Profiting from the Data Economy: Understanding the Roles of Consumers, Innovators and Regulators in a Data-Driven World

6. Cracks in the Foundation of the Data Economy

The landscape with regard to how the public views organizations’ use of data has undergone tectonic shifts in recent years. Although businesses are certainly responsible for their fair share of the changes in the public’s perceptions, marketers aren’t to blame for all this. Following Edward Snowden’s 2013 disclosures about the NSA surveillance programs, there has been ample discussion about surveillance and data privacy. In July 2013, ABC News and The Washington Post conducted a poll of the public’s perception of the government’s surveillance activities.¹ Nearly three-quarters of respondents believed that the government’s telephone and Internet surveillance activities infringed on the privacy rights ...