Gen Z is smart for pioneering a new side hustle: selling their personal data for cash. Unlike previous generations who might have sold plasma or old clothes for extra money, many young people are now willing to share detailed digital information about their online habits in exchange for direct payment.
This trend is exemplified by the launch of Verb.AI, a product from youth polling company Generation Lab, which pays users $50 or more per month to install a tracker on their phones. This tracker anonymously monitors browsing, shopping, and streaming activity (but not sensitive data like bank accounts), creating a “digital twin” that companies, nonprofits, and news organizations can query for market research.
There is lesson for the rest of us from this Gen Z enterprise. Turning digital lives into a source of income by selling access to online behavior, reflects a pragmatic and transactional approach to data privacy. This should trigger the broader conversation about data ownership and compensation, that has been long overdue.
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