Online Advertising and Hidden Hazards Report

Today, the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee released a report in advance of its May 15 hearing entitled “Online Advertising and Hidden Hazards to Consumer Security and Data Privacy.”

The report – which is intended to examine the security threats malware in online advertisements poses to consumers – states that the volume of data being collected on individuals makes it impossible for them to adequately protect themselves. Therefore, the report recommends that clearer rules be put into place to regulate the advertising industry and protect against cybercriminals.

Also, the report mentions the self-regulatory efforts of the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), but claims that these efforts have not been strong enough up to this point. ANA is one of the founding members of the DAA, which provides consumers with the ability to opt out of receiving interest based ads across media platforms. Lou Mastria, the Executive Director of the DAA, will testify at the hearing and explain the very effective steps taken by the DAA in regard to internet-based advertising and that the report failed to fully understand or describe these efforts.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Jaffe (djaffe@ana.net) in ANA’s Washington, D.C. office at 202.296.1883.