Rethinking risk in data monetization

Insights from Michael Hejtmanek’s recent presentation at CDOIQ Boston 2025:

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At CDOIQ Boston this year, I had the chance to speak with an audience deeply engaged in the strategic dimensions of data leadership. The focus of my remarks was straightforward: what’s truly holding enterprises back from selling their data to external customers - and how to move past it.
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Here are five key takeaways from my session

1. Legal risk isn’t the main obstacle anymore. Executive psychology is.

In the past, uncertainty around regulation and case law made selling data feel like walking a legal tightrope. But today, decisions like LinkedIn v. hiQ and GM’s OnStar case have carved out boundaries that are no longer as vague. Ironically, just as legal clarity has emerged, organizational fear has taken its place as the next barrier to data monetization. Many roadblocks are no longer regulatory - they’re cultural.

2. External monetization is a hidden driver of internal data maturity.

Bringing a dataset to market is not a passive exercise. It forces data owners to scrutinize their tables, fix inconsistencies, apply governance standards and ensure compliance. We’ve seen this process act as a force multiplier, leading to broad improvements in internal data quality far beyond the monetized asset.

3. Data monetization isn’t just for startups. Large enterprises are becoming the dominant players.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just agile startups testing the waters. Our most successful monetization clients are large multinational firms. They’re bringing enormous, high-value datasets to market - clickstream panels spanning billions of devices and procurement data tied to hundreds of billions of global annual spend.

4. Customer trust is not an issue if you design transparency into your process

Concerns about violating customer trust are valid - but solvable. One client, a global procurement platform, built an opt-in program that exchanged anonymized data participation for premium analytics. They now have a highly sought-after dataset, and their customer relationships are stronger, not weaker.

5. Worried about web scrapers? Don’t fight the bots. Beat them!

Half of web traffic today comes from bots. Many of them scrape valuable content and resell it. Forward-thinking major web companies are responding not by playing whack-a-mole with scrapers, but by commercializing their own high-quality datasets — and providing something better than the scraped alternative.

6. One unexpected moment

At the end of my session, I was asked not one but two questions about blockchain in the context of data monetization - something I’ve rarely encountered before. While blockchain hasn't played a significant role in most client conversations to date, the questions made me wonder whether we’re nearing a new phase of interest in decentralized data management or smart contract–based licensing. Something to watch.
In short: The real question for senior data leaders isn’t “Can we do this?” but “Are we ready to do this?” The technical, legal and operational answers are now well within reach. The next move is yours.

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For more information, contact: consulting@neudata.co

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