Episode 14 – Collecting data safely with quizzes

Quizzes are powerful marketing tools for collecting personal information from potential customers. However, data privacy is growing more strict globally, with regulations like the EU’s GDPR and California’s CCPA. Data Privacy Officer Alexander Claasen shares how to collect customer data safely with quizzes.

If you want to reach out to Alex to inquire about his services, send him an email.

Transcript

Boris 0:03
Hello, and welcome to “The Quiz Makers” podcast. Our guest today is Alexander Claasen. Alex is an external data protection officer, who’s also working for Riddle. And we’re going to chat today about privacy, the European privacy laws, and the most recent cancellation of the Privacy Shield agreement and what that means for doing business globally.

Hi, Alex – welcome to the show!

Alex 0:30
Hello Boris.

Boris 0:34
So let’s start – actually a little background. What got you into the business of being an external data protection officer? Do you just love privacy so much, or what got you to this job?

Alex 0:49
Well, I was studying law and I was about to write my exams when, in 2016, a mentor of mine brought me up to the idea.

“Hey Alex, you’re IT friendly and you know this stuff. Why don’t you try privacy protection or data protection? It’s a crossover from law and protecting personal data – it could be some interesting field for you.”

And so we started to educate ourselves about the whole subject and then I got certified with TÜV Süd. So since 2016, I’ve been in the data protection business.

Boris 1:45
So that was really good timing with GDPR coming!

Alex 1:50
That first passed two years before, but the cut-off date was on the horizon. So we were informed about the mechanics which would come into use – so I could get some experience before GDPR.

Boris 2:11
So as a business owner, when the GDPR came out and the first lawsuits happened, people got scared. We started to hate GDPR more and more to an extent. So from from an end user point of view, have you seen any benefits of GDPR? Or is it making life harder for everyone?

Alex 2:33
Ah, in part.

On one hand, I think it’s a regaining of privacy.

Personal data has become more and more a commodity. So you went from a human being to a trading good. Something, the GDPR wants to turn back. So under the concern of privacy, the GDPR is something pretty good. For every customer, even for us ourselves because we are customers to any other company.

But from the companies’ point of view, it’s hard because all those mostly cheap services can’t be used anymore or can’t be used in the way you would want to use them – because they always cause some problems.

So you have to make the decision as a company owner – “Do I want you to pay money for GDPR compliance service? Do I want to risk maybe getting fined?”

So both positions are hard to bring into level because they’re contradict each other.

But I think in the end, the need to obey the European privacy protection laws will bring a wider range of internet or software based services in favor of the customers. Also European countries which get the chance to provide the services to the customers and can bring in some new ideas.

Boris 4:37
Right. So you mentioned European companies. At Riddle, you know, we have a lot of customers outside the EU. And we altered lots of tools in Riddle to comply with GDPR.

Do you think it’s important for a US company to comply with GDPR or can they just ignore it?

Alex 4:58
It’s, of course, very important for US companies, because we have two ways in which the GDPR applies to you as an US company.

On the one hand, we have the geographical scope of the GDPR. So, that means we have two principles: the establishmen