The Weakest Link Series

ADMA’s “Am I the weakest link: Privacy edition” explores the idea that the privacy data chain is made up of six main parties – the marketer, the consumer, the platform, the agency, the government, and the board – all with the potential to be ‘the weakest link’. However, each of these parties contribute in different ways to the standard of data practices in Australia’s economy. Can we really point the finger at any one party?

In this article series, we will deep dive into each of the links in the chain, assess the areas for improvement and how marketers can help strengthen the chain overall through their own roles.

The Platform

When it comes to the data privacy chain, few parties hold as much data or influence as platforms. Social media platforms in particular act as the central point where consumer data is aggregated, monetised, and distributed. Their enormous reach and constant innovation built around data monetisation position platforms as a critical stakeholder in privacy.

However, these platforms can weaken the privacy data chain through insufficient data privacy safeguards. In this article, we explore three major weaknesses platforms contribute to the data privacy chain including poor data transparency, an overreliance on algorithms, and inadequate enforcement of third-party policies. Understanding and addressing these weaknesses is key to building a stronger, more transparent data privacy landscape.

Poor data transparency

When it comes to privacy, one of the most significant issues with platforms is the lack of transparency in how they collect, use, and share data. Consumers often have little visibility into what is being tracked, how it is processed, and where it is shared. This is especially true when privacy policies are filled with complex, legalistic language and are designed more with the intent to protect the platform rather than to inform the user.

This lack of transparency erodes trust and weakens the entire privacy chain. Consumers cannot meaningfully consent if they don’t understand what they’re agreeing to. Likewise, marketers and agencies who rely on platform data can find themselves inadvertently complicit in poor data practices.

To help remedy this, platforms must prioritise user-centric transparency. That means providing clear, easily digestible explanations of data practices, using plain language, and making privacy settings genuinely accessible. Marketers of social media platforms should champion this approach to data-handling, as after all, these days to not have any kind of social media presence is an anomaly making marketers end users of platforms as well.

Overreliance on algorithms

At the heart of many platforms is the algorithm. These systems are designed to optimise engagement, often by collecting enormous volumes of behavioural data to personalise content, ads, and recommendations. While powerful, this creates a feedback loop of surveillance. This is when more data causes more targeting, which creätes more data. In other words, the more a user engages with the platform, the more it learns about them. The more it learns, the better it gets at showing engaging content. And the longer the user is engaged, the more the platform can track.

This overreliance on algorithmic decision-making, often without sufficient human oversight or ethical review, raises major concerns. From reinforcing bias to manipulating user behaviour, the implications for data privacy are significant. Platforms should begin applying the same "fair and reasonable" lens that is being introduced to marketers under upcoming privacy reforms. Would an individual reasonably expect this kind of profiling or data collection? If not, the platform should reconsider its practices. Building in ethical frameworks for algorithm development and adopting privacy-by-design principles will help reduce this kind of overreach.

Weak third-party data controls

Social platforms are not isolated ecosystems. They regularly open their infrastructure to third-party developers and advertisers through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), plugins, and ad networks. While this extends the platform’s reach and monetisation, it also increases the risk of data leakage, misuse, and abuse.

Weak enforcement or auditing of these third-party relationships can lead to seismic privacy breaches, such as unauthorised scraping or data being sold or shared without user consent. When third parties exploit these loopholes, the whole privacy chain suffers.

To close this gap, platforms need to implement stricter third-party data controls. This means regular auditing of API usage, restricting third-party access by enforcing permission boundaries, and ensuring compliance with both local and international laws, and platform policies. Additionally, they should offer users more visibility into which third parties are accessing their data and provide options for managing or revoking that access to give users more control over how their personal data is used.

Strengthening the platform link

Platforms play a pivotal role in shaping modern data ecosystems. The weaknesses of poor data transparency, an overreliance on algorithms, and inadequate enforcement of third-party policies present clear risks not just to consumers, but to every other party in the data privacy chain.

However, these issues are not insurmountable. Through greater transparency, ethical data governance, and tighter third-party controls, platforms can help reinforce the data privacy chain. For marketers using platforms in their operations, this means critically evaluating which platforms align with your brand’s privacy standards and advocating for ethical practices across the board. For marketers of platforms, this means raising the privacy conversation and championing your organisation to make it a priority. In this evolving regulatory landscape, adopting a privacy-by-design

approach will help set platforms up for a seamless transition into the new legislative territory and potentially act as a competitive advantage with more appeased users.

Next month in the Weakest Link series, we’ll delve into 'the agency' and what weak points they are contributing as an active party in the data privacy chain and provide solutions as to how these weaknesses can also be remedied.