Consumer Consent Is Irrelevant Without Enforcement

Consumer data is more lucrative - and protected - than ever before.

Several consumer protection laws govern how digital marketers interact with user data, from the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Most recently, the U.S. federal government is poised to consider the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA), which would codify protections similar to GDPR for U.S. consumers.

The sweeping popularity of consumer data protection signals a few things. One, consumer data remains incredibly valuable. Customer data enables marketers and advertisers to offer tailored suggestions and products to motivated buyers. Otherwise, laws surrounding consumer privacy wouldn't be necessary.

Secondly, existing laws governing privacy protections are not far-reaching enough to stop corporations from misusing consumer data - unwittingly or not. Unfortunately, headlines about violated consumer consent are familiar. This is partially the case because third-party data sharing - which remains prevalent - often leads to abuses of consumer consent preferences.

Marketers and advertisers must address the challenges associated with third-party data sharing head-on if they want to comply with emerging regulations. They'll need to get serious about lessening the reliance on third-parties and enforcing consumer consent at the moment of collection.