In 2016 ESOMAR updated the ICC/ESOMAR International Code for a new era of research, with dramatic increases in the ability to collect, store and process information that is radically changing the way people live and work. This guideline guides those working with personal data on their ethical responsibilities to data subjects in this new era. Proliferation of data, and the ability to link data from multiple sources to create rich profiles, has led to uses that not only compromise the privacy of data subjects, but may also be harming data subjects in other ways, such as discrimination, differential pricing or access.

The purpose of the Duty of Care guideline is to advise researchers and the organisations in which they work on their responsibilities to protect the privacy and well-being of data subjects. It provides organisations with flexibility to formulate their own solution to mitigate and address the risks inherent to the type of research they may conduct or commission.