IAB Tech Lab is doing its bit to ensure ads remain targeted. They released a specification of Seller Defined Audiences, which creates standardized taxonomy for audiences based on publishers’ first party data. The taxonomy IDs will be used in programmatic ad bidding.
You have to admire the tenacity of adtech folk trying to salvage their ability to target individuals. The Trade Desk and LiveRamp have announced a plan work with Eureopan partners to build a GDPR-complaint identity solution, EUID. The foundations will be LiveRamp’s RampID and The Trade Desk-developed Unified ID 2.0. In theory, it’s all based on consented, first-party data, but newly-aggressive European regulators may take a closer look than they have in the past.
Ad sales platform Magnite has purchased Carbon, which helps publishers optimize their ad revenue through a combination of advertising, content, and audience analytics. You won’t be surprised they position this as a way to make better use of first party data, which I’m beginning to think is ready for its own theme park.
Google is facing another antitrust lawsuit, this time in Canada, specifically focusing on anti-competitive practices in online advertising. The Competition Tribunal has been asked to order Google to sell two of its ad tech tools, prohibit future anti-competitive practices and fine the company billions of dollars. In response, Google points to a highly competitive market offering plenty of alternatives.