First of all, we’d like to say that yes we do indeed care about your privacy, but we’ll try to prove that later on. What we really want to know is; how often do you really believe those words when you see them on a website?
Chances are that since the introduction of sweeping data protection regulations, such as the EU cookie directive or the somewhat mysterious GDPR, your visit to any given website starts like this:
Unfortunately, the usability of the modern web has been severely compromised by the methods deemed necessary by companies to ensure compliance with Data Protection regulations. Websites are slower to load, content is blocked by popup windows and confusing jargon fills the ‘read more’ areas. Unless you’re particularly interested in the topic, we’re betting that the first thing you usually do is close that popup by any means necessary so you can get at the content or functionality you were originally after.
A humorous take by UX Live
Many of these companies and websites simply want to continue using your data as they always have done, as a commodity or resource, and need to prove you agreed to it. As such, these words extolling a commitment to privacy are often trotted out in support of data gathering and later exploitation, making the statement a hollow one. Not to mention one that people are getting pretty tired of.
@nadimpatel_ hit the nail on the head
So what can you do? We first encourage people to look deeper into how companies are using your data, and what it means to them. Sometimes this means examining their business model or companies that are related to them.
A good example is Facebook. Did you know that Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus are all owned by Facebook and share data between them? Did you know that Facebook also launched a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service, a type of service specifically designed to help anonymise you online, that specifically intercepted and documented user’s habits?
These are not actions that reflect a commitment to user privacy. And these are the high profile actions it’s easy to discover.
Then there’s the other side – businesses that feel they have no choice but to comply in the same way other businesses do. Some of the problems we mentioned above can drive away traffic, or damage a brand’s reputation if mishandled. The key is proportionate and appropriate measures taken to comply, based on identified risks.
Our business model at Noble Digital is consultative, meaning we don’t use personal data for anything other than carrying out work for you. We don’t share with third parties and we hate spam.
We take care to encrypt all our data and provide secure ways to communicate with us for the privacy-conscious, using PGP and Signal Messenger. We live our commitment to the security and privacy of our clients, which is how we show your privacy is indeed important to us.
If you have any questions or concerns about privacy using Ethical Pixels, you can read our Privacy Policy, or contact us.
