How to protect your users’ data in 2025: Keys to privacy and compliance in marketing

Data privacy is one of the major challenges of current digital marketing. With constantly changing regulations and more informed consumers, brands have the responsibility to ensure that personal data are handled in a secure, ethical, and legal manner. Otherwise, they face not only fines and penalties but also the loss of user trust.

This is why it is essential that any marketing strategy includes clear data protection policies, adapted to each market. Let us review the best privacy practices in marketing for 2025, the legal frameworks you should consider, and how tools such as Usercentrics CMP work.

Key regulations affecting marketing in 2025

Data protection legislation varies by country, but these are the main regulations to consider if you engage in marketing at a European or international level:

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): still the legal basis in the EU. It requires explicit consent, transparency in the use of data, and respect for consumer rights.
• DMA (Digital Markets Act): regulates large platforms such as Google, Meta, or Amazon and affects any company operating within their ecosystem.
• CCPA/CPRA (California): although there is no federal law in the United States, this state sets the standard with laws that even allow lawsuits against companies for data misuse.
• ePrivacy Directive: known as the “cookie law,” it regulates consent and digital communication in the EU.

More and more countries are adopting their own laws, compelling companies to adapt their strategies according to each market.

6 best practices for compliance and building trust

Regulations are not static, and privacy strategies should not be either. Here are six practical keys for 2025:

1. Update your privacy policy regularly
   Maintain a clear, accessible, and updated policy on your website and apps. Inform of each change and provide the option to refuse new data processing.
2. Obtain informed consent
   It is vital that users understand which data you provide, for what purpose, and how. Use tools such as a consent management platform (CMP) to manage these permissions.
3. Clean your email lists frequently
   Verify that the data remain valid, apply double opt-in, and respect the “right to be forgotten” and other rights listed in the GDPR.
4. Adopt an ethical mindset
   Collect only the necessary data and for just the right amount of time. Prioritize first-party or zero-party data collected directly from the user.
5. Control access to the data
   Not all team members need access. Limit access to justified roles and periodically audit access.
6. Rely on professional tools
   Using platforms like Usercentrics CMP allows automating compliance processes, avoiding errors, and maintaining user trust.

Tools such as Usercentrics CMP, an Ally in Privacy

One of the greatest current challenges is managing different legal frameworks, technologies, and channels. In this environment, platforms such as Usercentrics CMP facilitate the reliable collection, documentation, and notification of consent, adapting to each country and law. This solution enhances the user experience, strengthens the legal security of the company, and conveys a responsible brand image.

Also of Interest

• Microsoft’s UET consent mode: what it implies for advertisers and how to adapt without losing data