Elevating Privacy and Compliance Awareness – A Guide for Prospective DataHub Members

It’s natural for brands considering joining a data cooperative to have questions, especially on the topic of privacy and compliance. In 22 years as a leading data cooperative, Alliant has invested considerable effort and resources ensuring the utmost compliance and data privacy for DataHub Members and their data. 

Alliant has a wealth of knowledge on data privacy and security factors, requirements, and protections that brands thinking about Membership can benefit from.  

Privacy – A Legal Obligation and Then Some  

Brands want to ensure their own customer data and third-party data being used in campaigns is kept top of mind and that they are complying with all the latest laws and guidelines. These two things go hand in hand, keeping customer data safe by having a comprehensive approach to regulatory compliance. 

This is why Alliant’s #1 goal for privacy is to ensure all data coming in and out of Alliant is secure and properly permissioned, and that resulting audiences and solutions are compliantly deployed in market. This includes both prospective new and current DataHub Members gaining the confidence that the data they contribute is treated with the utmost respect and highest compliance standards, meeting the ever-expanding number of state regulations. Alliant abides by US State privacy, financial and other laws including incorporating Privacy by Design and FTC marketing guidelines. 

The Evaluation Process 

What matters is that the data cooperative you are considering has a collective approach to privacy in place. Brands should thoroughly evaluate all data partners, even the shiny new solutions getting a lot of hype. This includes a review of business history, certifications, reputation, legal team, and IT infrastructure. As a data cooperative, Alliant recognizes that there are a lot of questions and even myths that need to be addressed. At Alliant, the aim is for brands to be assured that data privacy is properly addressed so their focus can be on extracting the tremendous value that comes with being a DataHub Member.   

Top questions a brand should ask before joining a data cooperative: 

1. 1. 1. Are you compliant with State laws? Explain how you enforce compliance. 
      2. How will my data be used? 
      3. How do you handle opt-out requests by users? 
      4. Will any of my data be used for marketing purposes? And if so, how?

The Unique Partnership and Value That Comes with Membership 

There are many excellent data partners in the ecosystem who prioritize data compliance and security, however, there is a big difference between joining a data cooperative vs. sharing data assets with a third-party data partner. At Alliant, DataHub Members can rest assured they are working with a Compliance team that brings the highest levels of  data governance to the table. It's like adding a new set of advisors to your data management strategy. 

These unique services that come with being a Member are all in place to mitigate data sharing and use risk. It’s a true partnership designed to secure use case, end user, and consumer protection, along with the added benefits of creative review and privacy policy review.  

To back that up, the Alliant data cooperative is SOC2 Type 2 certified and layers on additional certifications through membership and certifications from industry governing bodies and third parties such as Neutronian, TAG, IAB, Truthset, and recently joining the NAI. Alliant’s commitment to these third-party validations is to continually improve our systems and processing, but also give our Members and potential Members the confidence in sharing their data with a true partner.  No other data partner can offer this stellar record and set of accreditations. Members looking to explore more detailed privacy aspects can do so here in a Member Legal Q&A with Alliant.  

What About My First-Party Data and How is it Used? 

First-party data is the core asset of Alliant Members, and we take that very seriously. Alliant uses a combination of legal compliance, IT infrastructure and processes, and constant oversight to ensure Member data are protected. In-house Compliance establishes and assures compliance with every state privacy law, compliance by design measures when architecting new products, solutions and systems, regular reviews of Member data, and ongoing consumer privacy practices. The IT department utilizes a robust approach to infrastructure, technologies, and data transit and storage. 

Member data is managed by Alliant in two ways. First it is stored in a separate DataMart, not integrated with any other data. This maintains the brand’s first-party data integrity and creates easy access for custom work including data enrichment. Second, the data is anonymized and matched into the greater DataHub, which is an aggregated second party data asset. This aggregated asset drives Alliant data science and the resulting audience solutions.    

The Art of Coming Aboard 

Alliant conducts a comprehensive review of each prospective member’s policies, company standing, and other legal and financial circumstances. This due diligence includes a Privacy Policy review to confirm whether a brand has the right to transfer first-party data for membership purposes. Alliant also explores each potential Member’s current legal litigation or investigations, financial credit, tax situation, and customer reviews, which ensures each company is in good overall standing and financial health. 

Alliant understands that Membership is a major decision requiring in-depth consideration. That’s why we strongly encourage brands to engage us with questions and discussions about privacy and compliance and any other areas of interest. Please reach out, the Alliant team is ready when you are!