Online consumers could be set to make some extra cash out of marketers' online thirst for streams of information about app, tablet and mobile users, according to research commissioned by Confused.com.
Carried out by The Future Laboratory, the research found that 'geeky' online gamers could use their tech knowledge and skills to make financial deals within the 'personal information economy'. More than half of those surveyed said they would exchange personal information and preferences for financial gain or products.
The report nicknamed the new breed of online negotiaters PIPsters (personal information players) and predicted the group would consist of individuals happy to leverage their personal data for commercial gain.
Matt Lloyd, of Confused.com, said: "Knowledge really is power for PIPsters, who have already taken control of their online personal data and begun making deals with their data to save money – or to make more cash.
"Savvy PIPsters understand that companies and governments gather huge amounts of information about them in the digital world, and they are happy with that – as long as they get something out of the deal."
According to the research, more than a third of Brits have already used a self-quantifying an app or digital service to monitor fitness, mental health or sleep patterns.