Data leakage from publisher sites results in loss of data revenue for the publisher. An unsophisticated buyer would never buy premium first-party data from the publisher, when they can buy “the same” stuff for pennies on the dollar from vendor X.

Data leakage isn’t just about lost revenue. It opens up the publisher to legal risk, depending on local regulations (cough, GDPR).

Thoughts on dealing with data thieves are here. But the article doesn’t provide the correct and easy answer. Remove the tracking pixels. What do you think those 50 or 60 trackers on your site are doing anyway? Think you’re getting full value from the data that’s leaking out?

I’ve got a Rolex for $30 if you do.