Lawmakers Propose Legislation to ‘Ban Surveillance Advertising’ ⇥ vice.com
Joseph Cox, Vice:
“The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act does what its title suggests. The legislation prohibits advertising facilitators (e.g., Facebook, Google DoubleClick, data brokers) from targeting ads with the exception of broad location targeting to a recognized place (e.g., municipality),” a press release announcing the proposed legislation reads. “The bill also prohibits advertisers from targeting ads based on protected class information and any information they purchase. Violations can be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, or private lawsuits,” it adds. The legislation would also prohibit targeted advertisements based on protected class attributes such as race, gender, and religion.
Reps. Anna G. Eshoo of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey are the Democratic lawmakers behind the proposed legislation.
My hope is that we will look back at the current state of the internet, funded solely by adtech, like when we used asbestos for insulation, lead for toys, and land mines for defense.
There is no chance that this bill becomes law in the U.S., thereby causing the world’s ad tech market to adjust to a better model, but a simple Canadian boy can dream.