The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), competition regulator and national consumer law champion, seeks feedback on data brokers' practices.
Data brokers collect information from social media sites, internet and search services, apps, customer loyalty programs, card payment providers, and public records. They usually collect socio-economic and demographic information, including names, work and home addresses, age, and browsing and purchasing behaviour. Some of the products and services data brokers provide are:
The ACCC's issues paper, published as part of the commission's five-year digital platform services inquiry, seeks feedback on data brokers' practices, products, and services – including potential competition and consumer issues that may arise when supplying the services.
“There is little transparency and awareness of how data brokers operate in Australia despite the vast amounts of information they collect about Australian consumers and the central role they play in enabling the exchange of information between businesses,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.
The ACCC's report will focus on businesses that collect information from third-party sources and sell or share information with other organisations. It will also focus on products and services supplied by several data brokers, including CoreLogic, Equifax, Experian, Illion, LiveRamp, Nielsen, PropTrack, Oracle, and Quantium.
“Some Australian consumers may not be aware that their information is being collected, stored, and sold by third-party data brokers with whom they have no direct relationship,” Cass-Gottlieb said. “This report will explore how third-party data brokers collect and use information to create products and services and if there may be competition and consumer issues arising from this.
“We are eager to hear from data brokers and consumers and businesses that interact with the data broker industry.
“We are also seeking to understand how data products and services may be beneficial for small businesses.”
