The free, ad-supported internet runs on consumer data. But privacy legislation is making it harder for advertisers to take advantage of it.

A rundown of the top trends and takeaways for advertisers from public policy- and privacy-related conferences held in early April.

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.

The upcoming US election will determine the direction for technology policies that will have a profound impact for marketers. This report will lay out scenarios for what marketers can expect in several key policy areas in 2021 and beyond.

There are about four months before the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) compliance deadline kicks in, and according to July 2019 research from consent solutions provider PossibleNow, only 8% of US businesses said they are prepared. The majority reported still being in the preparation process; however, only a third expected to be able to meet the January 1, 2020, deadline.

About one-third of publishers are using CMPs to collect and store their user consent data in an attempt to avoid fines for data misuse.