The news: Meta is facing an investigation from the French Competition Authority for allegedly limiting access to ad verification partners and exploiting its ad market dominance. Meta is required to implement interim measures, including the development and disclosure of updated guidelines governing access to and maintenance of “viewability” and “brand safety” partnerships. Our take: While France doesn’t account for a massive portion of Meta’s ad revenues, the company could still be subject to substantial consequences if found guilty. Antitrust fines from the French Competition Authority can be as high as 10% of a company’s global annual turnover.

Zuckerberg wants Trump to slow the EU’s advertising crackdown: Meta is pressuring the administration to fight back against EU fines.

Meta may consider ad-free subscription offer for the UK: While the company settled a suit with a UK citizen, a similar offering in the EU has faced pushback.

Zoom’s and Beyond Presence's AI avatars promise hands-free attendance, though the potential for deepfake misuse looms large.

The European Court of Justice ruled that Meta and other platforms can’t use sensitive personal data for ads, a move that challenges current adtech business models.

With no protections in place, users are vulnerable to widespread data harvesting, highlighting the need for stricter privacy laws.

Microsoft reports strong Q4 FY24 results with 19% surge in search and ads: The company’s next challenge will be to prove its AI investments can fuel continued growth.

A bipartisan data privacy bill could rewrite the digital ad business: After years of state-level laws muddying the waters, Congress is pulling together.

As inflation eases across Europe in 2024, retail, media, and marketing firms will turn their attention to regulatory headwinds on the horizon.

As the economy improves in 2024, companies will be able to turn their focus toward technological advancements and upcoming regulations.

Meta mulls over ad-free options in Europe: Marketers need to brace for potential changes in audience targeting and ad costs.

The end of third-party cookies is nigh: Despite advertisers’ hopes for another delay, Google is beginning its pivot to the Privacy Sandbox.

Five US states currently have comprehensive consumer data protection laws in effect. With five more state privacy laws on the horizon, advertisers need to get up to speed with compliance.

While many businesses are still trying to get to grips with some of the original implications of GDPR, technology is refusing to stand still. The rapid rise of generative AI is testing the bounds of data protection regulators.

Businesses and regulators alike are still struggling to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). But it’s already had a fundamental impact on the ad industry, and AI is set to muddy the waters further.

On today’s episode, host Bill Fisher is joined by analysts Paul Briggs, Evelyn Mitchell, and Carina Perkins to discuss the global state of data protection five years on from the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and what lies ahead as regulators get to grips with the rapidly evolving AI space.

With some legacy identifiers already in the history books and the rest on the chopping block, the digital ad industry is finally getting serious about adopting targeting and measurement practices that don’t rely on cookies and mobile IDs.

The buzz around generative AI has reached a fever pitch, but the technology is being developed and deployed at different rates in various parts of the world. Here’s a guide to how mature it is in key regions, and what’s next for generative AI.

Big Tech tries cooperation, not combat, with EU regulators: Platforms are trying to adapt to new norms around data privacy and advertising.

On today's episode, we discuss the prevalence of folks using first-party data in clean rooms, Amazon Marketing Cloud, and privacy. "In Other News," we talk about how Meta’s recent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) violation could threaten its ad duopoly status and the impact of Twitter losing more than 500 of its top advertisers. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Max Willens and Tinuiti's Nirish Parsad, practice lead in emerging technology, and Aly Fields, associate director of commerce.