Pushing back on the 'all data is fair game' mentality in digital marketing

At my last job, the team was excited about scraping social media for consumer insights without user consent. I argued that this crosses ethical lines, even if it's common practice. They called me overly cautious, but I've seen backlash from similar tactics. Implementing transparent data collection methods might reduce short-term gains, but it prevents long-term brand damage. Trust is harder to rebuild than clicks.

2 comments

2 Comments

roberttorres20h ago

In 2018, Cambridge Analytica's scandal involved harvesting Facebook data without clear consent, resulting in a $5 billion FTC fine. Your point about ethical lines reminds me of how quickly such practices can unravel. Beyond legal repercussions, how do you convince marketing teams that transparent methods actually improve data quality over time? I've seen companies like Target shift to opt-in programs that yield more reliable consumer patterns. Isn't the real challenge changing the industry mindset that more data always equals better insights?

oliver_lane112h ago

Exactly, forcing transparency means you only work with willing participants who actually want to engage, not just anyone you can track. That focus cuts through the junk data that makes most big datasets useless for real strategy.