• by Ray Schultz , February 17, 2023

Publicly available web data is now being relied on heavily by data professionals working for retail and technology businesses in the U.S., according to a study from Bright Data, conducted by Vanson Bourne.

Of those polled, 100% say their company uses publicly available web data to some extent, and 94% use it in their day-to-day operations. 

In addition, 61% use such data to compare pricing and inventory of competitors, and 17% for market research.

Moreover, 40% use publicly available web data to identify harmful content.

Finally, 68% of data professionals argue that the privatization of public web data would have a negative impact on business and nonprofit operations, and 73% feel they could not accomplish their most important goals without it. Another 79% would not be able to operate effectively.

"This survey highlights the power of public data to fuel competition, ensure transparency and help solve the world’s most pressing challenges,” says Or Lenchner, CEO of Bright Data. “We believe that public data must remain in the hands of the people and not just the powerful."

Vanson Bourne surveyed professionals in the U.S., including those who work in IT (70%), technology (17%) and data and analytics (13%).