Faculté et Recherche
Does Consumer Privacy Protection Always Hurt Companies? Evidence from the Apple's App Tracking Transparency Policy
20 oct
2025
14H00 - 15H15
Jouy-en-Josas
Anglais
Participer
Information Systems and Operations Management (ISOM)
Speaker: Yiting Deng, from UCL
Room Bernard Ramanantsoa
"Brands commonly collect personal data through their mobile apps to enhance targeting capabilities. However, privacy regulations increasingly restrict such data collection and may lead to decreased targeting efficiency. This paper examines the impact of privacy regulations on consumer purchasing behavior, using Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy as an exogenous shock. Leveraging data from a leading coffee chain in China, we regard iPhone users as the treatment group and Android users as the control group, and estimate a causal forest model within a difference-in-differences framework. Our findings reveal that, following the implementation of ATT, iPhone users exhibited greater responsiveness to coupons and increased their spending compared to Android users. The effects are particularly pronounced among female customers and privacy-sensitive individuals, suggesting that enhanced privacy controls foster consumer trust and engagement. However, the positive effects were weaker for newly acquired customers and those who previously used fewer coupons, suggesting the presence of an efficiency-decreasing effect. Our results indicate that privacy regulations granting users greater control over their personal data can benefit both consumers and businesses, even amidst potential declines in targeting efficiency."