We gather around dinner tables, warning our children about Big Tech.
We talk about surveillance. About manipulation. About algorithms designed to influence and exploit.
And then the next morning, we open our laptops, log into Google Analytics or BigQuery… and we send user data right back into the same machine we say we fear.
Why?
Because it’s easy.
Because it works.
Because it pays.
As business owners and digital agencies, we’ve normalized a model built on silent surveillance. We tag users with UTMs, enrich profiles with data brokers, and boast about click-through rates to leadership - never stopping to ask:
Is it ethical?
Let’s be honest: most websites today collect data before users consent. We see it in our scans as we are scanning over 45,000 websites and ecommerce platforms across Denmark. The majority load third-party trackers and transmit data instantly, often without the user even knowing.
That’s a regulatory violation under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive or the EDPB’s Guidelines 2/2023. It’s a breach of trust. And it’s digital betrayal.
And here’s the truth: Opt-out doesn’t protect anyone. Once data is collected, it’s already been shared, sold, and processed. You can’t “unshare” what’s already been absorbed into Big Tech’s algorithms.
The ethical path is clear:
Informed.
Explicit.
Opt-in consent - before data is touched.
And the good news?
We no longer need to choose between ethics and insight. First-party, privacy-respecting tools like AesirX Consent Management Platform give us performance without compromising privacy. They meet the law AND they respect the user.
Because businesses built on respect will outlast those built on exploitation.
So ask yourself: Are you collecting data because it’s easy… or because it’s right?
Because one path leads to temporary metrics.
The other leads to lasting trust.
And today - you get to choose.
Ronni K. Gothard Christiansen
Founder, AesirX.io
Curious where your site stands? Scan it now - free, fast, revealing: AesirX Privacy Scanner
