Ad exchange OpenX slapped with FTC fine for collecting location data on children

OpenX, an advertising tech company, will pay $2 million to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to settle allegations that the company violated federal children’s privacy law. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the FTC alleges that OpenX violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by […]

FTC may consider rule curbing algorithmic discrimination and ‘commercial surveillance’

The Federal Trade Commission appears to be preparing to consider a rule aimed at digital platforms that either invasively track their users or allow others to do so. The “Trade Regulation Rule on Commercial Surveillance” is at a very early stage but could be the first major anti-Big-Tech action by new FTC Chair Lina Khan. […]

3 disruptive trends that will shape marketing in 2022

As we wrap the year, it’s become clear that “normal” is a thing of the past. This is a reality growth marketers live in everyday. What worked yesterday may not work today and likely won’t tomorrow.

UK’s antitrust watchdog orders Facebook to sell Giphy

In a significant push against big tech’s ability to maintain market dominance through sheer buying power, the UK’s competition watchdog has ordered Facebook (now Meta) to reverse its acquisition of animated GIF platform, Giphy — confirming the Financial Times‘ earlier reporting. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its phase 2 investigation cemented its earlier […]

UK privacy watchdog warns adtech the end of tracking is nigh

It’s been well over two years since the UK’s data protection watchdog warned the behavioural advertising industry it’s wildly out of control. The ICO hasn’t done anything to stop the systematic unlawfulness of the tracking and targeting industry abusing Internet users’ personal data to try to manipulate their attention — not in terms of actually […]

Europe offers tepid set of political ads transparency rules

It’s been almost a year since the EU’s executive announced it would propose rules for political ads transparency in response to concern about online microtargeting and big data techniques making mincemeat of democratic integrity and accountability. Today it’s come out with its proposal. But frankly it doesn’t look like the wait was worth it. The […]

EU’s data protection adviser latest to call for ban on tracking ads

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB), an expert steering body which advises EU lawmakers on how to interpret rules wrapping citizen’s personal data, has warned the bloc’s legislators that a package of incoming digital regulations risks damaging people’s fundamental rights — without “decisive action” to amend the suite of proposals. The reference is to draft […]