Stop Spreading The Data: PSM, Trust, and Third-Party Services

Abstract The article analyzes problems relating to public service media use of third-party services that track, collect, and analyze user behavior. The article extends a rights-based conception of privacy to privacy as a social phenomenon based in trust, relevant to public service media as “islands of trust.” However, data of European public and private media sites show that public service media, especially those that run advertising, show few differences with private media in their use of third-party services. The European Union's (EU's) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) did significantly change this, suggesting a need for public service media to prioritize ethical values over market considerations.