BUSTED Spincar caught selling dealer data

[OldHoster]

At the moment they seem to have done the right thing and stopped the script. But I don't buy for one minute they aren't going to fire this right back up as soon as they think the smoke has cleared

They'll probably get smart and not make it so obvious next time. I hear they have deep relations with a data broker. Hard to believe selling dealers' data isn't a big part of their revenue stream.

Here is the thing they don’t need to run the script to sell the data all they need to do is ship the logs directly off of their server to the data broker. Yes it is one more step but can be solved automatically with a script like the large hosted DMS systems do it.

 

[craigh]

Here is the thing they don’t need to run the script to sell the data all they need to do is ship the logs directly off of their server to the data broker. Yes it is one more step but can be solved automatically with a script like the large hosted DMS systems do it.

We were discussing this point offline.
Many, many companies are doing this, but they're smart enough to save the data to a database first, then ship it out the back door.

 

[jscole86]

So the underlying point of this whole thread is that shopper data is being sold directly from dealer sites, and is then being used as a conquest marketing product. I don't post too often on here, but I always keep up with the threads as best I can. But I hadn't seen Jeff Tognetti's name on DR until this thread. Saw he worked at Dealer X, so just googled their website because I hadn't heard of the company. Seems like they offer a variety of conquest tools for dealerships (which is sort of ironic based on this thread), but it can definitely be a good addition to a marketing strategy.

Then I saw this text/image on their website Interested in conquesting your local competitors's dealership website visitors?" Which at first glance, seems very appealing to a dealer. Until you start to think about this thread, and how in the hell they get this data. If you don't mind sharing @Jeffrey Tognetti , where do you guys get this data from? Or where does the company you get it from, get it from?

 

[Jeffrey Tognetti]

So the underlying point of this whole thread is that shopper data is being sold directly from dealer sites, and is then being used as a conquest marketing product. I don't post too often on here, but I always keep up with the threads as best I can. But I hadn't seen Jeff Tognetti's name on DR until this thread. Saw he worked at Dealer X, so just googled their website because I hadn't heard of the company. Seems like they offer a variety of conquest tools for dealerships (which is sort of ironic based on this thread), but it can definitely be a good addition to a marketing strategy.

Then I saw this text/image on their website Interested in conquesting your local competitors's dealership website visitors?" Which at first glance, seems very appealing to a dealer. Until you start to think about this thread, and how in the hell they get this data. If you don't mind sharing @Jeffrey Tognetti , where do you guys get this data from? Or where does the company you get it from, get it from?

We've bought data from various sources over the years, but have always done so on a fully disclosed basis. There were points in time many years ago we dabbled in Bluekai and eXelate segments (which we ultimately learned to filter and refine in to super segments for our clients), all the way through striking deals helping 3rd party companies like Dataium "activate" what they were capturing. But again, always on a fully disclosed basis. There are many providers of "anon" cookie and/or MAID (Mobile Ad ID) based visitor data legitimately selling their own data sets every day on various exchanges. One need look no further then some of the Apps you have on your phone. As I stated earlier in the thread, we even offered to buy SpinCar data a few years back provided they disclosed it properly in their agreements with their clients, and that's where things got awry... It is hard to do things the proper way and easy to take a short cut. What SpinCar did was the later, as they ultimately did NOT disclose what they did evidenced here. They just did it, got caught, removed the offending script and are now simply waiting for the whole affair to blow over. Fortunately for DealerX we no longer rely on 3rd party data segments as we have become entrenched in the Adtech ecosystem, ultimately enabling us to dissolve all 3rd party reliances except for use in scoring. I'd be happy to give you a run through the platform so you can get a first hand look. Let me know!

 

[Jeffrey Tognetti]

https://www-zdnet-com.cdn.ampprojec...n-snoops-on-200000-users-browsing-activities/

 

[Alex Snyder]

@Jeffrey Tognetti can you elaborate on what profits might be like selling this kind of data?

 

[Baron Ringler]

@Jeffrey Tognetti can you elaborate on what profits might be like selling this kind of data?

In essence, it's like farming. You create the data, get the customer information, sell it to middle men who then disseminate it to the end user, who sells the product and makes the profit. The profit comes from the end user who purchased the data, who is able to get customers to buy their product; dealership mailer companies, warranty companies, insurance companies, etc.

Through it all, everyone takes a cut and makes money from it. The problem with dealers is that the data is being sold to mailer companies who then use the data to market for your competitors.

 

[Alexander Lau]

Regulation should give power back to the user and choice as to whether they consent to have their data being used outside of the purpose for which they entrusted the publisher/advertiser for in the first place.

Data Protection – Bringing Privacy into the Public Spotlight
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-protection-bringing-privacy-public-spotlight-micky-khanna/

 

[OldHoster]

Regulation should give power back to the user and choice as to whether they consent to have their data being used outside of the purpose for which they entrusted the publisher/advertiser for in the first place.

Data Protection – Bringing Privacy into the Public Spotlight
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-protection-bringing-privacy-public-spotlight-micky-khanna/

Alexander,

You are correct in assuming this, but even with that being done over 90% of standard users will still give the data up. We have done a few dealer sites, and real estate sites and the key is that you as the dealer need to have it in the contract that the vendor can not sell or share any of your data with anyone that is not employed by their company. In all other industries than automobile dealerships and real estate this is standard.

-Allen

 

[Alexander Lau]

Alexander,

You are correct in assuming this, but even with that being done over 90% of standard users will still give the data up. We have done a few dealer sites, and real estate sites and the key is that you as the dealer need to have it in the contract that the vendor can not sell or share any of your data with anyone that is not employed by their company. In all other industries than automobile dealerships and real estate this is standard.

-Allen

Agreed, and think about it. It really goes without saying. Those dealers that skipped the fine print are now questioning Spincar's tactics. Something we discussed on Friday.