In the digital age, data has become a currency of unparalleled value. It drives businesses, fuels innovation, and shapes the online experiences we encounter daily. From the moment you log into a social media platform, browse an e-commerce website, or interact with digital marketing strategies, you are generating data. But as you navigate this data-driven landscape, critical questions arise:
Who truly owns your data?
Why does transparency matter?
If you’re not quite sure, don’t worry, you came to the right place!
Data Generation
In today’s interconnected digital landscape, data is constantly being generated as a natural byproduct of our online activities in something called a digital footprint. This digital footprint comprises a wide range of data, including personal information, browsing history, and user preferences.
Take online interactions for instance. When you engage with websites, apps, and online services, you’re inadvertently creating data. Every time you post a status on social media, comment on a blog, or open that email, you’re generating data related to your online behavior.
And this generation of data doesn’t just stop at your website and app experiences, it also includes physical aspects such as your location. Mobile devices equipped with GPS and location-based services generate data about your physical movements. Apps that request location permissions can track your whereabouts, which is valuable information for various purposes, including hyper-targeted advertising.
Data Collection
While data generation is something that is being passively generated every minute of every day, strategically, ethically, and securely collecting and transparently managing that data is a much more intentional process.
Digital platforms and analytics tools gather information about your online behavior, such as the websites you visit, the products you browse, and the content you engage with. These insights help them understand user behavior, trends, and patterns, which can inform business decisions and marketing strategies.
Many marketers utilize this information to build user profiles by aggregating data from multiple sources. These profiles contain a wealth of information about demographics, interests, online habits, and where they are in the buyer’s journey. Such profiles are foundational for core marketing efforts such as personalization.
Data Security & Compliance
In a digital landscape saturated with data, legal frameworks have emerged to protect the rights and privacy of individuals while establishing responsibilities for businesses that collect and utilize data. Two prominent regulations in this regard are the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Understanding these regulations is essential, especially for businesses that are required to be compliant.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
GDPR, enacted by the European Union, grants users significant rights over their data. These rights include the right to:
Access their data
Request its deletion
Have their data transferred to other services
As a result, businesses must ensure that they can fulfill these requests promptly.
GDPR also mandates that businesses obtain clear and informed consent from users before collecting their data. This requirement has reshaped the way businesses approach data collection, making transparency and user choice central to data practices.
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
Data Ownership: CCPA, enacted in California, grants users the right to:
Know what personal information is collected about them
Know if data collected about them is sold to third parties
Opt out of the sale of their data
CCPA also imposes obligations on businesses to disclose their data practices and provide clear opt-out mechanisms. In addition, businesses are required to notify affected individuals in case of a data breach, emphasizing the importance of data security. To stay ahead, businesses need to update their privacy policies and practices to align with CCPA requirements.
The Role of Your Digital Marketing Agency
Now that we better understand data and how it’s generated, collected, and securely managed, let’s discuss the “black box”.
Here, we’ll explore why it’s crucial for businesses to partner with companies that understand the importance of data and that are transparent regarding its ongoing management.
Who Owns Your Data?
At (un)Common Logic, we provide a framework that allows each client to truly own their data. All we need is the proper access required to help us meet or better yet exceed client goals.
This approach is optimal for making data-based optimizations as it removes confusion regarding the “source of truth”. Often, when internal client teams and agency partners are looking at different data sets, it leads to confusion and even worse, a misalignment in expectations and ultimately business results.
Additionally, this approach allows our clients to maintain flexibility without compromising results. We understand that clients won’t stay with us forever and this method allows clients the ability to seamlessly incorporate new partners and new technology. The last thing any business wants is for their data to be essentially held for ransom by a partner. Sadly, this isn’t a hypothetical, it’s something we’ve seen on several occasions, and it can be truly disruptive for organizations that are caught off guard.
Situations like the one above is why transparency is so critical in today’s environment. Any business could find itself in a similar situation if they’re not working with agency partners or technology platforms that lack transparency. However, by working with transparent partners, you’ll be able to maintain regulatory compliance, mitigate organizational risk, enable data-driven decision-making, and improve organizational security posture.
Contact us to talk about how our transparency, communication, and approach can help your business grow!