Consent “isn’t going to work” for programmatic or direct-sold advertising under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
That’s the conclusion of Johnny Ryan, head of ecosystem at anti-ad-blocking solutions provider PageFair. His firm has spent the last two years trying to figure out how GDPR is supposed to work, given the current digital ad environment.
With a few exceptions, he pointed out, GDPR specifies that publishers and advertisers need to get consent from each user to employ their personal data to target ads.
The personal data includes any info that can be used to help pinpoint an individual; for GDPR, that includes IP addresses and browsing trails, as well as email addresses. And the consent needs to itemize each use, which PageFair says is at least 10 different opt-ins for digital ads, including showing relevant ads, creating a profile based on your browsing habits, seeing if you interacted with an ad and so on.
“Consent is the only possible basis [for targeted digital advertising],” Ryan told me, “but it’s unworkable.”
[Read the full article on MarTech Today.]
About The Author
Barry Levine covers marketing technology for Third Door Media. Previously, he covered this space as a Senior Writer for VentureBeat, and he has written about these and other tech subjects for such publications as CMSWire and NewsFactor. He founded and led the web site/unit at PBS station Thirteen/WNET; worked as an online Senior Producer/writer for Viacom; created a successful interactive game, PLAY IT BY EAR: The First CD Game; founded and led an independent film showcase, CENTER SCREEN, based at Harvard and M.I.T.; and served over five years as a consultant to the M.I.T. Media Lab. You can find him at LinkedIn, and on Twitter at xBarryLevine.