WILL NEW PRIVACY LAWS SLOW DOWN THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION?
Privacy laws are changing around the world and becoming more restrictive to protect the rights of individuals at a time when more and more activity is digitally personalised. The European Union started enforcing the new GDPR laws from mid-2018 and other regions are putting similar regulations in place. But will these laws slow down the digital revolution or do they actually present an opportunity for online business by enforcing a more robust and clear basis for digital services?
SESSION ABOUT DIGITAL DISRUPTION AT UFI GLOBAL CONGRESS IN JOHANNESBURG
At the last UFI Global Congress in November 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Gunnar Heinrich (CEO adventics & Scan2Lead) held a session on “Digital Disruption” with his colleagues from the Digital Innovation Committee Stephan Forseilles (easyfairs) and Matthias Tesi Baur (MBB-Media). The panel raised different controversial and thought-provoking topics with the audience, prompting a lively debate over the pros and cons of each issue.
THE AUDIENCE VIEW ON THIS TOPIC
Some of the audience think that the digital revolution will slow down because the exhibition industry is ultimately based on data – and new privacy laws can have a great effect on this. The music industry was cited as an example where data and digital-related laws have changed the business model practically overnight.
Others, however, say that such laws will take a long time before they can really be enforced. Some even see the GDPR laws as more of an opportunity than a threat, as the new regulations would ensure business could be done on more credible ground, enabling a more transparent relationship with customers and prospects.
Overall, over 65% of the audience disagreed with the theory that privacy laws would slow down the digital revolution, while only ~33% saw the new legislation as a potential risk.
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE UFI DIGITAL INNOVATION COMMITTEE
This article is based on Matthias (Tesi) Baur’s post “Will new privacy laws slow down the digital revolution? Let’s discuss.” in the UFI Digital Innovation Group on LinkedIn. Keep in touch and stay updated on digital innovations in the exhibition industry.
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Munich, 16 July 2018, © adventics GmbH
