The EU has completed passage of its Digital Services Act with final approval by the European Council. The act targets unfair practices by big tech vendors. Contrast that to the big U.S. antitrust bill that’s stalled in the U.S. Senate. (Thanks, Chuck Schumer.) Don’t confuse it with a much smaller bill approved by the House last week.
Carsome, Malaysia’s first tech unicorn, has been making the rounds in the last 24 hours over the possibility of a workforce reduction across all its operations in the region. The Southeast Asia’s largest integrated car e-commerce platform eventually confirmed the rumors and indicated that they are indeed going through a “optimization of workforce”, while its executive team forgoes their salaries for the remainder of 2022.
The online advertising industry is rife with fraud, perhaps because it’s dominated by big tech and perhaps despite it. Either way, ads.txt is one of the more effective measures at limiting the problem. But this study by Sellers.Guide found errors in tens of thousands of ads.txt files, although the report doesn’t indicate what fraction of the total that represents.
The IAB is forecasting that digital video will capture some 60% of total TV/video ad spend this year, a growth of 100% on its share five years ago. The new 2025 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report also notes that CTV saw a 16% increase YoY in ad spend growth. CTV and social video will be the top “must-buys” for advertisers in 2025.