Data Privacy Day is today (January 28) and with legislation being implemented around the world and large platforms like Google phasing out cookies, marketers are scrambling to balance privacy requirements with customer expectations around not not data collection, but the personalised communications they now expect.

In a world of huge data growth, where data has been identified by some as the “new oil”, the most critical point for businesses is understanding the identity behind the data, according to Warren Jenson, chief financial officer, president and executive managing director of international, LiveRamp.

Australia might be lagging on consumer data privacy legislation, but several local companies will still need to comply with global legislation, the latest of which is the rollout of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) on 1 January 2020.

Some 18 months after the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect compliance has improved, but remains low, according to a survey by cloud data integration and data integrity outfit Talend.

Less than a quarter (23 per cent) of Australians are aware of what happens with their personal information after they share it with a data collector.

Data has the ability to fundamentally change your business and help it to thrive, but only if you have an explicit data strategy, back it up with accountability and values and invest in the right tools to utilise it.

Following the almost daily data privacy breaches going on around the world, the Association of Market and Social Research Organisations (AMSRO) has launched new data privacy initiatives.

​Where human outcomes are the goal, black box algorithms should not be allowed, said a data scientists from the University of Sydney.

​Following ​Facebook’s response ​to the ACCC’s ​recommendations around digital platforms​, Google has agreed it does not believe an algorithm regulator would lead to higher quality search results or promote journalism.

As Google appeals its 50 million Euro GDPR breach fine, a privacy expert warns Australians dealing with data that a pre-ticked box for general consent will no longer cut it.

​In the wake of Google’s 50 million Euro fine, the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, and an increasingly educated and concerned consumer, experts are stressing Australian businesses and brands, marketers, and ad tech businesses can no longer afford to assume having generic consent policies in place for data use are adequate.

​Hot on the heels of the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica data breach comes the news the Marriott has suffered a breach affecting up to 500 million guests and NASA suffered an employee data breach in October. This is on top of PageUp, an Australian SaaS provider, announcing it had suffered a significant security breach in May. Over the years, Yahoo, Google, Equifax and many other companies have suffered the same fate.

If there's one thing about marketing that can be said to be constant, it's that it always changes. With new technologies, such as voice, AI, machine learning, virtual reality, augmented reality, natural language processing and facial recognition, about to become mainstream, it can feel as marketers, that we are always chasing our tails.

In the wake of lessening trust around data use and privacy by consumers, Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) is releasing Fair Data this month, a trust mark helping companies provide consumers with ​data confidence​.

​The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined Facebook £500,000 for ‘serious breaches of data protection law’, the maximum penalty it can impose under previous legislation.

​In an effort to allow consumers to transfer data in and out of any participating platform, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter have joined forces to create the Data Transfer Project (DTP).

Australians are either ‘not sure’ or only ‘somewhat understand’ how several leading apps use and/or share their data, according to a new Roy Morgan privacy study.

Building a regulatory right enabling Australian consumers to safely share their personal data with trusted service providers is vital to competition, privacy and transparency, the chief of Australia’s leading watchdog claims.

The UK’s Information Commission Office has fined Facebook £500,000 million and called for a new statutory Code of Practice for use of personal information in political activity following its investment into the practice of using data analytics in political campaigns.

Western Union's Nicole Zimmermann is all too aware of the challenges and responsibilities associated with handling massive amounts of customer data.

Facebook has seen advertising revenues leap 50 per cent year-on-year to US$11.79 billion, although dip compared to Q4, as it battles ongoing media, political and legal scrutiny around consumer data and privacy practices.