VMblog recently sat down with Luminati Networks' CEO Or Lenchner to discuss how their global data collection automation (DCA) platform provides a transparent view of the internet for its customers that span over industries like retail, travel, finance and more - all while maintaining a stringent code of ethics. 

VMblog:  Can you start out by letting us know what Luminati does?

Or Lenchner:  Luminati Networks is the largest IP proxy network operator in the world that helps businesses gather openly available online data in an ethical manner. We work with over 10,000 customers to provide brands with a transparent view of the internet from wherever they are based in the world. Using a first-of-its-kind Data Collection Automation platform, we enable clients to route their data collection requirements through various points in our global network.

Being able to navigate using geographic locations lets us achieve our goal of bringing complete transparency and openness back to the internet. It lets us give our customers the ability to see the web through the eyes of consumers and potential consumers, so they have an accurate perspective of how their own customers are interacting with their brand and competitors' brands. This also lets our customers bypass any blocking deployed to prevent them from obtaining accurate data on competitor websites. Ultimately, it means organizations can make better, faster, more informed, decisions based on real-time competitive intelligence.

To put it in real-life terms, imagine you're buying a shirt from your favorite e-commerce brand. It's highly likely that, in order to set the most attractive price for that particular shirt, the brand has used Luminati's vast Data Collection Automation platform. It's the same for when you're booking a flight or hotel room through an online travel site. Chances are the prices being displayed were determined by extensive market research the travel site has conducted leveraging Luminant's operation.  

VMblog:  You offer customers several types of services.  What are they, and how can a company decide which is best for them?

Lenchner:  We offer many different data collection automation products to customers, which allow them to do everything from extensive market research, to determining pricing strategy, to monitoring their brand display globally, to verifying that digital advertising campaigns are reaching the correct audience and not falling into the hands of fraudsters and many more. 

Startups often use the platform to explore innovative ways to add value for their customers, like training their AI systems, collecting data for new insights and designing new services. Enterprises tend to use Luminati on a much larger scale, by gathering data that lets them keep their competitive edge.

Ultimately, the best service depends on the business use case they're hoping to address, and our team can help them determine which of our products would best meet their needs. We currently practice over 20 use-cases daily, serving different market sectors and business needs.  Our retail customers, for example, collect 1.6m GB a month! In the last 2 years we've seen an increase of 186% in the overall data collected. 

VMblog:  Who is the typical Luminati customer and what are they using your solutions for?

Lenchner:  While there is no one typical Luminati customer in terms of size, industry or location, we do have a number of use cases that a majority fall into. These are market research, pricing strategy, ad verification, brand protection and quality assurance of websites global display.

Diving a bit deeper into one of these use cases, our ad verification capabilities are being used by a range of customers to ensure that their advertising campaigns are reaching the correct audience and not falling into the hands of fraudsters. Ad fraud comes in many different forms, but however you look at it, it is costing the market billions annually. Research by the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) puts the total cost at $5.8 billion globally this year. A report by Juniper Research even estimated it cost advertisers $42 billion in 2019. Outstanding numbers. 

It has never been more essential to ensure online campaigns are free from fraud by verifying advertising journeys through the eyes of your target audience i.e. consumers. When a company pays for a digital ad that's targeted at a particular demographic, there's no really effective way for them to know that this ad is reaching the correct audience without using a service like Luminati.

This is a truly effective way to ensure your mass-scale advertising campaigns are malware free. Data collection automation platform allows you to do so in real-time, ensuring your campaign reaches its destination. Those who do take part in fraudulent acts know when they are being watched or checked on and feed those monitoring them the wrong information accordingly, in order to mislead them and avoid being caught. It is for that reason that data collection automation products enable performance marketers and affiliate marketers a clear view of the internet, enabling them to test and verify their advertising campaigns from the eyes of their target audience. By using our products marketers can verify their inventory and make sure all of their ad spend is going where it's supposed to and isn't going into the hands of criminals.

