contextual ads Archives : PIA VPN Blog

Nov 2, 2023 |
Glyn Moody |
General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance,

Meta Offers Ad-Free Subscriptions in EU, but Is Banned from Using Behavioral Advertising without Consent

One of the most important and longest-running privacy battles has been taking place over Meta’s use of behavioral ads on Facebook and Instagram. As we shared back in August, the end seems to be close for surveillance advertising in the EU, with Meta announcing that it will seek user consent for behavioral ads. A big … Continue reading “Meta Offers Ad-Free Subscriptions in EU, but Is Banned from Using Behavioral Advertising without Consent”

Oct 25, 2023 |
Glyn Moody |
General Privacy News, Online Privacy, Online Security, Social Media, Surveillance,

Contextual Advertising Should Be Great for Privacy, But It Risks Being Undermined

We’ve been discussing the privacy advantages of contextual advertising – a system that places ads based on a webpage’s content and not who’s viewing it (also known as behavioral advertising) – for over four years now. In a clear sign that the tide is turning against surveillance-led behavioral advertising, the adtech industry itself is starting … Continue reading “Contextual Advertising Should Be Great for Privacy, But It Risks Being Undermined”

Sep 13, 2023 |
Glyn Moody |
Cybersecurity, General Privacy News, Online Privacy, Online Security, Surveillance,

Google Built a Surveillance System Into Its Chrome Browser to “Improve Privacy”

Google has announced that its Privacy Sandbox for the Web is now generally available to anyone using Chrome browser. It’s the latest iteration of Google’s efforts to improve online privacy without harming its digital advertising ecosystem, which currently provides around $30 billion of its revenue each year. This blog first wrote about Google’s Privacy Sandbox … Continue reading “Google Built a Surveillance System Into Its Chrome Browser to “Improve Privacy””

Aug 23, 2023 |
Glyn Moody |
General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance, VPN,

Canada’s New C-18 “Link Tax” Law Tackles the Wrong Problem. The Real Solution Would Enhance Privacy.

In June, Canada passed the Online News Act, commonly known as C-18. It’s framed as a law that’s designed to help Canadian news publishers financially, as it forces large tech companies to pay when they link to news stories. What Is C-18? The Canadian government describes the key element of the new law as follows: [C-18] … Continue reading “Canada’s New C-18 “Link Tax” Law Tackles the Wrong Problem. The Real Solution Would Enhance Privacy.”

Dec 9, 2022 |
Glyn Moody |
General Privacy News, Governments, Online Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance,

Will GDPR’s Win Against Facebook Change Advertising?

We’ve just written about the mounting problems for Facebook and its parent company Meta. And to that list of issues can be added another one, potentially the biggest so far, since it goes to the heart of the business model used by Meta for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp: micro-targeted advertising based on constant online surveillance. … Continue reading “Will GDPR’s Win Against Facebook Change Advertising?”

Nov 16, 2021 |
Glyn Moody |
General Privacy News, Governments, Social Media,

Google Allegedly Boasted of Slowing Down and Delaying ePrivacy Regulation, Accused of Colluding with Facebook

Back in December last year, Texas and nine other US states sued Google alleging that the company enjoys monopolistic power, and that it is stifling competition. Google called this a “misleading attack“, and insisted that the allegations were “wrong”. The move by the US states is of great relevance to this blog because it concerned … Continue reading “Google Allegedly Boasted of Slowing Down and Delaying ePrivacy Regulation, Accused of Colluding with Facebook”

Nov 4, 2021 |
Glyn Moody |
General Privacy News, Social Media, Surveillance,

“Complexity is Fraud”: Why We Must Drop Micro-Targeted Ads to Help Publishers and to Protect Online Privacy

It has been clear for years that the widespread use of micro-targeted advertising and real-time bidding represents a huge threat to online privacy. Fortunately, an alternative approach is already to hand. Using contextual advertising, where ads are placed according to the editorial material, rather than based on who is viewing it, would allow the entire … Continue reading ““Complexity is Fraud”: Why We Must Drop Micro-Targeted Ads to Help Publishers and to Protect Online Privacy”

May 25, 2021 |
Glyn Moody |
Censorship, Encryption, General Privacy News, Governments, Social Media, Surveillance,

How data minimization can protect privacy and reduce the harms of collecting personal information

It’s no secret that many companies and governments try to collect as much personal information as possible. This might be because they believe this will improve the results of their analyses, or simply “just in case” they need something at a later date. According to a new paper from the digital rights organization, Access Now, … Continue reading “How data minimization can protect privacy and reduce the harms of collecting personal information”

Mar 25, 2021 |
Glyn Moody |
General Privacy News, Social Media, Surveillance,

Everything you wanted to know about “surveillance advertising” – and how to avoid it

In the four years since Privacy News Online first wrote about corporate surveillance as the principal business model for much of the Internet, the practice has become a mainstream concern. People and politicians are now aware of the dangers of both micro-targeted advertising and the real-time bidding that goes with it. Reflecting the broad-based resistance … Continue reading “Everything you wanted to know about “surveillance advertising” – and how to avoid it”

Feb 16, 2021 |
Glyn Moody |
General Privacy News, Governments, Social Media, Surveillance,

The battle over the EU’s far-reaching ePrivacy Regulation enters its final and crucial stage

The EU’s GDPR has had a massive effect on privacy worldwide. But as a post explained back in 2018, there’s more EU privacy legislation coming through which could have a similarly broad impact globally. Where the GDPR governs how personal data is stored, the ePrivacy Regulation is about how personal data is transmitted. The European … Continue reading “The battle over the EU’s far-reaching ePrivacy Regulation enters its final and crucial stage”