For years, Internet companies have been been fighting over who really owns data about people who use websites. Publishers of websites believe that since consumers come to websites to view their content, publishers should control the data. Ad networks provide systems that work across many websites, so in their view all the data belongs to the ad system, not the publisher. Some businesses are creating marketplaces where ad systems and publishers can sell consumer data to each other. And now Apple is battling to own your data.
But who really “owns” this information? Who owns the facts of what you like, what you buy, where you go, who you talk to – who owns your online life?
You do.
If there is a marketplace where you can sell your own data, on your terms and under your control, wouldn’t you want to take the system for whatever you’re worth?
