The data war: how media with subscription models spy on the reader

The data war: how media with subscription models spy on the reader

This day, December 11, 2024, there are significant changes in the field of digital media that affect both subscribers and publishers. More and more news portals in Germany, such as Kicker , rely on so-called PUR-ABOS. This model allows readers to use content mostly without advertising and tracking. This is preceded by a growing demand for data protection -friendly alternatives, which is also related to the new exegesis of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This states that behavior -based advertising is only right if users explicitly agree.

These changes result in explosive consequences. The publishers reflect this new reality in the market by introducing subscriptions that offer a clear choice between free, data -intensive offers and payable, data protection -friendly models. However, a report on netzpolitik.org that in practice there is often contradictions. Both the Spiegel and the Time PUR-ABOS offer less advertising, but still use tracking tools that collect and analyze data. In the Spiegel in particular, it is claimed that an internal usage analysis is carried out, which refutes the claims of an advertising -free offer. In addition, it remains unclear how this data is used and whether they are not passed on to third parties.

A positive outlier in this context, however, remains the Austrian provider Standard.at , whose PUR-subscription actually does without any follow-up data collection. This mixing of data protection and media monealization will be further discussed in the industry in the future, while readers are faced with the challenge of actually recognizing and using data protection -friendly options.