Our customers include some of the largest and most prominent global online retailers (Fortune 500 included), travel sites, financial services companies, social networks and internet security companies. What they all have in common is that they are using the power of Luminati's platform to reach an unveiled view of the internet - just like their consumers do daily.

VMblog:  Is there an industry or use case that you think could really benefit from using Data Collection Automation that hasn't already embraced it fully?

Lenchner:  Financial services is one industry that we see a huge potential for growth in, especially when it comes to leveraging Luminati's capabilities for market research. Whether it is researching new markets and looking into potential investments or getting the right intelligence that is so critical for this sector, our network offers the right ethical tools to do all the above safely and securely while remaining compliant to any local regulations.

We allow companies to use typical consumers' IP addresses. These addresses were contributed by consumers who have willingly and actively opted into our network. Our customers can look into any market or geolocation they're interested in researching to collect accurate product data, ecommerce research, public opinion research or other market insights they need to make informed business decisions. These types of insights are especially vital for financial services companies that are looking to enter new markets or new business opportunities.

VMblog:  Looking at the data collection domain, what makes Luminati unique?

Lenchner:  The main thing that sets us apart from others in the data collection domain is that our platform is the largest, fastest and most ethical. Our platform is built from over 40 million unique IP addresses provided by consumers who have actively and willingly opted-in to the service in return for ad-free applications or free software. Consumers can of course opt-out at any time as well.

We also focus on innovating new solutions daily. Luminati releases 30 to 50 software updates daily. We have a fast-moving DevOps team, so products evolve exceptionally quickly. The rapid development cycle is also due to carefully defined performance metrics and constant interaction with customers. We don't wait for our customers to talk to us - we come to them. After receiving feedback, the team will typically work to incorporate suggested changes into the platform at record speed. Fast-paced innovation is part of the company's DNA - we make sure our teams can solely focus on our customers without any interruptions.

What also sets us apart is our focus and commitment to keeping our ethical code intact. We have a very stringent entry criteria that includes a rigorous and comprehensive Know Your Customer (KYC) process. We also have compliance officers that thoroughly vet every new customer to make sure their use case meets our strict ethical standards.

VMblog:  Data collection has encountered ethical questions in the past.  How do you ensure your platform maintains high standards when it comes to ethics and compliance?

Lenchner:  It's no secret that data collection has faced scrutiny over their ethical questions in the past, but this is why we have put our ethical code at the center of everything we do at Luminati. We see it as our first and foremost commitment to our customers. 

In addition to the compliance vetting I spoke about earlier, we also put every customer through an in-depth on-boarding process. It requires each customer to sign our compliance statement and verify their identity through various techniques like sharing their national ID. We also thoroughly check and test the use case the customer is wishing to implement. No matter how big or small the customer is - we go through a very comprehensive procedure.

If our KYC criteria is not met, then that company or user will NOT be able to join our network and use our operation. With collecting data at such a scale comes great responsibility and great power and it is crucial that we ensure this is always done ethically.

We have recently partnered with several universities and research institutes to help spread this commitment to ethics, trust and web-integrity. We'll be taking this a step further in the coming months as we plan a first of a kind professional compliance forum that we hope will become a tradition. It's our goal for future data collectors to follow this ethical path so this domain's success continues.

VMblog:  Finally, what types of security protections does Luminati offer customers?

Lenchner:  The security of customers and partners using our network is always top-of-mind for our team, and we're an enthusiastic advocate for web-integrity. In addition to the rigorous compliance standards we maintain to ensure everyone using the platform is authorized and doing so ethically, we are also constantly on the lookout for security vulnerabilities in our platform.

Our CTO/CSO works with a team of engineers to always monitor the platform as well as constantly improving our automated protection processes so the platform remains safe and secure for our customers. 

Whether the platform is monitored by our compliance team or checked with automated tools, we ensure the safety of our platform and comply with all needed regulations. Thanks to proactive work with our legal team, we have taken steps to prepare for expected upcoming regulations, putting us ahead in the market - and that's something all the team at Luminati are proud of. 

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