Anonymous Was Yesterday – And 35 Million People Know It

The ARD documentary "Dangerous Apps – Caught in the Data Broker Network" – based on research by netzpolitik.org – makes one central problem very clear:

Data considered "anonymous" often isn't, in practice.

Because by linking different datasets, concrete individuals can be identified from supposedly anonymous information – including their movement patterns, habits, and whereabouts.

The investigation shows:

Location data from millions of people is collected in the context of everyday app use – and subsequently processed far beyond that original context within data ecosystems.

Through a network of data brokers, platforms, and partners, it is aggregated and passed on – with a wide range of potential uses, including advertising and targeting.

And from this, something highly problematic emerges:

Precise movement profiles – up to and including the potential identification of individuals in the military, government agencies, or sensitive facilities.

This is not theory. It is happening. Now.

And simultaneously, something else is happening – almost even more striking:

👉 Around 35 million online users in Germany are already actively opting out of personalized advertising.

Signal loss is reality.

But: is this being seriously discussed in the industry? On the agency side or the client side? Barely.

Instead, we see:

– ever-new targeting models

– ever-more-complex data ecosystems

– ever-more attempts to salvage personalization "anyway"

While the actual question goes unanswered:

What does it mean for our society when a business model is based on mass, intransparent data use?

Because this is no longer just about advertising.

The investigations show: the far-reaching sharing and linking of data across complex ecosystems that users can barely understand presents not only a challenge for data protection – it can also carry real risks for security and democratic structures.

This is about trust.

This is about security.

And yes – it is also about the stability of our democracy.

Perhaps the next targeting approach is not the right answer.

Perhaps what is needed is a fundamental rethink.

As a board member of the IU Research Center Sustainable Media & Marketing, this is precisely where the concept of "Responsible Media" moves to the center for me:

Not as a buzzword, but as a necessary framework for the question of how data should be used at all – and where clear limits must be consciously drawn.

Because without clear guardrails, efficiency quickly becomes a system that causes more harm than it creates value.