How much is our personal data worth? CNIL survey reveals surprising numbers
About the survey
In December 2024, France's data protection authority CNIL commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a large-scale survey on how people value their personal data — and whether they would be willing to sell it.
The survey polled 2,082 respondents aged 15 and over. CNIL published the results in late 2025.
Key findings
65% would sell their data
Nearly two thirds of respondents said they would grant access to their personal data in exchange for payment. The remaining 35% refuse at any price — for them, privacy is not for sale.
Most common price: €10–30 per month
Among those willing to sell, price expectations break down as follows:
| Price range | Share of respondents |
|---|---|
| Less than €1 | 6% |
| €1–10 | 23% |
| €10–30 | 28% |
| €30–100 | 20% |
| €100–200 | 8% |
| More than €200 | 14% |
71% of willing sellers would accept between €1 and €100 per month.
Market equilibrium: approximately €40 per month
The survey modeled the point where corporate willingness to pay meets individual willingness to sell. The result: approximately €37.84 per month — roughly €40. At this price, about half of individuals would sell and about half of companies would buy.
Willingness to pay for ad-free services
The survey also asked whether people would pay for digital services without targeted advertising:
| Service | Willingness to pay | Acceptable price |
|---|---|---|
| Music streaming | 48% | €8/month |
| Video on demand | 42% | €6.50/month |
| Health monitoring | 32% | €5.50/month |
| Online press | 31% | €5.50–6/month |
| Generative AI | 31% | €5.50–6/month |
| Computer games | 30% | €9/month |
| Social networks | 25% | €6/month |
Only a quarter of people would pay for ad-free social networks — the lowest willingness of all categories surveyed.
60% reject both options
A key finding: 60% of people unwilling to pay for ad-free services also refused to sell their data. It is not about money — it is about autonomy. They want control over their data but don't want to pay for it in any form.
CNIL's position
CNIL emphasizes that monetizing personal data is not legally possible under current law. Personal data is protected as a fundamental right — it cannot be waived in exchange for payment.
Yet the survey shows people do assign concrete value to their data. And that value is not trivial: the most common expectation is €10–30 per month, or €120–360 per year.
What this means for consent management
The survey results confirm what every website operator should know:
- Consent is not a formality — people assign real value to their data. A cookie banner that manipulates users into accepting undermines trust.
- 35% will always refuse — and they have every right to. A CMP must respect refusal immediately and completely.
- Transparency builds trust — clear information about what data you collect and why matches what people expect from businesses.
Waulter CMP is designed so that consent is a genuine expression of user choice — symmetric buttons, no pre-checked checkboxes, immediate cookie blocking without consent.
Sources: CNIL — "Monetisation of personal data: how much is our data worth?" (2025), Harris Interactive — survey December 2024, CyberInsider, PPC.land