Open letter: Ban surveillance-based advertising (vivaldi.com)

Article summary

An open letter has been sent to EU and US regulators urging them to ban surveillance-based advertising, citing its invasive and privacy-hostile practices. The letter, signed by 14 businesses, argues that such advertising undermines competition, harms consumers and businesses, and can erode democracy. The signatories claim that alternative forms of advertising exist and can be implemented without significantly affecting revenue. They believe that businesses can thrive without resorting to privacy-invasive practices.

Main themes

• surveillance-based advertising
• online privacy
• advertising alternatives
• regulatory action
• competition and abuse
• data collection and usage
• online security measures
• fraud prevention
• business sustainability
• democracy and consumer protection

What commenters say

• Some argue that surveillance-based advertising is necessary to prevent abuse and ensure the sustainability of online services.
• Others claim that surveillance is not necessary for advertising and that alternative methods, such as contextual advertising, can be effective.
• There is disagreement over what constitutes surveillance, with some arguing that collecting any data is a form of surveillance, while others believe it depends on the context and purpose of the data collection.
• Some commenters suggest that IP address tracking for security purposes, such as preventing DDoS attacks, is not the same as surveillance-based advertising.
• Others argue that even temporary data collection, such as IP address tracking, can still be considered surveillance if it is used to inform business decisions or target advertising.
• A few commenters propose that advertisers can mitigate fraud without resorting to surveillance-based advertising, for example, by using content-based advertising or verifying page owner identities.
• Some argue that the definition of surveillance-based advertising is too broad and could have unintended consequences, such as making it difficult for companies to retain web server logs for legitimate purposes.