Online platforms' ad databases lack clarity as EU election nears - study
Cynthia Kroet
The advertising libraries of 11 online platforms, including X, Meta and TikTok, do not provide enough insight into paid in uence and commercial ads ahead of the EU election in June, according to a study carried out by non-pro t organisations Mozilla and Check
First.
The ad repositories, which Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) are required to have in place under the EU’s platform rules, collect ad content and information about the intention of campaigns, giving users information into how commercial communications are used.
“We nd a huge variation among the platforms, but one thing is true across all of them: none is a fully-functional ad repository and none will provide researchers and civil society groups with the tools and data they need to e ectively monitor the impact of VLOPs on Europe’s upcoming elections,” the report says, adding that the tools were also di cult to nd online.
The stress test, carried out by Mozilla in December 2023 and January of this year, looked at platforms designated as VLOPs under the Digital Services Act (DSA): AliExpress, Alphabet (Google Search and YouTube), Apple App Store, Bing, Booking.com, LinkedIn, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, X, and Zalando.
The study found, among others, that Apple's web repository lacks important details needed to understand paid in uence, such as ad targeting broken down by country. In the case of TikTok, the ad repository looks robust, but the study still encountered gaps and inaccuracies, whereas for Booking.com it appeared di cult to link ads on the platform to ads in the web repository, the document says.
Mozilla recommended that the platforms develop more advanced search tools to allow for more e cient research into advertisements, like lters and sorting options, as well as ensuring that the data is regularly updated. The report also calls on the European Commission to set up guidelines speci c to ad repositories.
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Guidelines
The EU Executive last month (26 March) published guidelines for platforms regulated under the DSA related to the elections. This focussed more on reinforcing internal processes such as setting up election teams and adopting mitigation measures linked to generative AI. Earlier this year (27 February), the EU institutions also agreed on new rules for political advertising, which included rules on clearly labelling political ads.
Some companies, including TikTok and Meta have explained the changes they are making ahead of the EU election; both are setting up online election centres to ght disinformation.
A spokesperson for the commission said that the online platforms' ad libraries should be easily accessible and allow users to
search and query the repository using multiple criteria.
"E orts should be made to ensure the information is accurate and complete. The repository should cover the entire period during which the advertisements were shown and continue for one year after the last display," the commission said.
The ongoing investigations into the compliance of X, TikTok and AliExpress also include "suspected shortcomings in the platforms’ ad repositories," spokesperson added. the
handle it responsibly.
The subscription-based model con icts with the requirement that consent for accepting cookies must be freely given and genuine.
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"Pay or Okay" coerces people into accepting the use, sharing, or sale of their personal data, compromising the principle of free, informed, and unequivocal consent.
As a result, individuals are deprived of genuine control over their data. You either pay directly for privacy or you forfeit your privacy - consequently paying for this supposedly free access with your sensitive data.
There is no other option available for users who want to decline the processing of their personal data without subscribing to a paid service.
'Take it or leave it' approach is unfair and discriminatory
An open letter to Meta drafted by Members of the European Parliament further emphasised this aspect of the problem with "Pay or Okay".
The discriminatory impact of "Pay or Okay" e ectively perpetuates barriers to digital access and control over personal data by imposing a harmful "take it or leave it" approach.
Millions of people depend on these platforms for day-to-day activities, from professional opportunities to the most mundane of actions in an increasingly digitalised society. Meta’s reframing of privacy and data protection as purchasable commodities consequently leads to negative societal impacts, deepening social inequalities and perpetuating discriminatory exclusions.
The European Commission's initiation of an investigation under the DMA against Meta has explicitly highlighted that the binary choice forced upon users may not o er a genuine alternative if they refuse to consent, potentially perpetuating the accumulation of their personal data.
Withdrawing consent should be as straightforward as granting it. However, with "Pay or Okay," reversing consent is not simple, as users encounter challenges in locating the opt-out mechanisms, amid convoluted interfaces and dark patterns, digital tricks that try to manipulate you into doing what the website or app wants, rather than what's best for you.
The European Commission's initiation of an investigation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) against Meta has explicitly highlighted that the binary choice forced upon users may not o er a genuine alternative if they refuse to consent, potentially perpetuating the accumulation of their personal data.
Furthermore, the Commission has pointed out that the payment aspect of the "Consent or Pay" model might be interpreted as a degradation of service conditions. That means Meta is using its signi cant market power to deliberately lower the quality of its services to its users a behaviour that also violates the fairness principle set in the GDPR.
