Digital Blogger

Dan Leahul

 The Digital Blogger attended the Westminster eForum on Wednesday, October 8 where a diverse panel discussed behavioural advertising, the challenges facing the online advertising industry and how it can be regulated. Here are some highlights:

Online regulators need to better educate the public on how they are being targeted through behavioural advertising and what they can do about it, Guy Phillipson, the Internet Advertising Bureau chief executive, said Wednesday.

As public concern rises over issues involving online privacy and data collection, a streamlined process must be introduced to allow users to opt-out of behavioural advertising, said Phillipson, however the public remains largely misinformed of how this data is being used.

Phillipson spoke before a panel due to discuss the challenges of advertising online, and in particular user-targeted ads, at the Westminster eForum on Wednesday.

Among those in attendance was Guardian Media Group's digital director Simon Waldman, who said that a sensible approach was required when dealing with behavioural targeting to avoid public scaremongering.

As an example, the group used the current public outcry directed towards data collection service Phorm, which assigns a unique user identifier to follow browsing habits.

Earlier this year, the Guardian became the first commercial firm to abandon talks with Phorm, due to clashes over policy.

The remaining panel, which included Rod Cartwright of public relations firm Ketchum, Rae Burdon, COO of the Advertising Association and Auke Haagsma, director of Icomp, which represents a group of companies that promote a competitive online marketplace, agreed that it needs to be pounding into the public that their personal information remains largely anonymous with targeted advertising.

Phillipson said, consumers realize that free internet content is available because of online advertisements, but don't see targeted advertising as beneficial.

Users fear that personal information, including names, emails, and phone numbers are tracked online for advertising purposes, when in reality data is only sent as anonymous 'cookies'.

He also said that the IAB is currently developing a set of self-regulating principles to help keep behavioural advertising in-check, which should be introduced in the near future.

Advertisers also need more protection online, said Phillipson, citing a recent spate of ads appearing on undesirable websites through blind ad networks. In June it was discovered than an ad for Orange ad was running on explicit site Onlyfights.com.

Phillipson said, the Internet Advertising Sales Houses (IASH) needs to expand its remit to ensure advertisers are putting their ads where they don't want them.

Presently, IASH audits its member networks every six months. It was announced today that similar online regulation models are being rolled out in the US and Germany.