Data Value Overview
Your personal data has real monetary value in the advertising ecosystem. Ethikal makes this value visible and helps you benefit from it fairly.
Understanding Data Value
What Makes Your Data Valuable?
Advertisers pay to reach you based on:
Demographics:
- Age and gender
- Income level
- Education
- Location
- Family status
Behavior:
- Browsing history
- Purchase patterns
- Search queries
- App usage
- Content preferences
Intent:
- Shopping signals
- Life events
- Purchase readiness
- Interest levels
Context:
- Time of day
- Device type
- Current activity
- Seasonal factors
How Data Value Works
The Advertising Ecosystem
1. You browse the web
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2. Sites collect your data
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3. Data sent to ad exchanges
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4. Advertisers bid in real-time auctions
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5. Highest bidder shows you an ad
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6. Site owner gets paid
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7. You get... nothing (traditionally)
The Ethikal Difference
1. You browse with Ethikal extension
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2. Extension tracks data collection
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3. Ethikal monitors auction bids
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4. You see the true value
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5. You earn fair compensation
Value Dashboard
Today's Value
Data Value Today
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💰 $12.45
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Auctions: 47
Average CPM: $8.23
Peak Value: $2.15 (3:24 PM)
Trend: ↑ 15% vs yesterday
Value Breakdown
| Category | Auctions | Value | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopping Intent | 18 | $5.67 | 45.5% |
| Demographics | 12 | $3.21 | 25.8% |
| Interests | 9 | $2.15 | 17.3% |
| Location | 8 | $1.42 | 11.4% |
Value Timeline
Data Value (Last 7 Days)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
$15 ┤ ╭─╮
$12 ┤ ╭────╯ ╰╮
$09 ┤ │ │ ╭╮
$06 ┤╭──╯ ╰────╯╰─
$03 ┤│
└─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─
M T W T F S S
Total: $67.82
Average: $9.69/day
Best: Friday ($14.23)
Auction Data
What is an Auction?
When you visit a website with ads:
- Ad Request: Site requests ads for you
- Auction Starts: Multiple advertisers compete
- Bidding: Each advertiser bids based on your data
- Winner: Highest bid wins
- Ad Shown: You see the winning ad
- Payment: Site gets paid by winner
Duration: 100-300 milliseconds Participants: 10-50 advertisers typically Your Value: The winning bid amount
Auction Details
Auction #A47B2C3
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Time: Today, 3:24 PM
Site: shopping-site.com
Page: /electronics/laptops
Winner: Tech Brand X
Winning Bid: $2.15
Second Price: $1.89
Your Data Used:
• Age: 25-34
• Interest: Technology
• Intent: High purchase intent
• Location: San Francisco, CA
• Device: iPhone 14
Competing Bidders: 23
Auction Duration: 147ms
Bidder Information
Top 3 Bidders
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1. Tech Brand X
Bid: $2.15 ✓ Winner
Reason: Laptop launch campaign
2. Competitor Y
Bid: $1.89
Reason: Electronics retargeting
3. Tech Retailer Z
Bid: $1.45
Reason: Holiday sale promotion
Value Factors
What Increases Your Data Value?
High-Value Signals 💰💰💰:
- Purchase intent (shopping behavior)
- High income demographics
- Professional/business context
- B2B interests
- Financial services interest
Medium-Value Signals 💰💰:
- General shopping browsing
- Entertainment interests
- Travel planning
- Home improvement
- Health & wellness
Lower-Value Signals 💰:
- General news reading
- Non-commercial content
- Educational content
- Time-wasting/casual browsing
Factors That Matter
Time of Day:
- Business hours: Higher value (work context)
- Evening: Medium value (shopping time)
- Late night: Lower value (casual browsing)
Device Type:
- Desktop: Higher value (serious browsing)
- Tablet: Medium value
- Mobile: Varies (depends on context)
Location:
- Major metro areas: Higher value
- Suburbs: Medium value
- Rural: Lower value
Seasonality:
- Holiday season: Peak value
- Back-to-school: High value
- Summer: Medium value
- Off-season: Lower value
Earnings Potential
Value Tiers
Casual User ($5-15/month):
- Basic browsing
- Minimal data sharing
- High privacy settings
- Low engagement
Average User ($15-50/month):
- Regular browsing
- Selective data sharing
- Balanced privacy
- Moderate engagement
Power User ($50-150/month):
- Heavy browsing
- Consensual data sharing
- Lower privacy for earnings
- High engagement
Top Earner ($150+/month):
- Very active online
- Extensive data sharing
- Minimal privacy blocks
- Maximum participation
Maximizing Value
Do: ✅ Browse normally with extension active ✅ Allow tracking on sites you trust ✅ Participate in advertiser programs ✅ Keep profile information current ✅ Engage with relevant content ✅ Opt into value-sharing programs
Don't: ❌ Block all tracking (reduces value) ❌ Use VPNs constantly (hides location value) ❌ Clear cookies aggressively (breaks tracking) ❌ Fake your demographic info ❌ Click ads fraudulently
Value vs. Privacy
The Trade-Off
Privacy ← → Data Value
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Maximum Privacy
Pros: Best protection
Cons: $0-5/month
Balanced Privacy
Pros: Good protection + value
Cons: Some tracking allowed
Value: $15-50/month ← Sweet spot
Minimal Privacy
Pros: Maximum earnings
Cons: Heavy tracking
Value: $50-150+/month
Finding Your Balance
Questions to Ask:
- How important is privacy to you?
