Cisco’s annual survey: ROI on Privacy Investment found that 95% of global respondents deemed privacy a “business imperative” with 98% reporting privacy-related metrics to their company’s Board of Directors. Participants also indicated privacy was a priority spend for their company even in tough economic times with a strong return on investment that averaged 1.8x spending.
GoodRX, a discount drug app used by millions to find lower prices on prescription drugs, has been accused by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of sharing users’ personal data about medications and illnesses with Facebook, Google and other companies. Done without authorization, this is in violation of federal rules requiring health apps to notify consumers of wrongful disclosure of information. The company, though denying the charges, has agreed to settle. Additionally important, according to the New York Times, is that “this is the first time the FTC has brought... Read More >
Italy’s regulator, the Guarantor for the Protection of Personal Data (GPDP), has ordered US-based AI chatbot maker, Replika to stop processing Italian user data because of risks the technology can pose to minors and to some adults. The freemium app offers ‘virtual friendship’ via AI avatars trained to foster human engagement. Concerns include that some content is not age-appropriate for children, that children and emotionally vulnerable adults could develop addiction to the app, and that users will be encouraged to spend lots of money on avatar development.
Just over one-third of marketers plan to either buy a new CDP (21%) or replace an existing one (13%) this year, according to this Optimove survey. Unfortunately, it doesn’t report how many have a CDP already in place, which would put the other values in perspective. It does seem that CDPs are a relatively low priority: they rank sixth on the list of new systems and eighth on the list of systems to replace.