Jan 30, 2025, 15:45 by Sara Foster

Marketers and consumers both express concern for privacy, but there is a disconnect. Three-quarters of the most visited websites in the US and Europe fail to comply with major privacy regulations. In the US, an average of 17 third-party advertisers receive shared data from the most-visited websites. The number is smaller in Europe, with 6 third-party advertisers receiving shared data. 

The research was done by Privado.ai. The top 100 most visited websites in the US and Europe were assessed for privacy compliance with the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). However, without an overriding federal privacy law in the US, consequences for noncompliance have been varied, ranging from no consequences to big hits to an organization’s finances and reputation.

More findings from the research:

• Just over three-quarters (76%) of the most-visited US websites don’t honor CPRA opt-out signals.
• User data is shared with third parties from 75% of the top 100 US websites.
• Media and ecommerce sites are the worst offenders, with 79% of both media and ecommerce websites noncompliant.

Despite the inconsistent punishment for noncompliant websites, marketers are running a risk by remaining noncompliant. Monetary fines and penalties can be quite large, impacting an organization’s economic situation, as well as its reputation.

To avoid damage from fines and penalties, not to mention damage to reputation, organizations should consider partnering with companies that specialize in website privacy. In addition, new additions in advertising partners should be considered carefully to ensure that privacy measures are being followed.