CNIL: Many French Internet Users Would Pay to Avoid Targeted Ads
Between 25% and 48% of French internet users would be willing to convert their free, ad-supported access to services into a paid subscription without targeted advertising, watchdog CNIL reported Thursday.
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Its survey of 2,082 French people 15 and older from Dec. 18-23 last year also found that those willing to buy subscriptions or accept a "consent or pay" model would pay between 5.50 euros ($6.37) and 9 euros ($10.45) monthly, depending on the service offered.
The survey confirmed the growing popularity of paid subscriptions but also showed that a paid option isn't respondents' first choice, even though the results varied greatly depending on the service in question, CNIL said, according to a translation. For example, the report said more than half of French people pay for video-on-demand services.
Subscriber rates didn't exceed 10% for other services studied, such as health and fitness tracking, generative AI and social networks, with monthly fees ranging from 12 to 16 euros, CNIL said. Nevertheless, between 24% and 33% of respondents said they're willing to pay for such services, which are currently free.
"There is therefore a significant pool of people interested in paid offers that allow them to better protect their personal data," the French DPA said. The results showed that users have a fairly accurate perception of their willingness to pay for a service, despite variations in individual preferences, offering insight into people's expectations and their ability to freely exercise their consent, it said.
The survey also found that, regardless of whether they subscribe to additional features or content, users value personal data protection, CNIL noted. The DPA said 64% of respondents reported paying attention to tracking of their browser data by, for example, adjusting their browser settings or using private browsing. That number rose to 71% among those ages 15-34.
The poll also showed that 51% of respondents deemed data protection to be one of the three most important criteria in choosing a digital service, CNIL said.