The Estonian Data Protection Authority (AKI) has published a summary of its podcast discussing the balance between modern marketing practices and privacy compliance.

The discussion reminds that data collection, while useful for web analytics, must be limited to what is strictly necessary and not become an end in itself, avoiding requesting superfluous information. Transparency is deemed crucial for targeted advertising so that individuals understand why an ad is shown to them. Consent for direct marketing must be separate from acceptance of privacy terms, given freely, and easily withdrawn. Similarly, tracking the behavior of newsletter recipients requires a legal basis and clear information. The growing use of artificial intelligence for message personalization reinforces this transparency requirement, with customer trust being the central element of the relationship.