- What's your monthly value goal?
- Are you comfortable with targeted ads?
- Do you trust advertisers with your data?
- Is the trade-off worth it for you?
Recommended Approach:
- Start with "Balanced" privacy
- Monitor your earnings for a month
- Adjust based on comfort level
- Optimize over time
Data Value Analytics
Analytics Dashboard
Access at Data Value > Analytics
Key Metrics:
- Total value (all time)
- Monthly trends
- Top value sources
- Auction win rates
- CPM averages
- Value by category
Reports:
- Daily value summary
- Weekly trends
- Monthly reports
- Category breakdowns
- Advertiser insights
Value Insights
Your Value Insights
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Top Value Times:
Weekday afternoons (2-5 PM)
$14.23 average
Top Value Sites:
1. Shopping sites: $23.45/week
2. Tech blogs: $18.92/week
3. News sites: $12.38/week
Top Categories:
1. Shopping intent: 45%
2. Demographics: 26%
3. Interests: 18%
4. Location: 11%
Recommendations:
✓ You earn most on weekday afternoons
✓ Shopping sites generate high value
✓ Consider lowering privacy on trusted shopping sites
Payment & Rewards
How You Get Paid
Payment Methods:
- Cryptocurrency (ETH, USDC)
- PayPal
- Bank transfer
- Gift cards
- Donation to charity
Payment Schedule:
- Minimum payout: $10
- Automatic monthly payments
- Manual withdrawal anytime
- No fees for crypto
- Standard fees for fiat
Tax Considerations:
- Earnings may be taxable
- You receive 1099 if over $600/year
- Consult tax professional
- Varies by jurisdiction
Bonus Opportunities
Referral Bonuses:
- Invite friends: $5 per signup
- Friends' earnings: 5% lifetime
- No limit on referrals
Participation Bonuses:
- Complete surveys: $0.50-5.00
- Product testing: $10-50
- Focus groups: $50-200
- Brand partnerships: Varies
Loyalty Rewards:
- 1% bonus after 3 months
- 3% bonus after 6 months
- 5% bonus after 12 months
- Compounds monthly
Advertiser Programs
Opt-In Programs
Brand Partners: Partner brands offer premium rates for opt-in tracking:
- Tech brands: +20% value
- Retail brands: +15% value
- Travel brands: +25% value
- Financial: +30% value
Requirements:
- Consent to enhanced tracking
- Complete brand surveys
- Engage with brand content
- Maintain profile accuracy
Custom Campaigns
How It Works:
- Advertiser creates campaign
- Ethikal users can opt in
- Enhanced tracking for campaign
- Higher value per auction
- Campaign ends, tracking stops
Example:
Campaign: Summer Travel Survey
Brand: Major Airline
Duration: 2 weeks
Bonus: +50% auction value
Requirements:
• Complete travel survey
• Allow location tracking
• Opt into flight deal notifications
Estimated Earnings: +$25
Data Transparency
What Advertisers Know
We show you exactly what data advertisers access:
Data Shared in Auctions:
- Age range (not exact age)
- Gender
- General location (city-level)
- Interest categories
- General browsing context
- Device type
NOT Shared:
- Your name
- Email address
- Specific websites visited
- Personal messages
- Passwords or sensitive info
- Financial details
Data Control
You Choose:
- What data to share
- Which advertisers to allow
- When to share
- How long to share
- Payment for sharing
You Can:
- Review all shared data
- Revoke access anytime
- Export your data
- Delete your data
- Opt out of programs
Next Steps
Ready to explore your data value?
Your data has value. Ethikal helps you capture it fairly.