How to Get a Grip on Consent Management

Getting a handle on consent

In the old days, users would click on what they wanted to read or see. Now the web clicks back. The internet is now a scalable distribution network mashed together--a self-participatory way of testing problems. Chatbots and other AI-based interactions prove the internet is quickly becoming a well-paved two-way street. 

Data privacy recognizes the new nature of the relationship and places necessary guardrails to ensure that businesses do not objectify customers. The rules protect individuals and their individual dignity. But just as the internet turned into something we never would have expected, so will data privacy. These are the steps you can take to get ahead of what’s next:

Adopt a privacy mindset

When we used to talk about adopting a digital mindset, no one knew what that meant. We had to pause and digest the changes that were occurring at rapid speed. Fast forward and “digital mindset” is no longer a vaporous concept. It is now a regular way of thinking.

A privacy mindset will evolve in the same way. What was once foreign will become familiar, and we have to be open to new ways of thinking. The user is no longer an object to simply be acquired and retained. They are now becoming a “who.”

Look at how you expose information

As noted above, the internet is in a different form than it used to be. Before, it was like being on a safari (no pun intended), looking out from the vehicle at a vast land of users in the wild. Now, the user is in the room with you. This proximity doesn’t mean it’s easier to acquire them either. They can leave, they can force you to forget them, and they can stop you from tracking them down.

It means you have to get inside their mind on their terms. What information would they want you to know about them? What reasons are you giving them to want you to know it? You have to be polite and empathetic. Would you want your 13-year-old surveilled by a company and their data sold on the open market? Likely not. 

Don’t sell out

People are watching what you do with (their) data. Are you capturing customer data then selling it to other businesses to tap into a new revenue stream? Such disregard for your customer’s identities may tarnish your own brand identity, which has been your cornerstone of trust. Respect the data privacy rights of your customers because they expect it and they (and you) deserve it. If you don’t, they may choose a business that will. According to the Pew Research Center, more than half of adults in the U.S recently opted to not to use a product or service because they were worried about how much personal information would be collected about them.^[2]

Data privacy is forcing a step change in consent management and the underlying technologies that help you gather it. Businesses must think about what they need to do to adopt new thinking, protect privacy, and respect how data is used and shared. As the privacy mindset becomes part of digital business, brands who lead the change will win the trust of consumers who have more at stake than ever. Expect to hear more about privacy tech.

Footnote:

1. https://gdpr.eu/data-privacy/
2. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/14/half-of-americans-have-decided-not-to-use-a-product-or-service-because-of-privacy-concerns/