Many businesses in the online ad ecosystem are extending rights set out by California's privacy law to consumers in all jurisdictions, according to a survey released Thursday by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
California's privacy law, which took effect this year, gives consumers the right to learn what personal information has been collected about them by companies, to have that information deleted, and prevent the sale of that data to third parties. The law also requires companies to post a “do not sell my personal information” link on their websites.
This spring, the IAB Legal Affairs Council convened meetings of 80 privacy lawyers from online businesses -- including publishers, ad-tech companies, agencies, and brands -- and posed questions about their interpretation of the California law.
Sixty percent of that group said their companies are offering all consumers the rights enshrined in the California legislation.
“This trend may reflect that it can be easier to administer consumer rights uniformly, regardless of consumer location,” the IAB stated in a report summarizing the research. “It may also relieve 'businesses' of any concern about differential treatment of their consumers.”
Survey respondents also said a relatively small proportion of consumers (1% to 5%, where statistics were available) were opting out of the sale of their data.
“Consumers, by and large, are not using their new privacy rights,” the IAB writes.
The organization noted that before the law took effect, brands were concerned that a link reading “do not sell my personal information” could harm a company's image.
But the IAB says in the report that the low opt-out rate “may warrant reexamining the presumption” that the link will harm consumers' perception of the brand.