WFA's CMO Guide to Data Ethics in Practice puts forward a global data ethics framework with 20 key recommendations CMOs can take to when it comes to data-driven marketing and responsibilities around AI.

This guide comes at a time (September 2022) when digital advertising is facing unprecedented activist and regulatory scrutiny which is calling into question the data-driven marketing status quo. As a result, WFA research shows that 90% of CMOs say data ethics is a priority for their organisation.

However, 50% of CMOs still lack a clear understanding of what this means when it comes to the processes and practices they need to apply internally and across their marketing supply chains. This guide is therefore intended to help CMOs address these challenges and lay down the steps they can take to drive more ethical data practices and propel a more responsible path forward for the digital ad industry.

We believe these 20 actions are a crucial first step to better harnessing the effectiveness of data-driven marketing and preserving its license to operate, now and in the future.

The launch of this guide also kickstarts a new data ethics workstream within WFA, aimed at helping policy, legal, marketing and media professionals operationalise the recommendations in this guide.

WFA's Data Ethics – The Rise of Morality in Technology is the world's first guide on data ethics for brands. It sets out what marketers need to consider to ensure their organisation always uses data ethically and the actions they can take to promote the issue across their companies.

The goal is to encourage companies to go beyond simply following the rules on data privacy by getting them to see the vital importance of addressing the gap between what they can do and what they should do.