• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Privacy for America

Privacy for America

Furthering Accountability and Responsible Data Practices.

  • Home
  • About
  • Overview
  • Newsroom
    • Blog
    • News
    • Press Releases
  • Contact
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

How Using Data Responsibly Helps Consumers and Businesses

February 26, 2020

The responsible use of data has brought countless benefits to consumers and businesses – not to mention entire U.S. and global economy. We can access the latest deals and products from our favorite online stores, stream news on the Internet, stay connected with friends on social media, and a whole lot more.

The best part about all of this? Most of these services come to consumers personalized and free or at a very low cost, thanks to digital advertising.

According to research conducted by the Harvard Business School, consumers engage with and appreciate ad personalization when the methods are transparently disclosed and not viewed as overstepping. Data-driven marketing and insights also help make it possible for small businesses and startups to provide consumers a wider range of products and services that cater to their unique and diverse interests. From vintage CDs to local specialty foods, there is a whole community of online small businesses offering novelties that aren’t typically available at big box retailers or in every state.

Online interest-based advertising also plays a critical role in supporting a healthy and diverse flow of news and information. In today’s digital world, many news outlets, blogs, and other websites and publishers rely heavily on digital advertising revenue to remain in business and provide free or low-cost content to keep consumers informed and entertained. This advertising and the data that underpins it has been particularly crucial for small publishers that provide important content to specific audiences – a niche sports publication or a gardening blog, for example – but don’t have access to diverse revenue streams.

Without advertising revenue, many outlets and platforms would also likely have to charge consumers or charge them more for access. According to an estimate from Recode, for instance, the internet without ads could cost consumers about $35 a month, or $420 a year.

Another instructive case study is the impact that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) had on news sites in when the EU’s law went into effect. London-based Top10VPN tested over 500 U.S. news sites and discovered that 42 percent of U.S. news sites flatly blocked connections from Europe rather than apply GDPR’s provisions to U.S. users. Another recent white paper found that recorded pageviews and revenue fell by about 10% for EU users after GDPR’s enforcement deadline. This translates to about a $8,000 drop in weekly recorded revenue per week for the median website.

As we pursue legislation to address how consumer information can be collected, shared or used online, we must recognize the benefits that data-fueled businesses have brought both consumers and businesses.. Our new paradigm shifts away from the old notice-and-choice model and toward a common set of privacy norms that defines data practices that harm consumers and actually makes them illegal. And by establishing a strong national privacy standard, businesses of all sizes can have clear rules of the road and focus on providing the products and services their customers know and love.

We’ll continue to urge policymakers to consider strong protections for consumers that also preserve the revenue models so many platforms depend on for providing content and keeping costs low for consumers. We can have the best of both worlds – we don’t have to choose one or the other.

Blog

Footer

Contact Privacy for America

To get in touch, please contact us.

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

About Privacy for America

Learn more about us.

Read our privacy policy.

View our sitemap.

© 2022 Privacy for America. All rights reserved. Site By Prairie Marketing Inc.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT