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

Preface

We are constantly being watched. I don’t intend this as hyperbole or as a means of criticizing national security efforts. Nor is this intended to be part of the description for a television series or movie. Rather, I say this as a statement of fact. From our website browsing to our shopping behavior, such routine activities generate volumes of data that are archived by both public and private entities. From a marketing perspective, the “data exhaust”—the data we generate through our activities—has the potential to be a valuable resource, a new source of insights into which organizations can tap to learn about consumers. But, with our activities monitored by retailers, advertisers, and social media platforms, a legitimate question arises ...