Data protection or comfort? The dispute over online news solutions!

Data protection or comfort? The dispute over online news solutions!

In a remarkable step in the media landscape, the Austrian provider Standard.at was the first German-language medium to introduce a completely advertising and tracking-free subscription model. In contrast to other platforms, such as the mirror and the time that promise to offer their offers largely without advertising, but still integrate tracking elements in certain parts, Standard.at ensures that its users really do not have to disclose any data. This comes in response to the increasing demand for data protection and transparent information policy, which makes it clear.

The introduction of this minimalist model contributes to the discussion about compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which stipulates that the express consent of the user is required for behavioral advertising. In contrast, the mirror, for example, uses Adobe Analytics for customer analysis, which can lead to an access profile of the user in practice. The tracking does not fail to materialize either, since Google Analytics is used for data analyzes. This leads to a certain degree of skepticism among readers, especially with regard to the security of personal data, such as Kicker.de reported.

A review of the subscription model

The differences between these subscription models are significant. While Standard.at pursues clear guidelines by excluding any form of tracking, the larger German publishers are still under pressure to provide transparent information about the use of user data. The critical voices for the existing subscriptions in Germany consider the data processing practices as a potential violation of the GDPR. Many readers feel uncomfortable due to the permanent data acquisition and profiling and fear that their privacy and data security could be at stake, which further fuel the debate about the correct models to monetize online content.