A social media enthusiast, Megha strives to learn more about how the internet shapes our days, thoughts, and actions today. Interested in cyber security, spam elimination, and other web scams, it is her passion to explore these areas first-hand as a team lead at the Internet 2.0 Conference, where she aims to ensure that every delegate has an unforgettable experience.
Data Privacy In The Era Of Big Tech Domination
As more of our daily lives move online, consumer data privacy concerns have grown as more people realize that their online activity — from search history to website visits to online purchases and beyond — is being recorded and used by companies for various purposes. Consumer data privacy is currently a top priority for consumers, regulators, and legislators.
Billions of people worldwide have come to rely on the services provided by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google to exercise their fundamental human rights. However, as discussed in various IT conferences in Vegas , the concentration of power in these corporations has been a concern for many people inside and outside the United States.
As a result, Apple and Google have taken essential steps in response to calls for increased privacy protections. For instance, Google intends to eliminate third-party cookies in Chrome by 2023, which are used to track users online, target ads, and measure ad performance.
It may seem like a step in the right direction, but there's more to this story. Big tech giants are trying to maintain their advantage against other companies by limiting what they know about their customers. This is an improvement, and consumers believe they can keep themselves safe online while still giving big tech access to the information it needs. It isn’t always the case.
1) How Privacy Protections Benefit Big Tech
Tech events in Vegas have highlighted the importance of individual rights when accessing private information and how big tech establishes itself as an advocate for privacy and positions itself well against other technology giants. It seems likely that when people are allowed to control what information they share and with whom, Facebook will feel its full force of power. After all, who wouldn't want to avoid being used by a company that exploits user data without their consent?
According to Facebook, Apple's recent push for data privacy is merely a business decision. However, many questions remain about whether this new technology, which is at least partially implemented through Facebook's terms of service but controlled by other corporations such as Apple, is an attempt to exploit the fact that app developers do not contain the user's information. When users sign up for these apps, Apple gains access to a wide range of private information about them (such as how frequently they talk), and it also has control over what can be done with that information, later on, making these contracts often one-sided
2) Marketers Deal With The Issue First Hand
In light of new, stricter advertising guidelines pinned to change the face of the industry as we know it, companies and marketers are trying to ensure a steady future for themselves. To reduce dependence on other data sources - such as demographics and preferences - these brands invest in their first-party databases, containing detailed information about customers such as where they live, what stores they frequent, the type of purchases they make, and how frequently they return.
Having detailed customer data is essential to ad targeting and all other aspects of digital marketing. With companies investing more in rich customer experiences and consumers engaging with these experiences - information is inevitably created. As time goes on, brands can study this data for insight into their customers' behaviors, understand them better and figure out how best to interact with them. This information allows brands to target potential consumers based on their needs and interests so they're engaged from the beginning, and hopefully converted when it matters most.
3) The Changing Landscape
Advertisers can now confidently find who they need to reach with effective advertising campaigns by compiling large amounts of data about their current and prospective customers. Furthermore, by developing in-house databases, businesses can reduce their reliance on external information sources. Building these databases takes time and money, but it prepares brands for future marketing challenges while increasing accuracy. Experts at upcoming tech events in the USA , such as the Internet 2.0 Conference, will focus on tips and tricks to ensure data privacy in this new era.