Privacy Issues Of Online Marketing Techniques In The Information Society

In the digital economy, information plays a key role, as currency that makes the knowledge society further develop. In such world, ensuring privacy of personal data without restricting data flows and the economic and social benefits generated can prove in practice to be quite challenging. In the context of the increasing interest in social responsibility in business approaches, companies should take into account also the responsibility for collecting, processing and usage of consumers’ personal data, while carrying out their core functions. Thus, we analyze and debate on aspects related to direct marketing techniques and privacy issues, in a consumer-oriented approach, focusing on behavior of the Romanian consumer, with taking into consideration the fast development and use of ICT in business and the increasing regulations for ensuring consumer privacy. We raise into discussion aspects related to consumer behavior in function of means used in marketing, focusing more on the online than on the traditional means, from the perspective of ensuring privacy of consumers’ personal data. The analysis is based on data from a survey conducted in Romania in 2011 with regard to the Romanian consumer and direct marketing and also from techniques used in developing websites for gathering and processing user / consumer information, while taking into consideration the existing legal framework. We consider that companies should pay more attention to issues related to consumer privacy online, with ensuring appropriate information and obtaining consumer consent in collecting and using personal data for business development.