The Jambar
Many people acknowledge that their data is being sold, but do they know the extent of it?
A Deloitte study showed that 91% of surveyed individuals accepted terms and conditions without reading them — and that percentage was even higher for those ages 18 to 34.
According to usercentrics.com, user data collection is the act of gathering information on users through websites, apps, or online services. Collected data can include personal information, behavioral data and technical data.
This data is sold because it helps businesses better understand consumers and their purchasing history. Consumer data allows companies to predict the best way to market to consumers moving forward, resulting in better sales.
Data selling has been an ongoing topic of controversy as media use grows, leading to the introduction of privacy bills such as the Ohio Personal Privacy Act.
Previously, there were few rules and regulations regarding the collection or sale of data because of rapidly evolving technology.
The OPPA was created to give control back to Ohio residents and their personal data.
As seen on infotrust.com, there are five specific rights afforded to customers:
- Consumers’ right to know what personal data is collected about them
- Consumers’ right to request personal data collected about them
- Consumers’ right to have their personal data deleted
- Consumers’ right to have their personal data corrected
- Consumers’ right to prohibit the sale of their personal data
Ohio.gov explains the purpose of these rights.
“These rights would give Ohioans control over how businesses are using their data and give Ohioans the option to tell businesses to not sell their data,” the website states.
The OPPA brought many new expectations for companies that were previously selling data.
Moving forward, there is a lot to look at regarding data collection and selling. The hope would be that companies reevaluate their approach to be more transparent with consumers.
According to commonsense.org, customers’ rights can improve through companies communicating with users, along with obtaining consent for gathering and selling data.
Even though it should be expected that companies are transparent when sharing personal data, it’s important to know exactly what you are clicking “I agree” to. Now, with the passing of the OPPA, Ohio is moving in the right direction.
