DATA SECURITY INDUSTRY CASE STUDY Awareness is the Best Remedy How one recycled auto parts marketplace responds to the need for data protections. By Jeff Schroder
recycler’s inventory data is a valuable asset. Auto recyclers need to be able to share this data with others in order to effectively market their parts in var- ious marketplaces. But how can you share your inven- tory data with others while still protecting it? It is im- portant to understand where and how your inventory data is being used, and to take appropriate action to ensure that it is not being used in ways that is harmful to your business.
A
Data Monitoring At
Car-Part.com, we are keenly aware of auto recy-
clers’ concerns regarding the handling of their in- ventory data and have many safeguards in place to protect your data.
Car-Part.com uses auto recyclers’ inventory data to power many of the products and services that we provide to the marketplace. Auto re- cyclers authorize this use when they sign up for our services. It has long been our policy not to provide an auto recycler’s individually identifiable inventory data to any third party without the recycler’s consent. From the beginning of
Car-Part.com in the 1990’s, this protection has been included in the terms and conditions for our basic web services (meaning that it is a commitment that we make to all auto recyclers that upload their inventory data to
Car-Part.com).
Car-Part.com has also actively taken steps to in- crease your ability to monitor where your inventory data is being used and the consents that you have provided to
Car-Part.com to send your inventory data to third parties. Our online portal provides a report to all auto recyclers that upload their inventory data to
Car-Part.com summarizing: (i) what information is collected from your system (we do not collect ve- hicle costs, customer, or sales information); (ii) the Car-Part Basic Services (services which uploaded auto recycler inventory data is authorized to be used in when an auto recycler subscribes to
Car-Part.com basic web services); (iii) the Authorized Car-Part Op- tional Services (services where uploaded auto recycler inventory is authorized to be used when an auto recy- cler subscribes to such services); (iv) the Authorized Consolidated Search Pages/Custom Trading Partner Groups (search pages for associations and groups that the auto recycler is a member of and has authorized to display its parts listings on); and (v) the Authorized Third-Party Data Feeds (third-party data feeds that the auto recycler has specifically authorized its inven- tory data to be included in). We believe that our approach provides auto recy- clers a comprehensive view of how their inventory
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data is being used by
Car-Part.com and who their in- ventory data is being forwarded to.
Examples of Data Exposure
When weighing control of your data versus market- place exposure, there are some practical limitations and considerations. For example, when the Car-Part. com marketplaces quote recyclers’ parts with their line listings, users on the Internet see portions of your inventory data (for those quoted parts) and can easily copy and paste that quoted part information. Copying and pasting a seller’s quoted information is common Internet functionality that users expect. Car-Part has had requests from recyclers to restrict buyers from copying this line listing/quoted part in- formation from our websites. We don’t have the abili- ty to stop users from doing this, furthermore, making it harder for users to do so would only drive them away from our marketplace into all the other websites and marketplaces that allow copying and pasting. Similarly, when Car-Part Pro integrates with collision repair workflow systems, estimating systems, and shop management systems, users select the part they want and write that line listing information into an estimate as a quoted part, or into a shop management system as an order on a repair order or purchase order. Ef- fectively copying and pasting that line listing for the user with one click helps recyclers sell more parts by making it easier for your buyers. When inventory in- formation is shown via line listings with services like
Car-Part.com and Integrated Car Part Pro, your inven- tory data is getting the good exposure that is relevant to that part search while minimizing the risks associat- ed with over exposing your data (the user has to look up the information one part at a time), whereas in a data feed, users are exposed to your entire inventory including the parts that aren’t relevant to their search.
Keeping the Inventory Your Inventory This security of your inventory data is one of the
key reasons Car-Part migrated away from data feeds (whenever practical) years ago and moved to the in- tegrated service model. Another advantage of services over data feeds is that services like Integrated Car Part Pro make it easier for buyers from many different sys- tems to see your part images. This is because Car-Part does the work to display the images with your line listings on the Internet and the buyers from those sys- tems get the benefit of seeing the images without the need for additional development work on their part (as would be the case with a data feed).
January-February 2019 • AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING
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