This latest update from the ICO still presents a dilemma for publishers, yet the proposed Consent or Pay model offers a glimmer of hope, especially considering the success of increased consent rates in Germany. The impending Meta consent or pay ruling by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) will likely set the precedent, with the ICO expected to align accordingly.
It's encouraging to see advocacy for contextual advertising, although it will undoubtedly face obstacles, particularly concerning measurement. Nonetheless, it's poised to attract marketing spending once uncertainties settle and has the backing of the ICO. The Privacy Sandbox remains under scrutiny, with the CMA expressing concerns and urging stronger commitments from Google. Given the lack of untested alternatives, publishers must vigilantly monitor this evolving situation.
The ICO has never disclosed if there will be any exceptionalism for cookies. Metadata is required for advertising, measurement data is a necessity for media agencies, and even fraud detection requires some level of data mining. If measurement data alone vanishes from a publisher’s site, agencies will shut the door costing publishers millions in revenue.
The ICO has been threatening enforcement for nearly five years now, but we’re yet to see that happen. The EU is way ahead of us, with fines already being handed out to the likes of Le Figaro. For the time being, publishers will continue to seek solutions that work for them, and by the end of Q2 perhaps the ICO will finally take action against those who aren’t complying with privacy laws. Overall, this update shows the ICO are not trying to break advertising, simply ensure the law is followed and Publishers are caught in the middle.
Google still plans to roll out Sandbox in a gradual manner, and will provide advance notice on how this will work. It looks likely that the ramp up will begin in early 2025.
View ArticleGoogle has decided to postpone the deprecation of third-party cookies beyond the initially planned date of Q4 2024. The search giant has cited regulators as the reason, with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) needing "sufficient time to review all evidence, including results from industry tests."
View ArticleAn estimated 98% of publishers could not be meeting the necessary level of compliance. Trackers are being deployed before user consent, or after a user has rejected them or the trackers are not being undisclosed at all.
View ArticleA big release for the Content Ignite Fusion platform with v4.3, introducing Ad Stacks, Publisher Integrations, Global Search and more.
View ArticleThis latest update from the ICO still presents a dilemma for publishers, yet the proposed Consent or Pay model offers a glimmer of hope, especially considering the success of increased consent rates in Germany.
View ArticleCore Web Vitals (CWV) have long caused headaches for Publishers. In March 2024, Google are set to replace FID (First Input Delay) with Interaction to Next Paint (INP), as one of the three Core Web Vital metrics.
View ArticleWe only need your email and domain to complete each healthcheck