LOKKER’s Evaluation of the High 100 U.S. E-commerce Web sites Finds Vital Knowledge Privateness Dangers for Shoppers Through the 2022 Vacation Season

Companies Inadvertently Shared Shopper Knowledge Via Trackers, Pixels and Cookies, Placing Them in Hazard of Breaches and Non-Compliance

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — LOKKER, supplier of on-line knowledge privateness and compliance options for the enterprise, right this moment launched findings from an analysis of the highest 100 e-commerce websites within the U.S., from Thanksgiving by Cyber Monday. LOKKER’s analysis examined how shopper knowledge was collected, shared and offered in the course of the peak 2022 vacation procuring days. The corporate’s discoveries elevate vital alarms for companies, notably as Knowledge Privateness Week kicks off.

LOKKER is a Silicon Valley-based data privacy technology company creating software for companies to protect their customers’ sensitive personal information from being misused and shared. (PRNewsfoto/Lokker) — LOKKER is a Silicon Valley-based knowledge privateness know-how firm creating software program for firms to guard their clients’ delicate private info from being misused and shared. (PRNewsfoto/Lokker)

Adobe Analytics reported that U.S. shoppers spent simply over $35 billion on-line in the course of the five-day interval beginning on Thanksgiving and persevering with by Cyber Monday. Whereas this was occurring, LOKKER discovered that social media firms and knowledge brokers additionally went on a procuring spree gathering shoppers’ private knowledge.

With a flurry of latest class motion lawsuits and state Attorneys Normal actions, in addition to elevated regulatory enforcement with legal guidelines just like the California Privateness Rights Act and Virginia’s Client Knowledge Safety Act lately going into impact, the monetary and reputational impacts for companies of not defending shoppers’ info are vital. Given this, firms should pay attention to the cookies, pixels and trackers on their web sites which are gathering and sharing shopper knowledge with out shoppers’ consent.

Social Media Websites Mined Shopper Knowledge

On-line trackers like hidden third-party JavaScript acquire knowledge from customers typically with out their permission and share it with different companies. LOKKER discovered that Fb tracked customers on over 60 of the highest procuring web sites, Pinterest on 35 and TikTok on 22. Snapchat and Twitter had been additionally discovered on 19 and 18 of those web sites, respectively. Whereas shoppers shopped, these social media firms had been gathering details about what websites and pages they visited, what merchandise they looked for, customers’ areas, and so on.

Cookies and Recording Instruments Tracked Client Habits

Browser cookies are broadly used throughout shoppers’ procuring experiences to trace their on-line habits. LOKKER discovered over 3,000 cookies throughout the 100 e-commerce web sites it analyzed. Google’s Doubleclick advert community led the best way with essentially the most cookies (on 77 websites), intently adopted by Microsoft (on 59 websites), Verizon (on 58 websites) and Adobe (on 50 websites), with Experian and Oracle not far behind (on 46 websites and 42 websites, respectively). LOKKER additionally recognized 21 completely different web site session recording instruments that had been carried out throughout the highest e-commerce websites, watching shoppers’ on-line actions, pursuits and behaviors.

The “Grinch” is Collectively Large Tech, Large Knowledge, and Large Finance

LOKKER discovered the highest 10 on-line trackers on the web sites it analyzed over the vacation interval included Google, Fb, Microsoft, Verizon, Adobe, Experian, Oracle, Pinterest, Taboola and TransUnion.

“Whereas we shopped on-line in report numbers this vacation season, our private info was collected, analyzed, shared, offered and resold by an intricate internet of Web applied sciences,” stated Ian Cohen, founder and CEO of LOKKER. “These trackers, pixels and cookies that run behind the scenes on the web sites we go to put our knowledge privateness in vital jeopardy. As many states launch new privateness protections, together with California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia and Utah, companies should take management of the info privateness dangers on their web sites and defend the shoppers that go to them. If they do not, they danger not solely shedding clients’ belief, but in addition incurring expensive regulatory fines, penalties and authorized bills.”

About LOKKER

LOKKER is a Silicon Valley-based knowledge privateness know-how firm creating software program for firms to guard their clients’ delicate private info. LOKKER’s Privateness Edge™ platform is a SaaS-based answer that automates detection and mitigation of on-line threats that result in main incidents, fines and reputational injury for firms. For extra info go to, lokker.com.