Call to Action: Sign-on to Oppose Consumer Data Privacy Bills
Eighty percent of small business leaders say digital tools are important for running their businesses. Yet proposals currently pending before the Massachusetts Legislature threaten to render such tools less effective and more expensive for small businesses like yours.
RAM urges you to join the growing list of Massachusetts employers opposed to this harmful legislation by signing on to the Massachusetts Business Leaders Data Privacy letter. Members choosing to sign on are kindly asked to let RAM know that they will be doing so.
Please click here to access the sign on form
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How Data Powers Small Business
Seamless integration between customers, businesses, and digital services providers. Small businesses depend on digital service providers to collect and process customer data that powers valuable analytics, smart insights, and cost effective advertising. The seamless data flow between customers, digital service providers and small businesses is a lifeline that allows local brands to find customers, compete with larger companies, and grow.
Examples of Data Driven Services
Services like Shopify, Constant Contact, and Google Analytics integrate directly with small businesses' websites, e-commerce platforms, and email providers. For example, a local candlemaker will use Shopify’ s analytics page to see key sales, orders, and online store visitor data. They’ll see where website visitors come from (e.g., by region or social media source) and use that data to inform key business decisions (like putting up a table at the local farmers market or increasing production of a popular scent). These are all uses of data beyond providing a customer with a requested product of service — and they’re invaluable to small businesses.
Impact of Data Minimization Provisions
The data collection and use restrictions proposed in the current legislation don't only impact big tech, there is a downstream impact on small businesses not covered by the law. How can advertising platforms show a local cafe’ s offerings to local coffee lovers – not random browsers – if they can’ t use basic information like past interests or location? The cafe ends up paying more for ads that reach fewer real customers.
The truth is that is it impossible to carve small businesses out of overly restrictive data regulations. Cut off the data that powers all of these tools, and small businesses will suffer. Small businesses can’t simply be “carved out” because the bulk of value they get from customer data flows through much larger companies.
To learn more about the issue of data privacy and the impacts this legislation will have on retailers large and small, please click here to read a summary of industry concerns.
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Members with questions may contact RAM General Counsel, Ryan Kearney, at 617-523-1900 or via email at [email protected].
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request and for your support.
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