We study the effects of data sharing between firms on prices, profits, and consumer welfare. Although indiscriminate sharing of consumer data decreases firm profits due to the subsequent increase in competition, selective sharing can be beneficial. We show that there are data-sharing mechanisms that are strictly Pareto-improving, simultaneously increasing firm profits and consumer welfare. Within the class of Pareto-improving mechanisms, we identify one that maximizes firm profits and one that maximizes consumer welfare.

翻译：我们研究了公司间共享数据对价格、利润和消费者福利的影响。 尽管滥用分享消费者数据会因随后的竞争增加而降低公司利润,但选择性分享会有好处。 我们表明,有严格的数据共享机制正在进步,同时增加公司利润和消费者福利。 在改善企业机制的类别中,我们发现一种机制可以使公司利润最大化,另一种机制可以使消费者福利最大化。