The End of the Data Wild West
For years, the mantra in Silicon Valley has been to move fast and break things. When it came to our data, they certainly took that to heart. They collected it, packaged it, and sold it, often with a consent form so long and boring that no sane human would ever read it. The California court’s decision against Google for improperly collecting cellular data changes the game. It establishes a rather expensive legal precedent.
Suddenly, corporate boards are waking up and smelling the coffee, which now has the distinct aroma of potential litigation. The era of playing fast and loose with user information appears to be drawing to a close. Why does this matter to you? Because when an entire industry is forced to clean up its act, the companies selling the mops and buckets tend to do very well indeed. This isn’t a fleeting trend, it’s a fundamental shift in how business must be conducted in the digital age.