Research Details

Abstract

Abstract We consider a platform that collects data from users. Data has commercial benefit to the platform, personal benefit to the user, and public benefit to other users. We ask whether the platform, or users, should have the right to decide which data the platform commercializes. We find that when users differ in their disutility from the commercialization of their data and the public benefit of data is high (low), it is welfare enhancing to let the platform (users) control the data. In contrast, when heterogeneity is in the disutility from the commercialization of different data items, it is welfare enhancing to let users (the platform) control the data when the public benefit of data is high (low).

Type

Working Paper

Author(s)

Sarit Markovich, Yaron Yehezkel

Date Published

2023

Citations

Markovich, Sarit, and Yaron Yehezkel. 2023. “For the public benefit”: data policy in platform markets.