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The questioning of "Pay or Okay" also comes from European consumer organisations, which have led several complaints with Data Protection Authorities and the European Commission.
Their stance not only focuses on practices depicted as unfair, deceptive, and aggressive but also on the predatory ad-tech business model at the heart of it all.
Meta bargains fundamental rights to keep pro ling users
Faced with rising pressure and openly acknowledging the need to appease regulators, Meta has conceded the validity of concerns.
However, instead of discontinuing the model altogether, Meta has suggested lowering the price of subscriptions and continuing to leverage its dominant social networks, which pro t exclusively from the personal data of users in Europe and worldwide.
Meta and similar entities operate under the assumption that most users will be disinclined to pay a fee.
Alphabet and Meta consistently generate over $200 billion (€187.6bn) in global ad revenue annually and in 2022, ad sales accounted for 98% of Meta's revenue. This underscores the perils of commercial surveillance as a means of maximising pro ts.
Yet, it remains evident that subscriptions do not constitute the main revenue stream for major tech platforms, which primarily generate their income by selling space for advertising.
Alphabet and Meta consistently generate over $200 billion (€187.6bn) in global ad revenue annually and in 2022, ad sales accounted for 98% of Meta's revenue. This underscores the perils of commercial surveillance as a means of maximising pro ts.
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Another perilous assumption Big Tech is taking advantage of is that individuals cannot understand such complex systems. They are led to believe they have provided consent.
With paid subscriptions, they are even assured they will see no targeted advertisements. Yet, the reality is that they remain in the dark about the speci c data being relinquished, its recipients, and its intended purposes.
Privacy is not for sale - not now, not ever
The digital rights community awaits the EDPB's decision with anticipation, hoping the board will rmly reject "Pay or Consent" in their April decision, and set useful guidance and a robust precedent for privacy and data protection standards in the future months.
However, it's crucial to emphasise that the debate extends far beyond mere consent, and despite EU laws, tracking in digital advertising continues to be the norm.
Moreover, non-compliance is often tolerated among large online platforms. The problem thus lies not in individual practices, but in the various methods by which Meta and its counterparts not only sustain their model but also enforce it on other platforms which have also resorted to "Pay or Okay".
Platforms, such as publishers, struggle to o er a genuine alternative because the market heavily favours ads based on tracking.
EU institutions must put an end to the unjust data processing inherent in pervasive business models like Meta's, which violate people's fundamental rights.
Until that time comes, our privacy will continue to be subject to Mark Zuckerberg and other Big Tech leaders' discretion, while the ability to control our personal data remains a privilege accessible primarily to the wealthy.
What the EU urgently requires for the next mandate is new legislation tailored to digital advertising, capable of e ectively addressing the harms caused by the tracking-based advertising industry.
Itxaso Domínguez de Olazábal is Policy Advisor at EDRi.
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it needs the support of the US to maintain that capability," he added.
Reuters reported on Thursday that US President Biden would be requesting a further $14 billion (€13.2 billion) in military aid for Israel from Congress.
Palestinians rely on solar panels amid electricity cuts to talk to friends and family
Fears of escalation
In the early days of the current con ict, the sheer number of rockets that Hamas red towards Israel, estimated to be between 2,200 and upwards of 3,000 (though Hamas claims to have red 5,000), seemed to succeed in overwhelming the system.
Perhaps the biggest concern at present, with respect to Iron Dome’s capability to continue protecting Israeli territory, is the prospect of a regional escalation in the current con ict.
"One of the reasons why Israel, and maybe more importantly the US, wants to prevent regional escalation is that if you have Hezbollah in Lebanon starting to get involved in the con ict, Hezbollah has a much bigger repower capability than than Hamas," said Samaan.
"It has hundreds of thousands of rockets. So Hezbollah could very quickly overwhelm Iron Dome".
Around 1,200 Israelis were killed or taken hostage in Hamas’ attack on October 7.
In response, Israel ordered a "complete siege" of the Gaza Strip, has bombarded the enclave with airstrikes and launched a ground campaign inside Gaza.
UN experts have raised "serious humanitarian and legal concerns" over the siege, with Gazans deprived of food, water, electricity, and fuel.
So far, the Palestinian health ministry has reported that at least 33,000 have been killed in Gaza to date.
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