Data Privacy

Attention, data brokers: If you operated in California last year, you need to register with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) by the end of this month.

A new storyline is emerging around curation, one in which publishers feel they’ve lost out to middlemen on yet another opportunity to monetize their audiences.

Nineteen states have passed comprehensive privacy laws, but how close are we really to a federal privacy law?

On Monday, Givsly, which calls itself a responsible ad platform, launched “values-based audience” segments built using data sourced from nonprofits.

Starting on February 16, Google said it will no longer prohibit fingerprinting for companies that use its advertising products. Oh, how times have changed.

Ad tech is headed to the stratosphere. As in, on the way to becoming part of the cloud infrastructure technology.

As we move into 2025 and beyond, there are a few areas where President-elect Donald Trump’s policy proposals will directly affect the advertising industry, writes Eric Haggstrom of Advertiser Perceptions.

Trap More Flies With Honey Honey, a free browser extension that automatically finds and applies discount codes, is being accused of defrauding its users and the online content creators who championed it. That’s according to a YouTube tech investigator who goes by MegaLag. He alleges that the PayPal-owned Honey effectively steals the credit for online […]

What captured our readers’ attention this year was both a continuation of and a departure from years past. Our top 10 stories in the past year coalesce around two themes: kookies and kwality. Ahem, cookies and quality.

Happy holidays! Bundle up, get cozy and please enjoy this classic winter-themed comic, which first ran in February 2014.

But cookies aside – and don’t forget to leave a few real ones out for Santa – there were lots of other big privacy developments in 2024. Here are some of the highlights.

Enjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … 

A class-action lawsuit takes Office Depot to task for deceptive pricing and ads; YouTube is taking over TV, but brands may be missing out; and advertisers weigh in on which marketing trends are worth the hype.

Antitrust regulation has counterintuitively favored the biggest ad industry players. Plus, another streaming service, anyone?

Rival browsers raise an objection to Google being forced to sell Chrome; ad agencies pivot to software and services; and people are turning to chatbots instead of search, with error-filled results.

Where and how brands choose to advertise is perceived as a reflection of the brand itself. That means we’ve entered the era of responsible advertising.

Ad industry growth will slow to single-digits next year; consolidation hits the CPG market; and predicting the future of the FTC based on a commissioner’s pitch to the president-elect.

Although most people probably understand in an abstract way that they’re being tracked online, the details are fuzzy. Honestly, the details are fuzzy to me, and I write about this stuff for a living.

When talk turns to the most impactful state privacy laws, the conversation usually starts and stops with California. However, recent developments may make Maryland the most challenging state for compliance by the digital media industry.

Mediaocean has a new certified partner program. Plus, Google’s “site reputation abuse” search update is cratering publisher affiliate revenue during the year’s busiest shopping season.

Dave Strauss, VP of revenue operations and strategy for North America, spoke with AdExchanger about The Guardian’s PMP priorities and how it’s tapping into other emerging revenue streams.

Black Friday ecommerce continues to surge, mainly on mobile; social platforms pull optimization features for health and beauty brands; and Google’s antitrust lawyers subpoena info about rival AI search startups.

Nikki Bhargava, a partner at law firm Reed Smith, spoke with AdExchanger about knowns – and unknowns – on the privacy as we gear up for the next four years.

Meta’s privacy policies are uniquely impenetrable. Plus, Google once thought Apple would likely expand its ad business to third-party apps.

While tech companies are jumping on the curation bandwagon, publishers are left to navigate a new normal in programmatic advertising, where they often don’t have a say.

The odds of RFK Jr. implementing a ban on TV drug ads are slim, says our guest this week, BranchLab’s Josh Walsh. Still, pharma advertisers could face other regulatory changes over the next four years. Plus: We break down Forrester’s picks for the top 10 SSPs.

The Justice Department will ask Judge Amit Mehta, who ruled in August that Google operates a search monopoly, to require Google to sell Chrome. Plus, the ad tech wants the IAB Tech Lab to roll out curation standards.

The Federal Trade Commission is warning companies that using a data clean room isn’t some kind of get-out-of-compliance-free card.

Why the agency pivot to alternative payment models is good for M&A; Zeta Global responds to a short-seller’s explosive claims; and X sees a mass exodus after the election.

As media consultancy Sequent Partners ceases operations, its leaders look back at how far the ad industry has come – and how far it still needs to go.