ZI, for those so worried re privacy issues

ZoomInfo, for those who were so obsessed about privacy issues with regards to this firm, someone heard you. They just came out with this press release TODAY! You just don’t get better coincidences than that.

Saul

ZoomInfo Attains 2021 TrustArc GDPR and CCPA Practices Validations, Furthering Its Commitment to Data Privacy Leadership

Validations Confirm Company’s Status as a Privacy-Forward Organization

VANCOUVER, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 20, 2021-- ZoomInfo (Nasdaq: ZI), a global leader in go-to-market (GTM) intelligence solutions, today announced that it has attained a pair of important privacy validations that demonstrate its policies are in line with the strictest privacy regulations in the world.

With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Practices Validation and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Practices Validation from TrustArc – a global expert in data privacy management and automation – ZoomInfo further exhibits its commitment to leadership in data privacy and dedication to the security needs and growing expectations of its customers.

The TrustArc GDPR and CCPA Practices validations are secured through a rigorous review of ZoomInfo’s privacy policy, practices, and governance efforts, against TRUSTe’s 44 GDPR and CCPA Privacy Practices Compliance Validation Requirements.

“We were already well ahead of others in our industry when it comes to data privacy leadership,” said Bubba Nunnery, ZoomInfo’s Senior Director, Privacy and Public Policy. “With these validations, we’ve further reinforced our commitment to data privacy, transparency, and compliance.”

“Organizations of all sizes must become privacy-forward to earn the trust of their customers,” said Chris Babel, CEO, TrustArc. “ZoomInfo understands that building trust requires an ongoing, scalable approach to data privacy. The organization has consistently prioritized privacy as the enabler of a better experience for its customers and their subscribers, and the TrustArc GDPR and CCPA Validations reinforce that standing.”

The GDPR and CCPA Practices Validations confirm that ZoomInfo’s privacy policies and practices meet or exceed the TrustArc Privacy and Data Governance Frameworks. These include establishing, maintaining, and continually improving GDPR- and CCPA-compliant privacy practices aligned with the ISO 27001 International Standard for Information Security Management Systems:…

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Larry emailed me off-board to point out (his mailing follows):

One other advantage is they also help their customers be complainant with GDPR & CCPA regulations.

According to Article 6 of the GDPR, businesses who collect and process data must do so under ONE of six legal bases:

User Consent
Legitimate Interests
Contractual Necessity
Vital Interest of the User
Legal Obligation
Public Interest

Many companies live in fear of #1 - User Consent. But take a look at #2: Legitimate Interests.

In addition to giving consent by opting in, marketers are permitted to process personal data where they have a “legitimate interest” in doing so that is not overridden by a person’s fundamental rights or interests.

GDPR states specifically: “The processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes may be regarded as carried out for a legitimate interest… A word about ‘legitimate interest’: We’re not talking spam. We don’t mean mass-emailing all 19,638 records in your CRM to tell them about your new product feature.”

I guess that is why Zoom Info’s Targeting of the correct person to contact passes with flying colors.

Saul

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For those who are concerned about ZI’s collection of publicly available, “personal” data, it is useful to be clear about the nature of this data before jumping to erroneous conclusions. In his SA article, Bert identifies and discusses these “behavioral signals”, which could be announcements of V/C financing, promotions of individuals, construction of a new plant or the introduction of a new product, for example.

A visit to ZI’s website explains the data they collect and where they get it. It’s worth a read if you’re concerned about the integrity of this company. For example, they identify

Activities that link buyers and accounts to a topic include:

• Downloads of whitepapers, case studies, tech publications
• Website visits (87% of pre-purchase research is done online. Web searches and content consumption is a strong signal of buyer intent)
• Product reviews
• Time on website pages related to industry topics
• Online subscriptions to newsletters and updates
• Views of infographics
• Attendance of webinars
• Spikes in content consumption on a given topic

This is all perfectly legitimate information in B2B marketing in an online world. In fact, it is a foundation of the sales team, whose function is to find and target potential customers who might benefit from what a company has to offer. Unethical? Unsavory? It sure doesn’t sound like that to me.

breezyday

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