Killi Rebrands as Reklaim to Increase Data Transparency for Consumers

Share this:

Three years after its debut, the consumer data startup Killi is relaunching under a new name — Reklaim. The name reflects the company’s mission to help consumers reclaim control of their data, and it comes at a time of rapidly expanding demand for privacy-compliant data.

Increased demand for big data led the global alternate data market to reach $1.72 billion last year, with expected expansion of 58% per year from 2021 to 2028. Key factors contributing to that expansion include the growing number of alternative data sources, including web scraping, financial transactions, social media, sensors, mobile devices, and IoT-enabled devices.

As the data industry has grown, consumer profiles have gotten more valuable. Nearly every consumer 16 and older has a data profile now, and according to industry estimates, it’s not uncommon for those data profiles to be worth $6,000 a year or more.

Since 2018, Killi’s role in the industry has been to provide consumers with a way to regain control of their own data and get compensated for it. With Killi, consumers can earn reward points for the data they choose to share.

CEO and founder Neil Sweeney says Reklaim’s mission will be to provide consumers with a deep level of visibility into how businesses are using their data. Reklaim actively anticipates consumers’ demands when it comes to the accessibility of their data and works to educate consumers about data privacy in a simple way. It also works with brands to provide them with reliable, privacy-safe methods for collecting and storing consumer data. 

Sweeney says Reklaim’s ability to give consumers access to their data and control how it is used — and profit from it — is something that no other company has taken it upon themselves to do. Reklaim recently launched My Footprint, which lets consumers see and approve who exactly is buying and selling their data. My Footprint includes information on more than 50 brands that buy Reklaim data across 15 industries, along with eight big tech companies that sell data. 

Reklaim has seen the demand for consumer data increase first-hand over the past year, with a 56% growth in partner integrations and a 42% increase in audience segments over the last six months. The company has also seen more than 1 million new user sign-ups per week, for a total of 120 million consented users globally.

“Consumer awareness over data rights is increasing with massive data hacks, antitrust rhetoric, and mistrust of Big Tech,” explains Sweeney.

On the flipside, the combination of consumer awareness, government privacy regulations, and private gatekeeper rules is making it harder for brands to collect information, including location data, and purchase or use third-party data. This ends up leaving companies with two choices: walled gardens or first-party consensual data.

Reklaim is betting that companies will opt for the latter, with first-party consensual data eventually powering an entirely new internet where consumers decide who gets their data and a consent-first ecosystem emerges to rival the surveillance status quo. At Reklaim, brands that purchase data are choosing to include the customer. Reklaim explicitly asks for consent and pays roughly 50% of CPMs back to users. 

“Reklaim’s ecosystem helps increase awareness to drive more people to hold big tech accountable,” explains Sweeney. “[It] allows consumers to better control digital identity and ultimately determine how and when brands can use their data.”

Stephanie Miles is a senior editor at Street Fight. Street Fight’s managing editor, Joe Zappa, works with Killi/Reklaim. Joe was not involved in the decision to report this story or in its writing.

Tags:
Stephanie Miles is a journalist who covers personal finance, technology, and real estate. As Street Fight’s senior editor, she is particularly interested in how local merchants and national brands are utilizing hyperlocal technology to reach consumers. She has written for FHM, the Daily News, Working World, Gawker, Cityfile, and Recessionwire.