Kate Kaye Explains WTF is Going On With Google and Their Privacy Budget

Kate Kaye is an award-winning tech journalist who has published work in many places including MIT Technology Review and NPR. Kate covered the data industry for Ad Age and digital political campaigns for ClickZ. She joins Kevin this week to talk about Google’s Privacy Budget, the Privacy Sandbox Initiative, and how we get people to care about the disruption that is taking place. She explains the different ways industry groups are both hurting and helping their constituents, and how she feels the future of data tracking and privacy will go. Finally, Kate and Kevin discuss the need for more journalists to step and question the narrative so every day people are better equipped and more informed.

Takeaways:

[6:09] Kate and Kevin talk about why trade journalism is often disparaged by their industries. Do we need more journalists pushing back, or do we expect this to happen because the publication exists on ad dollars that help prop up the industry itself?

[8:06] Where is the intersection of advertising meeting liability?

[9:26] Kate talks about her piece for Digiday entitled “WTF is Google’s Privacy Budget?” It explores what a privacy budget is, how a privacy budget works, and what problems could arise.

[11:49] The industry is moving away from the old way of tracking people, but what new ways are on the horizon that we have to pay attention to?

[14:15] Google has proposed the Privacy Budget as part of its Privacy Sandbox initiative. What does that mean? And, does Google really care what happens out of its environment?

[17:47] How will this affect the everyday person?

[18:38] Data is defining everything and determining who makes the money and who doesn’t. — Kevin

[25:02] Kate shares her method of writing articles that can help both those hired to understand and wade through these complex privacy issues, and also the everyday common person who just wants to understand from an angle of their safety and privacy.

[30:50] Evil becomes an unintended consequence of power.

[33:52] What constitutes a privacy infringement, and are there groups looking out for our interests inside the Privacy Budget?

[38:34] Google has been reliant on tracking people, so what does Kate think this disruption will be, both short and long term?

[40:32] Are industry trade organizations really helping and bringing a needed solution?

[47:08] How do we get people to pay attention to what is happening with privacy protection and data collections? The movement in privacy that will steer legislators will put more restrictions on data collection and minimization. How will the conversation in business and marketing be shifting about it?

Quotes:

• “Data is defining everything and determining who makes the money and who doesn’t.” — Kevin
• “Evil becomes an unintended consequence of power.” — Kevin

Mentioned in This Episode:

WTF is Google’s Privacy Sandbox?

WTF is Google’s Privacy Budget?

ClickZ

Ad Age ANA

Past Episodes of TMI

@KateKayeReports