A new report by the Web3 Foundation has revealed that major technology and artificial intelligence companies could generate as much as $160,000 in commercial value from the personal data of a single internet user over their lifetime.
Report Highlights Scale of Data Monetisation
The report, titled “The Hidden Price of Free: What Your Data Is Really Worth,” estimates that the combined value extracted from the world’s roughly six billion internet users could reach $745 trillion over a 60-year digital lifespan.
According to the study, companies such as Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and Anthropic are among the biggest beneficiaries of global data collection and monetisation.
The report found that internet companies could earn up to $8,500 annually from a user in the United States, compared with about $2,206 in the United Kingdom and Europe, and roughly $407 in the rest of the world.
Globally, the average annual commercial value attached to an internet user was estimated at $908. It added that, over a lifetime, the commercial value linked to one internet user could rise to $511,869 in the United States and $132,387 in the UK and Europe, while the global average stood at $54,499. When adjusted for inflation, the estimates climbed to as much as $1.08 million for a US user and $162,492 globally.
Data-Driven Economy Under Scrutiny
The foundation said the findings highlight how the modern internet economy is driven by the large-scale collection and monetisation of user data, including searches, online purchases, messages, locations, images and behavioural patterns.
Unlike earlier studies focused mainly on advertising revenue, the report examined a broader range of digital business models, including AI subscriptions, enterprise licensing, API access, data brokerage, recommendation systems and AI-driven operational savings.
Commenting on the report, Gavin Wood said internet users had long traded privacy for convenience without fully understanding the scale of the exchange.
“For too long, the internet has operated on an implicit bargain that users do not fully understand: convenience in exchange for surveillance,” he said.
AI Amplifies Data Value
The report argued that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence has further increased the value of personal data, as user-generated information is now used not only for advertising but also for training AI systems, improving predictive tools and building machine-learning models.
It also promoted Web3 technologies as a possible alternative to the current centralised digital economy, saying decentralised internet systems could give users greater ownership and control over their data and digital identities.
