Online marketing is one of the biggest byproducts of the Internet, and it has completely revolutionized the way sales work. Before the Internet, advertising could go via TV, radio, billboards, newspapers and alike. However, companies knew little to nothing about their customers, which made it difficult for them to offer the right products to the right people. This all changed once the Internet went mainstream and everyone started using it. Online stores, data purchased from search engines and the ability of customers to express their interests came as a major benefit for companies that deal with promotions and marketing. They were able to harness user data, often without consent. More than that, they offered their services in return for information. You can now purchase things at the best online stores, but there is a lot of information that you need to provide in return, such as location, browsing data, search info and more. Even worse, those who are taking your data have proven that they are not even that good at keeping it safe, which led to plenty of data thefts that decreased your online safety. While this does serve a purpose, and advertisers can, indeed, offer us products that we need and want — it is also extremely intrusive. Fortunately, the awareness of this is growing, and the number of people who are extremely displeased with it is on a rapid rise. But, that's not enough to change things and revolutionize online privacy. However, there is one piece of technology that can, in fact, make a difference.

Enter Blockchain: How You Can Take Privacy Back Into Your Own Hands

At this point, blockchain technology is far from being the unknown tech that it used to be only a few years back. These days, many world governments study it with great care, as well as great haste. Nearly every industry out there can be, and is, disrupted due to its potential, and especially the financial industry. However, apart from being the underlying technology for cryptocurrencies, blockchain also has other strengths. One of them is its ability to handle huge amounts of data and to do it by still allowing users to keep their privacy. You see, unlike modern advertising firms, websites, and search engines, blockchain actually allows users to manage their private information. Similarly to how it empowers the user by cutting out middlemen when it comes to money management, it does the same when it comes to personal data management. In other words, blockchain can protect you, the user, from getting your information taken by advertising firms and traded around without you ever seeing a dime, while advertisers make millions.

How Can Blockchain Help?

Cutting out middlemen is one of blockchain's special gifts, and that goes for money and data alike, as mentioned. In online marketing, that means that companies that are making and offering products no longer need to pay massive amounts to advertisers in order to get them to connect their products to interested users. They can now be connected to the buyers and customers directly, and there are several projects that do this. One great example is an upcoming project known as YOUEngine. This is a project that will allow over 200 million businesses to get connected to 4 billion users via a single direct-to-consumer advertising platform. In other words, it is a project that will offer its platform where you can get directly connected to manufacturers, tell them what you like and don't like, and get rewarded for it. The rewards would come in the shape of the project's own cryptocurrency, YOUcash token, which is about to start its IEO in only three weeks, on May 14. The token can then be exchanged for any fiat currency supported on the platform, all in the same place. Or, you can simply keep it, or even use it to buy other cryptos, once it gets listed on exchanges. Best of all, you can keep earning rewards by monetizing your own time spent online, simply by watching ads of your own free will. Your data will be safe, the time you spend watching ads will be worth it for you thanks to the rewards, and the companies that are making and selling their products can cut off the advertising companies and save tons on the money. This would allow them to improve their products, invest more in what they have to offer, expand, and best of all — get feedback from the user directly. In the end, everybody wins. Well, not everybody — advertisers who were taking your data and companies' money probably won't appreciate this change, but it is a positive one for everyone else involved.

Conclusion