Privacy, consent, and the future of mobility data
Mobility data delivers powerful business insights, but its long‑term value depends on how transparently and thoughtfully it is used. As businesses explore mobility data to better understand movement patterns and behaviors, privacy and consent play a central role in shaping consumer trust and participation.
Introduction
Businesses rely on many types of data to build a picture of their customers and markets, but one critical piece of the picture is often missing: mobility data, or how people move in the physical world.
The auto insurance industry has relied on mobility data for years to inform pricing, risk assessment, and product design. Today, other industries — including retail and the public sector — are exploring how mobility data can help close knowledge gaps and inform decision‑making across planning, operations, and customer experience.
However, consumers remain cautious about how their data is collected and used. In a 2023 Pew survey*, 81% of U.S. adults reported concern about how companies use their data, and 67% said they have little to no understanding of how that data is used. These perceptions underscore the importance of clear communication and well‑defined approaches to data use.
So what is mobility data, why is it useful, and why are privacy and transparency principles so closely tied to its effectiveness?
The value of mobility data for businesses
At Arity, mobility data refers to aggregated and anonymized data intended to reduce the ability to identify individuals reflecting how people move through the physical world over a specific time span. Rather than capturing a single point in time, mobility data may provide contextual signals that can help businesses understand patterns, trends, and behaviors.
For many businesses, especially those with a physical footprint, understanding how and where people drive can support decision-making across planning, operations, marketing, and customer experience.
However, because mobility data reflects real‑world movement, something many consumers view as highly personal, its use requires careful consideration and clear explanation.
Building trust in the use of mobility data
Consumers regularly interact with mobile apps and services that rely on mobility data, such as GPS navigation, delivery, and ride‑sharing tools. Even so, many people feel uninformed about how their data is collected, processed, and shared. This creates a “privacy paradox.” When consumers do not understand how data is handled, even when it is aggregated and anonymized uncertainty can lead to hesitation or mistrust. Mobility data can feel especially sensitive because of its connection to physical movement and daily routines.
Addressing that gap in understanding is a foundational step toward building confidence in data‑driven experiences.
How businesses can support transparency and trust
1. Clearly explain how mobility data enables consumer benefits
Consumers are generally more open to sharing data when they understand the link between data access, app functionality, and user benefit. Information about specific features and benefits is often more effective than broad or abstract descriptions.
Implication: Explanations should focus on what improves or becomes possible, not generic statements such as “to enhance your experience.”
2. Present data requests as a value exchange
Trust is built when users perceive a healthy “give and take” relationship. Acknowledging that a business is requesting access to data and clearly explaining what the consumer receives in return can help frame permissions as enabling value rather than as a technical requirement.
Implication: Permissions should be positioned in context, emphasizing outcomes such as personalization, convenience, or access to differentiated features rather than system or compliance needs.
3. Connect mobility data use to differentiated experiences
Data sharing is easier to justify when it enables experiences that would not otherwise be possible. Superficial personalization (such as inserting a name) offers limited value. The use of mobility data should be tied to outcomes that feel meaningful and distinct from baseline functionality.
Implication: If the value is unclear or undifferentiated, consumers may question why data access is needed.
4. Provide context when permissions are requested
Consumers may become hesitant when data requests feel disconnected from immediate value. Explaining why permission is needed at a specific moment and how it relates to what the user is doing can help provide clarity.
Implication: Timely, contextual explanations can make data requests feel more transparent and intentional.
5. Use clear, human‑centered language
Most consumers do not evaluate data use from a technical perspective but instead tend to respond to tone, clarity, and perceived fairness. A 2024 Deloitte survey found that 90% of consumers feel that technology companies should do more to protect their data. This sends a clear signal to businesses that consumers expect them to take an active role in protecting data, but that legal disclosures alone are unlikely to build confidence.
Implication: Descriptions of data use should sound like service explanations, not legal disclaimers.
6. Emphasize value to drive participation
An Arity commissioned survey found that users often share data with apps they may not fully trust if they perceive enough value. [SC6] This creates an opportunity for businesses to foster consumer confidence over time with clear, relevant, and consistently delivered benefits.
Implication: Value is often established before trust, not the other way around.
7. Collaborate across the mobility ecosystem
Partnerships are a central feature of the mobility ecosystem, and data-sharing collaborations can help make new products and innovation possible. Placing customer transparency and choice at the center of the product development process can help support the partnership process between businesses that are jointly gathering, managing, and analyzing mobility data. Coordinating definitions, language, and approaches across the ecosystem can help reduce confusion and support more consistent consumer understanding.
Implication: Alignment around shared principles supports clearer communication for both partners and consumers.
Mobility data as a long‑term capability
Mobility data is not a one‑time input or short‑term tactic. Its usefulness can increase as patterns emerge, and insights become more actionable over time.
Organizations that view mobility data as a long‑term capability may be better positioned to:
- Build authentic partnerships with consumers around data sharing
- Adapt to evolving behaviors
- Make decisions grounded in real‑world contexts
When approached thoughtfully, mobility data can support innovation while remaining attentive to consumer expectations around privacy and choice.
How trust supports insight and opportunity
Mobility data can inform product development, partnerships, pricing strategies, and location decisions. Its long‑term impact, however, depends on more than technical sophistication alone. Clear communication, responsible data use principles, and respect for consumer understanding all play a role in gaining and sustaining participation.
With privacy and consent treated as foundational considerations, mobility data can create value both for the businesses that use it and the people who share it.
*See Pew’s methodology