The impact of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on online tracking

IF 8.7 2区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

International Journal of Research in Marketing Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2025-03-11 DOI:10.1016/j.ijresmar.2025.03.002

Klaus M. Miller , Karlo Lukic , Bernd Skiera

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Abstract

This study explores the impact of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on online trackers—vital elements in the online advertising ecosystem. Using a difference-in-differences approach with a balanced panel of 294 publishers, it compares publishers subject to the GDPR with those unaffected (the control group). Drawing on data from WhoTracks.me, which spans 32 months from May 2017 to December 2019, it analyzes how the number of trackers used by publishers changed before and after the GDPR. The findings reveal that although online tracking increased for both groups, the rise was less significant for EU-based publishers subject to the GDPR. Specifically, the GDPR reduced about four trackers per publisher, equating to a 14.79 % decrease compared to the control group. The GDPR was particularly effective in curbing privacy-invasive trackers that collect and share personal data, thereby strengthening user privacy. However, it had a limited impact on advertising trackers and only slightly reduced the presence of analytics trackers.

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通用数据保护条例（GDPR）对在线跟踪的影响

本研究探讨了通用数据保护条例（GDPR）对在线追踪者的影响——在线广告生态系统中的重要元素。采用差异中差异的方法，对294家出版商进行平衡，将受GDPR约束的出版商与未受GDPR约束的出版商（对照组）进行比较。利用WhoTracks的数据。该研究历时32个月，从2017年5月到2019年12月，分析了出版商使用的追踪器数量在GDPR实施前后的变化。调查结果显示，尽管这两个群体的在线跟踪都有所增加，但对于受GDPR约束的欧盟出版商来说，这种增长不那么明显。具体来说，GDPR使每个发行商减少了4个追踪器，与对照组相比减少了14.79%。GDPR在遏制侵犯隐私的追踪器收集和共享个人数据方面尤其有效，从而加强了用户隐私。然而，它对广告跟踪器的影响有限，只略微减少了分析跟踪器的存在。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Research in Marketing BUSINESS-

CiteScore

11.80

自引率

4.30%

发文量

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Research in Marketing is an international, double-blind peer-reviewed journal for marketing academics and practitioners. Building on a great tradition of global marketing scholarship, IJRM aims to contribute substantially to the field of marketing research by providing a high-quality medium for the dissemination of new marketing knowledge and methods. Among IJRM targeted audience are marketing scholars, practitioners (e.g., marketing research and consulting professionals) and other interested groups and individuals.