • Legal obligation, where processing is necessary to comply with applicable law.

6. Cookies and similar technologies

This website doesn’t collect cookies. We use Plausible Analytics, a privacy-focused web analytics platform. Plausible does not use cookies and does not collect personal data. Plausible does not perform cross-site or cross-device tracking. All analytics data is processed in aggregate. For full details, see Plausible’s Data Policy.

7. How we share information

We may share personal information only as needed, for example with:

  • Service providers (processors) that help us operate our website and organization (e.g., hosting, email, collaboration tools, payroll/HR, accounting, surveys, recruitment platforms).
  • Professional advisors (e.g., lawyers, accountants).
  • Authorities or other parties, where required by law, or to protect rights, safety, and security.

We require contractors, collaborators, or partners to agree to confidentiality obligations (for example, through non-disclosure agreements) when appropriate.

8. Service providers we use

Below is a non-exhaustive list of systems we use that may process personal information in connection with our operations. We review and update this list periodically, but it may not reflect every tool in use at a given time. For the most current information, or to ask about a specific provider, contact info@forecastingresearch.org.

Website hosting & analytics:

  • WordPress
  • Kinsta
  • Plausible

Newsletter:

  • Substack (newsletter signup and distribution)

Collaboration and communications:

  • Google Workspace
  • Google Drive
  • Slack
  • Zoom

HR, payroll, and contracting (where used):

  • Rippling
  • Gusto
  • Multiplier

Finance and operations (where used):

  • Expensify
  • Xero
  • Mercury
  • Wise
  • US Bank
  • Tremendous

Research operations (project-dependent):

  • Qualtrics (surveys)
  • Prolific (participant recruitment, where used)
  • CloudResearch (participant recruitment, where used)

Engineering and infrastructure (where used):

  • Github
  • Google Cloud Platform (cloud infrastructure, where used)
  • Make

AI tools1:

  • ChatGPT
  • Claude
  • Cursor

9. International data transfers

FRI is incorporated in Delaware (USA). Personal information may be processed, stored, and accessed from the United States and other countries where our service providers and we operate, including through remote access by our distributed team. Where required by applicable law, we use appropriate safeguards for cross-border transfers, such as contractual protections (including standard contractual clauses or equivalent terms) and other measures as appropriate.

10. Data retention

We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Examples:

  • Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe, plus a reasonable period for suppression lists.
  • Research participant records: as described in the applicable study notice/consent materials.

11. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures to protect personal information. For example, we require two-factor authentication for organization-related accounts, run regular cybersecurity audits, and prefer that sensitive data remain on FRI-managed systems. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by applicable law. Notification timelines and methods will depend on the nature of the breach and the requirements of the jurisdiction(s) involved.

12. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have rights regarding your personal information. These include, under applicable law:

  • Access: the right to know what personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: the right to have inaccurate information corrected.
  • Deletion: the right to request that we delete your information.
  • Restriction or objection: the right to limit or object to certain processing.
  • Data portability: the right to receive your information in a structured, machine-readable format (where applicable).

These rights apply in full to individuals in the EEA and UK under the GDPR and UK GDPR. Individuals in other jurisdictions (including certain US states2) may have similar rights under local law. We will respond to reasonable requests regardless of your location, to the extent practicable.

To make a request, email info@forecastingresearch.org. We may need to verify your identity before responding, and we will aim to respond within 30 days. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

13. Children’s privacy

Our website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact info@forecastingresearch.org, and we will take appropriate steps.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes are effective when posted, and we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact

Contact info@forecastingresearch.org for questions or suggestions about this Privacy Policy, and for public access file requests.

Notes

  1. We take care to avoid inputting personal information about research participants, donors, or other individuals into AI tools. However, staff communications or documents processed through these tools may incidentally contain contact-level information (e.g., names or email addresses). We do not use AI tools to make automated decisions about individuals. ↩︎
  2. California residents: FRI is a nonprofit organization and believes it does not meet the thresholds that trigger CCPA/CPRA obligations for businesses. However, we are committed to honoring reasonable data requests from California residents on the same basis as described above. ↩︎