menu

Lee Rainie on Americans' Views on Privacy and Implications for the Publishing Industry

Andrew Young — May 19, 2016

Next week, Network member Lee Rainie will give the MIP Summit keynote on “American Attitudes About Data Privacy, Security and Surveillance: Implications for the book industry.” The event is aimed at “demonstrating why and how publishers and industry stakeholders who implement corporate social responsibility and cause marketing efforts can grow their businesses.”

Ahead of the event, Rainie discussed online data privacy and security – and their implications for the publishing industry – with event organizers the Book Industry Study Group (BISG). The interview, which covers topics ranging from educational publishing and children’s privacy to identify theft, concludes with a question regarding bright spots for businesses related to online privacy concerns.

Rainie’s response:

“It’s clearly the case that however anxious Americans are about privacy, most also think there are good and helpful reasons for sharing their personal data. When we did research walking people through some scenarios and asking whether they would feel comfortable sharing their data, only 17% refused every data sharing scenario we offered. Many Americans are in a transactional frame of mind when it comes to considering the trade-off between privacy and data sharing.

There is also a lot of conversation in the policy community about addressing the concerns that our research surfaced.

And there is a lot of activity in the technology community to try to give consumers more tools to make informed choices about when they do or don’t share their personal information.

This is a very dynamic issue with a lot of well-meaning people and organizations trying their best to craft the best policies and appropriate technology solutions.”

Read more here.

About the event:

Corporate social responsibility can work wonders for a company’s brand reputation in the eyes of customers, but there’s more to the story. Those publishing companies that take corporate citizenship seriously can also improve their operational efficiency, reduce their risk exposure, increase innovation, encourage staff loyalty, and greatly improve their bottom lines.

“MIP: Publishers Making a Profit by Making a Difference” is a day long event of practical sessions featuring data-heavy keynotes, case studies, and expert-led group discussions – all demonstrating why and how publishers and industry stakeholders who implement corporate social responsibility and cause marketing efforts can grow their businesses.

The day’s sessions will explore four CSR issues of particular importance to publishers and industry stakeholders: community outreach, content accessibility, customer data security, and diversity. Each session will show how attendees can implement CSR strategies with respect to these issues, and offer publishing-specific CSR practices for:

  • Reducing costs and risks
  • Gaining competitive advantage
  • Building brand
  • Seeking win-win outcomes

Register for the event here.