As organizations continue to collect large quantities of data, including personal information about individuals, many are asking whether privacy is becoming a competition issue. International regulators are increasingly looking at the intersection between privacy and competition law, especially given that digital competition operates differently from bricks-and-mortar retail stores.
This brownbag session will look at emerging issues in this area, including:
- Considering non-price effects in merger control
- Personalised pricing in the digital era
- Quality considerations in digital zero-price markets
It’s all about perspective
I could not help but notice this webinar “COMPETITION AND PRIVACY WORLDS COLLIDING” being put on by the Candian Bar Association (CBA). As a marketer I recognize the value of a catchy headline in this busy news/content-rich world we live in, but my first instinct was “No, privacy and competition are not colliding”.
Having worked with dozens of clients to usher in compliant processes and change their operative practices, I would assert that Competition and Privacy are finally learning to work together at the behest of the customer! To the degree that there is a “collision”, simply admits that we were on the wrong track as marketers!
Somewhere along the line we forgot the first rule of marketing: the customer comes first.
How it began
In the pre-digital world collecting a massive amount of consumer data was not even a thing. And perhaps we got a little too excited in the early years of digital as we realized what could be done with data. Notice I said “could”, not “should”.
In our rush to collect data we stayed with “could”. We took 100% ownership of individual’s data. After 20 years of collecting and using (abusing?) personal data we are finally asking, “is this the right thing to do with our customer’s data?”
With all of the new laws being ushered in globally, I would suggest it wasn’t. So is competition and privacy colliding or collaborating? Your comments are most welcome. Check out DMAC’s Think & Disrupt Series, March 27, 2019 at The Spoke Club in Toronto.
