Morning, Wednesday, 17th July 2024
Online
This conference will examine the future for online advertising in the UK.
It will bring stakeholders together with policymakers to examine priorities for online advertising in the context of the ongoing work of the Online Advertising Taskforce and the action plan, including opportunities for collaboration and increased transparency across advertising platforms, tackling fraud in online advertising, and improving the evidence base for online harms.
Delegates will also consider the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023 for advertisers, as well as strengthening protections for children and vulnerable groups online.
Those attending will assess the expected implementation of measures affecting the industry introduced in the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, including the transition from third-party cookies to first-party data, the impacts of increased user agency, and industry priorities for areas of the Bill left open to future amendment.
The agenda looks at the way forward for tackling illegal and fraudulent ads. Delegates will consider the role of technology and next steps for developing collaborative frameworks for stakeholders to improve counter-fraud efforts.
Discussion will also explore new frameworks for collective ad regulation, adopting whole system approaches to harmful ads, and assessing the roles and responsibilities of platforms, intermediaries and publishers.
Further sessions will assess the provisions and impact of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill, including the implications of proposed increased regulatory powers granted to the Digital Markets Unit, priorities for stakeholder engagement, pro-competition interventions, and options for promoting innovation and growth in online marketing.
Overall areas for discussion include:
- the Online Advertising Programme:
- examining the next phase of policy and regulation for online advertising in the UK - collaboration and improving transparency across advertising platforms and their users
- Online Safety Act 2023:
- key issues for stakeholders and compliance - priorities for implementation - next steps for transparency reports - age assurance measures - closing regulatory gaps not covered in the Act
- changing approaches to data:
- managing the transition from third-party cookies to first-party data - optimising frameworks for first-party data partnerships - examining the impacts of increased user agency
- addressing potential impact of a more risk-based approach to international data transfers - cross-border relationships and changes of EU adequacy in the UK
- priorities for areas left open to future amendment, such as customer and business data - assessing the future of personalised marketing, and direct marketing as a legitimate interest
- regulation:
- roles and responsibilities for advertising platforms - transparency and accountability - opportunities for collaboration across the supply chain to adopt a whole-system approach to harmful advertising
- reviewing and improving industry-led, self-regulatory approaches - assessing and demonstrating effectiveness - discussing thresholders for intervention
- examining the strategy, scope and impact of AI-assisted, collective ad regulation - research areas for improving the evidence base of online harm
- tackling fraud in online advertising:
- roles and responsibilities of platforms, intermediaries and publishers - measures for information sharing and blocking - issues for Online Fraud Charter signatories
- examining the Gold Standard criteria, including recent changes and implications for compliance
The conference will be an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who are due to attend from NCSC; Ofcom; and the Welsh Government.
