Don’t Let Advertisers Off the Hook
#NEWSLETTER | Many of the same entities heaping scorn upon social media platforms also make ample use of Meta, Snap, TikTok, and more as advertisers. Are they not part of the problem?
As state and federal governments work through social media legislation it’s easy for us to call for Big Tech to be held accountable (in a variety of suggested ways) and then call it a day.
But there are innumerable complexities in how we can and should regulate these platforms — with possibly even more harm coming from some of the approaches suggested. So, staying clued in is key.
It’s also important to consider all who are culpable. It takes two to tango, as they say, and advertisers have more than a little skin in the game.
How Advertisers Contribute
An advertiser, first of all, is a very broad designation.
It could mean a public sector organization, such as schools or municipalities, or personal services such as tutoring and camps, and then of course there are the goods and services we consume daily.
It’s any company or organization that hands over money to social media companies for the privilege of marketing to us and calling us a customer.
What’s the Issue?
Let’s start with “trackers.”
If your favorite company advertises on social media platforms, then you will most definitely be followed around the web thanks to “trackers.”
The consequences can range from happy (“look a 50% off coupon!”) to irritating, and even downright distressing.
Take the story of Talkspace I shared last week: as a teen fills out their details to register for the service, information is immediately sent to social media sites such as TikTok.
There is a class action lawsuit in California right now noting this very practice. In fact, TikTok is well know for its aggressive data collection tactics and actively builds profiles of our kids.
The Federal Trade commission weighed in last week with a report on all of social media and its concerns about their approach. A highlight:
Many Companies relied on selling advertising services to other businesses based largely on using the personal information of their users. The technology powering this ecosystem took place behind the scenes and out of view to consumers, posing significant privacy risks ... Because the advertising ecosystem is complex and occurs beneath the surface, it is challenging for users to decipher how the information collected from and about them is used for ad targeting—in fact, many users may not be aware of this at all. Some Companies’ ad targeting practices based on sensitive categories also raise serious privacy concerns. "A Look Behind the Screens Examining the Data Practices of Social Media and Video Streaming Services,” Federal Trade Commission, Sept 2024
What does this mean practically? Here are a few examples I shared recently➡️
How to Protect Yourself & Your Kids
What can you do? Is it time-consuming? Complicated? No!
Once you see what is happening, there is no going back. So that’s the good news.
There are also many resources available. Some suggestions are super simple, such as disabling the automatic loading of images via marketing emails (I love that one), but is a lot you can do:
Lurking Beneath the Surface: Hidden Impacts of Pixel Tracking, FTC
How to prevent being tracked while reading your Gmail, The Verge
Pixel Tracking: Definition, Risks and Impact on Digital Privacy, Securiti
Hidden trackers invade your browser, USA Today
How to scan for unknown trackers that might be following you, MSN
Tracking pixel vs. cookie: What's the difference?, TechTarget
Facebook Watches Teens Online As They Prep for College, The Markup
In Other News…
We are awaiting an invitation to meet with New York City Hall to talk about Talkspace & Teenspace, and I’ll share an update when I have it. In the meantime, very thankful for the media who covered the letter, including Chalkbeat, NYDailyNews, K12 Drive and StateScoop.
If you haven’t gotten a chance to listen to my podcast guest appearance on What the Hack with Adam Levin please check it out. Past guests have included Elizabeth Warren, parents caught in the web of social media harms, and useful discussions on how not to get hacked!
I’ve spent a bit of time this week with the content on Kids Safe and Connected and really recommend their tips and perspective on what to look for in any current and upcoming legislation.
Finally, if you are finding yourself navigating GenAI tools at home and wondering about privacy, this great guide from Mozilla will do wonders!