Consumer transparency & control

It is missing from independent solutions

We’ve been focused on the advertiser problem and solution. The challenge of cookies and easy-to-use identifiers going away. That is not the root problem. The removal of cookies is a second-order problem. The first-order problem is the lack of consumer digital privacy, transparency, and control today. Put simply, consumers are unaware and have limited controls as to what personal data is linked and tracked online. If that is our root problem then would we solve it by creating a new layer of hidden identity owned and managed by companies like LiveRamp or The Trade Desk or Prebid?

We shouldn’t. Any future advertiser-centric marketing solutions should start with the consumer. Brands like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo, Disney, etc have the ability to both create advertiser solutions and consumer-facing privacy dashboards and that is the key. If ad tech companies like The Trade Desk want to invest millions of dollars in marketing themselves towards consumers and creating direct relationships, then they can join the ranks of other familiar faces and work towards solving the first-order problem.

Lawmakers recently introduced the Promoting Digital Privacy Technologies Act as an attempt to fund privacy technology research. I applaud the approach, but it is missing the consumer (citizen) angle. Even with robust privacy technologies, consumers lack transparency and control!

If you are a lawmaker and stumbled on my post, reach out to me. I will happily provide an experienced ad tech point of view