Public anonymity is dead. While that phrase, “public anonymity” may sound like an oxymoron, let me explain. You can’t walk along a street, visit a store, or attend an event without the possibility of someone knowing you’re there.
Google and Facebook dominate the data-driven online advertising market and have created an ecosystem with network effects challenging to break. Tech giants accumulate user data; their targeting becomes more refined; vain user impressions reduce.
There’s a famous saying in Silicon Valley, “If you can use a product for free, then you’re probably the product”. Nowhere is this more truly illustrated than by the business models of Google and Facebook; two of the most valuable companies in the world; two of the most potent vehicles for consumption in human history.
Just a few short years ago, the idea of User Data Privacy Compliance on the internet was full of hesitation. It was as dubious as the idea of Miranda Rights in the Wild West. Back then, the web was, and many would argue it still is, an adolescent medium growing at supernova speed.
Thus far, we’ve spent much time examining the core principles of the GDPR and other pieces of data regulation. We’ve worked through some of the implications these documents carry for the UX and back-end functionality of consumer-facing applications.
