Key findings

Published: 16/02/2022

In this report, we sought to measure the value of the data that Polish Internet users generate on digital platforms (social media and Internet search engines). This value was estimated from two sides: firstly, in terms of the revenue that Polish users’ data generates for digital platforms (Facebook and Google) and, secondly, in terms of the value that the users themselves assign to the data and privacy online.

Above all, respondents’ replies indicate that the average user expects monetary compensation for the current situation, in which digital platforms have access to all our data and display personalised adverts. This means that Poles consider the status quo, in which we pay for digital services using our data, undesirable.

According to PEI’s study, the average Polish user is inclined to pay PLN 17.07 per month to prevent Facebook from having access to data aggregated on the platform and from other sources. In the case of Google, Poles would be ready to pay PLN 14.10 per month to prevent it from accessing their data, including their activity on other Internet portals.

At the same time, the platform’s business model is based on processing this data and generating revenue from personalized adverts that are displayed to users. In the case of Facebook, ad revenue accounts for 98% of the company’s revenue: USD 84 billion globally in 2020 (SEC, 2020a). At Google, this share is 80%: USD 146 billion globally in 2020 (SEC, 2020b).

According to PEI’s calculations, for Google and Facebook, revenue from Polish users’ data is significantly higher than that reported by these companies’ branches for the purpose of statistics and for the tax authorities. For Google, monthly revenue from a single Polish user’s data amounts to PLN 10.16. We therefore estimate that its total revenue in 2020 from all its Polish users’ data was PLN 4.025 billion. For Facebook, monthly revenue from a Polish user’s data amounts to PLN 8.52. This means that – according to our calculations – total revenue in 2020 from all its Polish users’ data was PLN 2.196 billion.

In the survey, over half of Internet users (63%) agrees with calls for a ban on displaying ads based on private persons’ data. This step would put an end to behavioural targeting by ads. This would block platforms’ current business model, in which users pay for a service with their privacy.

In addition, during the empirical part of the study, it turned out that respondents value personalized ads over non-personalised ones and, in certain cases, would expect compensation for the lack of personalized ads. In addition, most respondents are concerned about digital giants’ growing influence – 84% believe that tech companies’ activity should be subject to greater control. Moreover, as many as 87% believe that digital platforms know too much about us. 77% of Poles are aware that they are paying for free services with their data. However, just 38% of respondents are ready to pay the providers they use for better privacy protection. This may be linked to their distrust towards these companies – 76% do not believe that a paid version of Facebook would better protect their rights. In the case of Google, this is 73%.