Editing LiveRamp (section)

==Consumer impact summary==

===User privacy===
LiveRamp's core business revolves around collecting, processing, and facilitating the exchange of vast amounts of personal data, raising significant privacy concerns.<ref name="computing-stalker">{{cite web |url=https://www.computing.co.uk/news/4180665/stalker-broker-liveramp-reported-uk-french-regulators |title='Like a stalker': LiveRamp reported to ICO |website=Computing |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref> The company maintains identity databases on approximately 700 million consumers globally, including 45 million in the UK and 25 million in France.<ref name="sauder-lawsuit">{{cite web |url=https://sauderschelkopf.com/investigations/liveramp-data-broker-privacy-class-action-lawsuit-investigation/ |title=LiveRamp Data Broker Privacy Class Action Lawsuit Investigation |website=Sauder Schelkopf |date=2025-01-25 |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref> LiveRamp creates unique identifiers called "RampIDs" that connect individuals' online activities with their offline identities, enabling comprehensive tracking across devices and platforms.<ref name="improvado">{{cite web |url=https://improvado.io/blog/what-does-liveramp-do |title=LiveRamp Explained: Data Connectivity & Identity [2025] |website=Improvado |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref> This extensive profiling occurs largely without consumers' meaningful awareness or explicit consent, as the company operates behind the scenes of the digital advertising ecosystem.<ref name="markup">{{cite web |url=https://themarkup.org/privacy/2021/04/01/the-little-known-data-broker-industry-is-spending-big-bucks-lobbying-congress |title=The Little-Known Data Broker Industry Is Spending Big Bucks Lobbying Congress |website=The Markup |date=2021-04-01 |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref>

===User freedom===
The company's data collection practices significantly impact consumer autonomy by enabling highly personalized advertising that can influence consumer behavior.<ref name="harvard">{{cite web |url=https://d3.harvard.edu/platform-digit/submission/liveramp-formerly-acxiom-selling-you-without-owning-your-data/ |title=LiveRamp (formerly Acxiom) - selling you - without owning your data |website=Digital Innovation and Transformation |date=2020-04-21 |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref> LiveRamp's identity resolution technology allows companies to track individuals across multiple devices and platforms, even when users believe they are browsing anonymously.<ref name="computerweekly">{{cite web |url=https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366572197/Open-Rights-Group-accuses-LiveRamp-of-unlawful-data-processing |title=Open Rights Group accuses LiveRamp of 'unlawful' data processing |website=Computer Weekly |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref> This undermines users' ability to truly opt out of tracking and creates an environment where consumers have limited control over how their personal information is used in the digital marketplace.<ref name="privacy-choices">{{cite web |url=https://liveramp.com/privacy/my-privacy-choices/ |title=Your Rights - California Consumer Privacy Act |website=LiveRamp |date=2022-01-31 |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref>

===Business model===
LiveRamp's business model centers on monetizing consumer data through its "data onboarding" services, which transform offline customer data into digital identifiers for targeted advertising.<ref name="data-marketplace">{{cite web |url=https://liveramp.com/data-marketplace/ |title=Solutions: Data Marketplace |website=LiveRamp |date=2024-11-18 |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref> The company operates a comprehensive Data Marketplace where businesses can purchase segments of consumer data for marketing purposes.<ref name="data-buying">{{cite web |url=https://docs.liveramp.com/connect/en/getting-started-with-data-buying.html |title=Getting Started with Data Buying |website=LiveRamp Documentation |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref> While LiveRamp positions itself as privacy-conscious, its fundamental business relies on extensive data collection, sharing, and profiling that blurs the lines between public and private information.<ref name="databrokers-profile">{{cite web |url=https://databrokers.cippic.ca/2019/01/09/data-broker-profiles-acxiom-and-liveramp/ |title=Data Broker Profiles – Acxiom and LiveRamp |website=DataBrokers |date=2019-01-09 |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref>

===Market control===
As one of the dominant players in the data broker industry, LiveRamp wields significant market power through its identity resolution infrastructure.<ref name="sec-filing">{{cite web |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/733269/000073326919000022/ramp-20190331.htm |title=LiveRamp Holdings, Inc. SEC Filing |website=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref> The company's extensive partnerships with over 650 platforms, including major social media networks and publishers, create a far-reaching data ecosystem that is difficult for consumers to avoid.<ref name="liveramp-website" /> LiveRamp's position as an infrastructure provider for the advertising technology industry allows it to establish industry standards and protocols that prioritize commercial interests over consumer privacy protections.<ref name="harvard" />