You know those reports citing surveys that found U.S. consumers are fine with having their personal data collected so long as giving up that data means consumers get discounts? Well that’s a bunch of bunk perpetrated by marketers who are opening up Americans to exploitation, according to a new report from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication.
After surveying 1,506 American adults, the researchers said in “The Tradeoff Fallacy” (pdf), “By misrepresenting the American people and championing the tradeoff argument, marketers give policymakers false justifications for allowing the collection and use of all kinds of consumer data often in ways that the public find objectionable.” When that is “combined with a broad public fear about what companies can do with the data,” it “portends serious difficulties not just for individuals but also—over time—for the institution of consumer commerce.”