Do consumers want a free and open internet or do they want robust data privacy legislation?
The answer is both, according to new research from the Interactive Advertising Bureau suggests.
The research, “Striking the Balance: The Consumer Perspective on Privacy, Preference, and Personalization“, found 80% of U.S. consumers prefer free internet access supported by ads and over 70% are willing to share data to enable it.
Consumers recognize value exchange
“Only 2% of consumers actually mentioned that advertising was a concern,” said Jack Koch, SVP, Research & Insights, IAB, in this video interview with Beet.TV.
“A majority of consumers, 80% of them, in fact, mentioned criminal activities, such as fraud and data breaches, and that’s what they’re really concerned about, not advertising (itself).”
IAB’s study suggests that data privacy laws should focus on protecting consumers from fraud and data breaches, rather than on regulating advertising. This is important because it highlights the areas where consumers are most concerned, and where policymakers should focus their efforts.
Support for data privacy laws
The research shows 86% of U.S. consumers recognize websites/apps are free because of advertising.
A similar number, 82%, of U.S. consumers agree personalized ads help them discover products and services they’re interested in.
But understanding of privacy laws is a mixed bag. Over 70% of consumers are familiar with existing state-level data privacy legislation. But Kock added: “Forty percent of consumers aren’t familiar with their more advanced data privacy rights, such as accessing and deleting their personal data.
“And 95% of consumers would change at least something about their national data privacy laws. In fact, only 5% think the laws are perfect as is.”
IAB says that lack of familiarity with some privacy-related rights suggests that any new legislation should be simple, clear and understandable for consumers.
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