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The Impact of Privacy Regulation on Web Traffic: Evidence From the GDPR

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  • Congiu, Raffaele
  • Sabatino, Lorien
  • Sapi, Geza

Abstract

We use traffic data from around 5,000 web domains in Europe and United States to investigate the effect of the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on website visits and user engagement. We document an overall traffic reduction of approximately 15% in the long-run and find a measurable reduction in engagement with websites. Traffic from both paid and unpaid channels dropped significantly. We observe an inverted U-shaped relationship between website size and change in visits due to privacy regulation: the smallest and largest websites lost visitors, while medium-sized ones were less affected. Enforcement matters as well: The effects were amplified considerably in the long-run, following the first significant fine issued eight months after the entry into force of the GDPR. Exploring potential mechanisms, both a reduction in advertising effectiveness and a higher user awareness of privacy issues can explain our results.

Suggested Citation

  • Congiu, Raffaele & Sabatino, Lorien & Sapi, Geza, 2022. "The Impact of Privacy Regulation on Web Traffic: Evidence From the GDPR," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iepoli:v:61:y:2022:i:c:s0167624522000427
    DOI: 10.1016/j.infoecopol.2022.101003
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    Cited by:

    1. Chongwoo Choe & Noriaki Matsushima & Shiva Shekhar, 2023. "The Bright Side of the GDPR: Welfare-improving Privacy Management," Monash Economics Working Papers 2023-14, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    2. Garrett A. Johnson, 2022. "Economic Research on Privacy Regulation: Lessons from the GDPR and Beyond," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Privacy, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Lorien Sabatino & Geza Sapi, 2023. "Privacy regulation and online concentration during demand peaks: evidence from the E-commerce sector," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 50(2), pages 265-282, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Privacy regulation; GDPR; Web traffic; Marketing channels; Firm size;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • D8 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality
    • L5 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy

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