• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, February 28, 2023

Several top publishers have attained low grades in a study of data privacy compliance. 

Neutronian’s Q1 2023 Data Privacy Score analyzed 800 media domains out of 3,000 companies rated overall.

The brands were rated for their privacy and compliance, data disclosures and company background. Multiple aspects were reviewed in each category, then scores calculated for each sector, leading to an overall score for each entity, the company says.  

The media brands with low rankings include the following, according a list sent to MediaPost by Neutronian:

1. Live Journal
2. Scrabble Word Finder
3. 22 Words
4. The Crazy Coupon Lady
5. USA Today
6. Bloomberg
7. IMDb
8. Bloglovin’
9. Cooking Light
10. Small Business Sense

Granted, this listing may or may not be accurate: It is based on one firm’s analysis, and brands would likely object to being included on it. But it reflects yet another challenge publishers face in the digital age. 

Neutronian says its analysis is based on:

• Automated/crawler tools—This includes data on the website or mobile app that is crawled and automatically collected directly from the domain/app itself or from publicly available sources.
• Human review—This analysis is done by Neutronian staffers trained in data collection and scoring methodologies. 
• Input from rated entities--Neutronian says it provides a web-based form where organizations can submit information or request review of their data privacy score based on publicly available information. 

The overall report was released in January.