From his years at General Motors, Uber Eats, and the Asian e-commerce platform Shopee, David Martin Riveros led business intelligence teams and directed data acquisition strategies—from designing scrapers to drafting governance playbooks—that established him as an authority in ethical data collection. Recognizing how uneven access to market intelligence had become marked a decisive turning point in his career. Today, as the founder of Iceberg Data, he guides a team committed to making public data available in ways that are legal, ethical, and sustainable.
“I used to work for companies where my responsibility was to make public information confidential so only those with the resources could access it,” Riveros says. “I knew the game was unfair and stacked against small firms and early stage companies that couldn’t afford premium providers. That’s when I decided to leave my comfort zone and create something better.” Iceberg Data, an early stage company headquartered in Bogotá, reflects that mission. With a small team of five, the firm delivers terabytes of structured data every week, offering small businesses the kind of insights once reserved for industry giants.
Navigating Regulation and Responsibility
Web data collection today is governed by a tightening web of regulations across regions, from GDPR in Europe to CCPA in California. “There’s been a huge increase in regulation around privacy rights, purpose limitation, and transparency,” he says. “This means you must be very careful when collecting data points that could identify a person. We anonymize data before delivery so customers receive market intelligence without risking privacy violations.”
The principle of purpose limitation is also central to Iceberg Data’s work. Transparency underpins this principle, with regular audits and open access for customers to validate the company’s practices. “You cannot collect data to do harm,” Riveros says. “We evaluate how our customers will use the information and only proceed if it is for a positive purpose.”
Overcoming Platform Challenges
Platforms themselves have become more sophisticated in detecting and blocking bots. While malicious actors may deploy automated attacks to disrupt competitors, Riveros makes a sharp distinction between harmful bots and responsible scrapers. “Our bots account for less than 0.1% of the traffic a website sees in a month,” he says. “We design them to behave like humans—never moving faster than a real person would—and always respecting robots.txt protocols.”
The company uses a pre-flight risk scoring system to assess every potential scraping project. This framework evaluates four components: the robots.txt file, access controls, exposure of personal data, and jurisdictional risks. Projects that pass with a low score move forward seamlessly, while riskier ones require additional approvals or may be rejected outright. This structure allows Riveros to explain decisions clearly to customers, even those without technical backgrounds.
The Future of Web Data Collection
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are reshaping both the opportunities and risks of web scraping. AI strengthens anti-bot systems, but it also highlights the need for better compliance. “We are seeing more scrutiny around consent, purpose, and provenance,” Riveros says. “Regulators are asking companies to prove where data comes from and why it was collected. Customers also want certificates showing that datasets were acquired ethically.”
For Riveros, this shift presents an opportunity. “Smarter compliance is not just a requirement, it’s a competitive advantage,” he says. By investing in privacy-by-design principles, automated risk detection, and transparent reporting, Iceberg Data positions itself as a trusted partner in a crowded market. The company even maintains liability and professional insurance coverage of over $1 million to reassure enterprise clients.
A Sustainable Path Forward
Balancing access with responsibility will define the future of market intelligence. As regulators tighten rules and platforms sharpen defenses, experts like Riveros will be central to shaping responsible data practices and helping businesses of all sizes compete using insights collected lawfully and ethically. His work at Iceberg Data underscores that compliance is not a barrier but a foundation for sustainable innovation in the data economy. “Public data should really be public,” he says. “Our role is to make that possible without crossing the boundaries of privacy or legality.”
To learn more about David Martin Riveros, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit his website.
