From the archive: a perspective written ahead of the GDPR becoming applicable in May 2018.
Technology start-ups and scale-ups excel at developing new products, apps and services quickly. Creative entrepreneurs and sharp technical minds join forces, driven by the importance of bringing an innovation to market first. They know that digital consumers wait for no one, and neither does the competition.
In that race to be first, the starting point soon becomes the benefits and the change an innovation will bring. Better still, they proclaim that it will disrupt the market. That may work for marketing, but it does not always create a lasting, transparent story. Yet a credible and sincere story is usually there. I would argue that viable start-ups owe their existence to the enthusiasm and conviction from which they were born.
To succeed, they need to connect with the real world. Like our technology, that world is constantly changing and trying to make sense of developments in its own way. The justified concern about privacy in our increasingly digital society is a good example. People demand more personalised product experiences but are increasingly critical of the data collected about them: by whom, why and how it is used. Legislation follows slowly. The approaching introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation on 25 May 2018 addresses much, but not everything. It is therefore up to the market to fill the gaps; businesses and consumers need to find common ground. Companies must listen to increasingly vocal privacy concerns if they want to avoid consumers turning their backs on them.
For organisations that actively collect data to make their products and services work, explaining this is a substantial task. Asking people to trust that the company will not misuse their data and will keep it safe is a difficult message to communicate. Organisations also have to address fears about worst-case scenarios and find the balance between tangible benefits and the feeling that privacy is being invaded.
Start-ups and scale-ups developing a new application would do well to seek an early check-in with experienced communications professionals, for example at a specialist PR agency. You may have a great innovation and do nothing questionable with the data it generates, yet still encounter justified suspicion without realising it. Failing to respond appropriately can damage your reputation: trust takes time to build and can disappear in an instant. Talk to people with experience and prepare thoroughly, because your enthusiasm and conviction will not always receive unqualified applause. There will always be critics and difficult questions; this is the Netherlands, after all. Think carefully about exactly which data you need and why, and be honest with yourself. Why should consumers trust you? What do you do to earn and retain that trust? How do you communicate it? How do you explain that you do not sell users’ data or hand it over to Nigerian princes?
A great deal of thought goes into new technology and its applications. To avoid getting lost in a privacy debate, give just as much thought to how the technology works for users, particularly in protecting their privacy. Privacy by design is becoming the standard. Make the most of it: it can provide valuable insights that help you serve users better. Explain clearly how it helps them and what opportunities it creates for both sides. Above all, keep listening, while making sure users know what you are doing and have explicitly agreed to it.
Would you like to know more? We would be happy to talk.
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