1. Monthly archive
  2. May 2018

May 2018

Facebook quietly rolls out issue ads policy

Facebook is defining what it considers "issue ads" through an initial list of ad topics, ranging from abortion to guns, that will require authorization and labeling on its platform in the US. Facebook's initial list of what it considers an "issue ad": Abortion, budget, civil rights, crime, economy, education, energy, environment, foreign policy, government reform, guns, health, immigration, infrastructure, military, poverty, social security, taxes, terrorism, and values. A list of topics is a good start, but there will inevitably be instances where there are discrepancies a

Google launches new GDPR controls for publishers

Google has emailed publishers an update to their ad serving platform, called "Ad Technology Provider (ATP) Controls," that allows publishers to select GDPR-compliant ad tech vendors moving forward. Google is essentially giving publishers two options for selecting GDPR compliant ad tech vendors moving forward: 1) Publishers choose their own providers. 2) A list of roughly 200 providers (mainly ad buyers) that contribute the most revenue to publishers. All providers listed have shared certain information that is required by the GDPR. Google says it will re-evaluate the list every quarter.

Social media copies gambling methods 'to create psychological cravings'

Social media platforms are using the same techniques as gambling firms to create psychological dependencies and ingrain their products in the lives of their users, experts warn. These methods are so effective they can activate similar mechanisms as cocaine in the brain, create psychological cravings and even invoke “phantom calls and notifications” where users sense the buzz of a smartphone, even when it isn’t really there.

Your Smartphone Could Decide Whether You'll Get a Loan

Every time you visit a website, you leave behind a trail of information, including seemingly innocuous data, like whether you use an Android or Apple device. And while that might feel like a mere personal preference, it turns out that lenders can use that type of passive signal to help predict whether you'll default. In fact, new research suggests that those signals can predict consumer behavior as accurately as traditional credit scores. That could disrupt the traditional credit bureau industry that's dominated since the 1980s—and have serious ramifications for privacy.

Privacy Groups Have Issues With Video Game Industry's Safe Harbor Update

The Center for Digital Democracy and Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood asked the Federal Trade Commission to not modify the Entertainment Software Rating Board's FTC-approved self-regulatory guidelines for compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act's (COPPA) safe harbor as ESRB has asked, at least not without some modifications to those modifications. The ESRB administers the video game rating system and operates a safe harbor program for gaming compliance with online and mobile privacy protections. The groups argued that the changes would allow the ESRB to

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