‘Refusal is not an option’  Dutch consumers feel powerless over their own data: 

Three in four see data sharing as a hidden cost, while trust in companies is fragile 

Accepting privacy terms without reading them, sharing personal details with every online purchase and trusting that things will be handled properly: for many people in the Netherlands, this has become everyday reality. But it is not entirely voluntary. Our research, conducted among more than 1,000 Dutch consumers, shows that over 80 per cent accept privacy terms because refusing simply does not feel like a realistic option. At the same time, three in four say they experience sharing personal data as a hidden cost of life online. Trust that companies handle this data responsibly is fragile: only a small majority (57 per cent) give organisations the benefit of the doubt.    

Three quarters of Dutch consumers (75 per cent) see the sharing of personal data as a hidden cost of online shopping. This feeling is widespread: across all age groups, people recognise that they are ‘paying’ with their data, even if no price tag is attached. Moreover, 68 per cent do not consider it logical that a service is offered for free in exchange for access to personal information.  

Just over half of Dutch consumers (53 per cent) admit that sharing data has become so normal that they hardly think about it anymore. Among young people aged 16 to 29, this figure is even higher at 64 per cent. However, familiarity does not equal acceptance. The research shows that younger consumers also do not consciously accept privacy terms; they do so because they feel they have no real choice.

Friso Spinhoven, Head of Responsible AI at Conclusion, says: “Consumers are not naïve when it comes to their data. They feel cornered. They know they are paying a price, but they see no alternative. At Conclusion, we see every day how important it is to use data and AI responsibly. Precisely because consumers are losing oversight, organisations have a duty to be transparent about what data they collect, why they collect it, and how they use it.”

Only 57 per cent of Dutch consumers trust companies to handle their personal data with care – and even that trust can hardly be described as robust. “This research challenges the idea that consumers willingly give away their data,” Spinhoven continues. “The dominant feeling is one of powerlessness, not indifference. For organisations that use data and AI, this is an important signal: trust is not a given, and it must be actively earned. The technology to use data intelligently is there. But smart is not the same as responsible.

“Organisations need to ask themselves: would I do this if the customer were watching? Only when the answer is yes do you start building trust. And as this research shows, that trust is scarcer than many organisations think.”