On a daily basis, consumers have to make decisions about the use of their data for advertising purposes. However, it is often not clear to users when and how their data is collected and merged into profiles. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been protecting personal data for six years, but there are still gaps that affect consumer protection.
"The potential for misuse of personalized advertising is enormous and can range from manipulation of purchasing decisions to discrimination," says Ramona Pop, chairwoman of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv). Consumers take a similarly critical view. A representative survey conducted by forsa on behalf of the vzbv shows that 70 percent believe that companies should not merge data into profiles in order to place personalized advertising. In addition, almost 90 percent of consumers say that companies should only use personal data if users are aware of the purpose.
The vzbv is therefore calling for a ban on tracking and profiling for advertising purposes and has extended its catalogue of political demands for the next EU legislators by 24 items.
About the method:
- Survey: Representative telephone survey (11.03. to 28.03.2024) by forsa on behalf of the vzbv.
- Sample: 1,500 people aged 14 and over
- Margin of error: ± 3 percentage points
The full article is available here.