Most People Would Sell Their Data, CNIL Finds
Most people are willing to sell their personal data but around a third of respondents surveyed said they wouldn't sell at any price, French privacy authority CNIL said Monday.
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The survey focused on people's willingness to use their personal data as a bargaining tool, CNIL said. It examined whether the market should allow for the sale of data as a mechanism for regulating privacy. The poll of 2,082 people, aged 15 and older, ran Dec. 18-23, 2024.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents said they would sell their data, with 28% valuing the information at between 10 euros ($11.60) and 30 euros ($34.75) per month, the DPA reported. Conversely, 35% wouldn't sell at any price.
It shows there are two approaches to monetizing personal data, CNIL said. For a minority, "monetizing privacy is unacceptable and leads to a loss of well-being regardless of the compensation offered."
Most respondents, however, weigh the perceived threat to their privacy against the amount of compensation offered. Those who tend to seek high prices are also those who say they place the greatest importance on privacy as a criterion for the quality of a digital service, CNIL said.
These results align with economic studies showing the existence of a trade-off, CNIL said. Empirical findings show that the price increases when the data is sensitive, if it's to be used for advertising or if shared data also concerns close relatives. It also depends on the intrinsic importance people place on their privacy.
Using that balancing test, respondents arrived at a price of mainly between 1 euro ($1.16) and 100 euros ($115.99), the DPA noted. The survey also found that for 5 euros ($5.80), 20% of people would be willing to sell their data and 90% of companies would be ready to buy it.
However, the fact that a minority refuse to participate in a commercial exchange of personal data leads to the conclusion that widespread data commercialization mechanisms can't be used on everyone "without causing a decrease in collective well-being."
This and other studies show that the importance given to privacy takes many forms, "which cannot all be reduced to a question of price," the watchdog added.