February 11, 2022
The Washington Post recently featured insight from Garrett Johnson, Professor of Marketing, on the recent EU ruling relating to privacy laws put in place to help internet users protect personal data.
The decision to remove the special “consent” buttons located on most sites could put an eventual end to companies sharing users’ personal data, but it poses a new dilemma for advertisers who use this data to target audiences. With an official ruling in place, it will be easier for lawsuits to succeed against advertising companies who continue to abuse users’ private information. It remains unclear whether advertisers such as P&G, Unilever or Google must delete data collected via the consent buttons. Garret, who has studied the ruling, says they likely do not. By inspiring more states to adopt laws aimed at helping to protect personal information from advertisers, the ruling appears to be a step toward respecting users’ privacy and creating a healthier online ecosystem.