There is hysteria about online advertising in Brussels these days. The mood risks ushering in new rules on electronic privacy that will penalise European citizens – and potentially European democracy – in unexpected ways. This statement may be dismissed by some as self-serving alarmism – a disingenuous ratcheting up of the rhetoric to achieve a lobbying aim. But it is not. The EU is poised to make impossible data processing that meets all the requirements for legality under the overhaul of the data protection framework adopted in April last year. The effect will be to eliminate a revenue stream that national news organisations depend on to varying degrees but that almost none is ready to dispense with entirely. The impact will be most dramatic on regional outlets – large national media and, ironically, smaller metropolitan or niche publications will be relatively better-placed to survive. The risk of media concentration, something one might have thought that the very structure of the Internet would have consigned to the dustbin of history, will be aggravated. Other unintended consequences may be a further reinforcement of the already-considerable influence of the vertically-integrated, consumer-facing platforms, many of non-European origin, that are already acting as gatekeepers to, and curators of, the news we read (this said, even they will face regulatory challenges whose ultimate impact will only be fully understood when the EU and national courts are called on to adjudicate cases over the coming decade).
European Commission officials are publicly, avowedly determined to throw the baby out with the bathwater – adopting new, indiscriminate laws that go so far in the direction of protecting citizens from “corporate surveillance” that they lay the ground for the emergence of a two-tier Internet. The top tier will be the rich universe of online informational, educational, business and entertainment content that we know today, but with this richness accessible only behind a paywall. The second tier will be a space of less choice that is free at the point of consumption but where the paucity of options will make our most vulnerable citizens more prone to manipulation and less able to leverage the Internet’s democratising potential, whether personally or professionally.
To be clear, clandestine “corporate surveillance” of our personal lives is a highly objectionable notion. But it is already illegal. The overhaul of the EU’s data protection rules adopted last year has smitten into oblivion any chance of a company secretly processing your personal data; those who do will be prosecuted and subject to punitive fines of up to EUR 20,000,000 or 4% of their annual global turnover – whichever is higher. In addition, the unauthorized access to computer devices is subject to criminal sanctions up to and including jail under new cybercrime laws.
Corporations can, unfortunately, and mostly against their will, be the vehicle for government surveillance, something that is arguably far more pernicious than having a data centre sitting in Finland “know” that I like children’s clothing from the iconic UK manufacturer Boden. But the new rules will do nothing to stop such government surveillance. To the contrary, the new rules explicitly enable it and force companies to make it possible for governments to access their customers’ communications data. Arguably that is where the focus of the current discussion ought to be.
Instead, in the name of protecting the fundamental rights of privacy and data protection – rights which are undeniably sacred – Europe looks likely to sacrifice other things its citizens hold dear, including universal access to quality information and economic opportunity.
There must be a middle ground that enables EU citizens to choose for themselves what they want to pay for online, and what they prefer to access for free in exchange for being prepared to receive data-driven advertising that is transparent and respectful – something my industry is deeply invested in delivering.
Brussels, 9 March 2017 – We are pleased to announce that Townsend Feehan, CEO of IAB Europe, has been appointed the new Chair of the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA). She takes over from out-going Chair, Nick Stringer, who steps down from the post after more than 3 years.
Prior to joining IAB Europe, Townsend worked for Microsoft Legal & Corporate Affairs in Brussels and ran EU industry associations in the ICT, consumer electronics and biotechnology sectors.
Feehan said “The EDAA is at the very heart of an industry-wide, pan-European self-regulatory programme that enhances transparency and user-control of online behavioural advertising (OBA). I am proud to be assuming this role at EDAA, especially at this crucial legislative juncture in Europe, where self-regulation is called upon to play a critical role in ensuring European consumers have the confidence to exploit the rich potential of the Internet.”
Feehan assumed her position as EDAA chair on Wednesday, 8 March 2017.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Colombe Michaud
Senior Communications Manager, IAB Europe
michaud@iabeurope.eu
Uzo Madu
EDAA Communications Coordinator
+32 2 213 4180
uzo.madu@edaa.eu
About IAB Europe
IAB Europe is the leading European-level industry association for the online advertising ecosystem. Its mission is to promote the development of this innovative sector by shaping the regulatory environment, investing in research and education, and developing and facilitating the uptake of business standards. Together with its members – companies and national trade associations – IAB Europe represents over 5,500 organisations. The online advertising Industry is estimated to account for over a million jobs in Europe and contribute over EUR 100 billion to European GDP, and acts as an incubator of high-end data analytics and other digital skills that can then be deployed in the wider economy.
About the EDAA
The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) is a non-profit organisation based in Brussels and is responsible for enacting key aspects of the Self-Regulatory Programme for Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) across Europe since its launch in October 2012. EDAA principally acts as the central licensing body for the OBA Icon and provides technical means for consumers to exercise transparency and control over OBA through the youronlinechoices.eu online consumer choice platform. EDAA is governed by EU-level organisations which make up the value chain of OBA within Europe and acts to ensure European consistency in approach. More information can be found at www.edaa.eu
IAB Spain has published a comprehensive and easy to understand infographic outlining the main elements of the Programmatic Ad Buying & Selling Ecosystem and the interactions between them.
Browse or download it below.
You can watch the recording of the third webinar entitled Key Operational Considerations for Native Advertising and Content Marketing below.
This webinar provides practical guidance from industry experts for implementing online native advertising including distribution and optimisation, targeting and creative strategy and the workflow. The recordings of the two other seminars in this series are available here (Building more meaningful consumer relationships with Online Native Advertising) and here (The Native Advertising and Content Marketing landscape across Europe).
The speakers were:
Watch the webinar here.
Get the slides here.
Research project by ASSOCOM, FCP-ASSOINTERNET, FEDOWEB, GROUPM, IAB ITALIA, NETCOMM, UPA
You can browse the report or download it below.
