Trade Orgs Are Unhappy With FCC Privacy Proposal; Facebook Groups May Open Up Inventory

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Opting Out

The trade orgs aren’t happy about the FCC’s new privacy proposal, which wants users to explicitly opt in to all “sensitive data” collected and shared by ISPs, including web behavior and app usage, The Hill reports. The ANA and IAB say the rule would bring on an onslaught of opt-in notifications to users, ruining the digital experience. They are pushing for their own AdChoices program as a transparent and non-disruptive option. “This proposal would upend the established and thriving Internet economy, which relies on the support of data-driven advertising,” the coalition wrote in an open letter to the FCC on Monday opposing the proposal. More At The Drum.

Group Ads

Facebook’s Groups feature might help it unlock revenue without overloading its news feed, where ad load is near capacity. Ads on Group pages would allow Facebook to target the 1 billion users who engage with the feature based on affiliated interests. Facebook is also ramping up its ad load in Instagram and Live video. More at TechCrunch.

Leave It To The Experts

Vox Media is launching a standalone luxury travel brand for Chase to promote Sapphire Reserve (arguably the first credit card to go viral). Called Meridian, the initiative includes travel-centric articles and photos published via website, Facebook and Instagram. “More and more clients are realizing that a one-off content strategy doesn’t get them too far, if anywhere,” said Lindsey Nelson, Vox’s global head of brand strategy and marketing. Branded content accounts for two-thirds of Vox’s revenue, but WSJ’s Mike Shields calls launching an entire brand for a company an “ambitious move.” More.

Tech, On A Tear

YouTube stepped up its partner program with the acquisition of FameBit, a social influencer/content creator marketplace. “We believe that Google’s relationship with brands and YouTube’s partnerships with creators, combined with FameBit’s technology and expertise, will help increase the number of branded content opportunities available, bringing even more revenue into the online video community,” wrote Google VP Ariel Bardin in a blog post. The deal also marks the third major exit this year for Science Inc., an early-stage investment fund that backed HelloSociety, a social influencer network purchased by The New York Times, and Dollar Shave Club, which Unilever bought for $1 billion.

But Wait, There’s More!