- applications | Users will soon have to open an account

- is gradually asking users of its applications to authenticate. The personal information collected by the public broadcaster will, among other things, allow advertisers to better reach their target audience. Does this new practice risk deterring some from using - platforms? The state-owned company does not fear this and wishes to reassure those who might be concerned about the protection of their privacy.

Will - remain free?

- content that is free will remain free. But since last week, users of the application OHdio must authenticate to listen to a podcast or radio show. Gradually, those who read the news on the application - Info mobile or tablet will also be required to create an account. And to do this, users must provide their full name, date of birth, and zip code.

In interview with The Pressthe general director of digital media at -, Maxime St-Pierre, wanted to be reassuring about the collection of this sensitive data. “A very small number of people have access to it. We have policies in place to ensure we store them securely. We comply with the Privacy Commissioner, so we can say that we meet the highest standards of Canadian data protection law,” he argued.

As a replacement for cookies

Obtaining data is a valuable asset for - in the sale of advertising space on its applications. Until now, advertisers could rely on cookies, better known as cookies. cookiesfiles stored in servers which allow the history of sites visited by an Internet user to be recorded, without the user having to identify themselves first. Thanks to the information provided by the cookiesadvertisers can then better target us with advertisements likely to reach us.

Or, la Act to modernize legislative provisions regarding the protection of personal information – commonly called “law 25” – passed by Quebec requires the consent of Internet users before we can collect data on them. Requiring all users to create an account was the only option available to -, believes Benoit Skinazi, general director of marketing at Sharethrough.

“Even though - is funded by the government, a good part of its revenue comes from advertising. People need to understand that the only way to continue to offer free information is to sell advertising. And to remain competitive in attracting advertisers, a platform must accumulate data on its users to monetize them,” explains Mr. Skinazi, whose job is to connect advertisers and websites.

A public broadcaster accessible to all?

By forcing users of its applications to authenticate, - follows the model of other public broadcasters around the world, such as France Télévisions or the BBC in the United Kingdom. Several private media outlets that offer their content for free also require you to have an account. This is also the case of The Press.

But for -, is there a risk of seeing certain users turn away from its applications, whether because they find it too complicated to register or because they refuse to provide their data? ? It is estimated that a third of visitors to the platform OHdio do not currently have an account, and will therefore need to create one. For - Infothis figure rises to 60%.

Catherine Léger, first head of digital marketing strategies at -, remains convinced that in the end, few people who do not yet have an account will refuse to create one. As proof, the number of visits to the Tou.tv application is still increasing, even if, since last summer, all users, even those who are not subscribed to Extra, have had to register.

“Those who are not comfortable creating an account can still use the - website. There will be no obligation to have an account for the site. That’s what we decided. It was important for us that there remained an alternative,” explained M.^me Light.