Thread · 5 tweets · 22 Feb 2021

I think @KateKayeReports points at an important issue in adtech today (and that can't be addressed for instance at the GPC level): if you're relying on a signal passed along to indicate data processing rules, eg. the TCF, how can you ensure compliance? digiday.com/media/new-york…

I disagree with one aspect of this piece (but it's a difference of interpretation that does not reflect on the quality of Kate's reporting): I would not qualify our approach as "conservative" and certainly not driven by "risk-aversion".

The data free-for-all of the past decade isn't innovative, innovation is on the side of mapping a path out of it while maintaining a business for publishers. Sustainable data isn't conservative — it's the future.

Likewise, the goal of our approach isn't to decrease risk: it's to increase trust. Privacy is about trust, and news has to be trusted. That often helps with compliance risk, but if that were the goal it would be simpler to just do "industry standard" whatever.

There's business risk in heading for privacy, especially when the behemoths disagree. There's reputation risk in calling attention to it when it's a process and we're not perfect yet. Overall, we'd probably be safer (in the short term) ignoring the problem.