'Extremists' Aim To Wipe Out Ad Industry IAB's Cohen Says

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'Extremists' Aim To Wipe Out Ad Industry, IAB's Cohen Says

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"Extremists” are trying to “cripple the advertising industry and eliminate it from the American economy and culture.” That's according to David Cohen, CEO of the ad organization Interactive Advertising Bureau.

Speaking this week at the IAB's annual leadership conference, Cohen offered some pointed criticism of politicians, privacy advocates and Apple -- which since 2021 has prohibited app developers from tracking iPhone users without their express consent.

“Washington D.C. leaders including Amy Klobuchar and Ted Cruz will throw our industry under their campaign buses, if we let them,” he said, according to a transcript of his remarks. “And by 'this industry,' I don’t just mean digital marketing, media and advertising - I mean all media and entertainment, all advertising, and all the consumer and B2B brands that depend on them.”

Cohen went on to warn against the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), a federal privacy bill that would have outlawed some forms of behavioral advertising.

“I’m here to tell you that if the national data privacy law (ADPPA) that made progress at the end of 2022 had passed, it would destroy our industry,” he said. “Big Tech, Small Tech and everything in-between Tech.”

Last July, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the bipartisan bill by a vote of 53-2, but the full House did not vote on the measure, and the Senate did not hold hearings on it.

The IAB leader also condemned the nonprofit Accountable Tech, describing it as "one of the more virulent anti-advertising groups trying to shut down the ad-supported internet."

In 2021, Accountable Tech petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to outlaw “surveillance advertising” -- including serving ads to consumers based on their activity across sites. Consumer Reports and the Electronic Privacy Information Center backed that request in a joint FTC filing.

Cohen also had some sharp words for Apple, accusing it of trying “to smother the advertising industry.”

It's no secret that the IAB opposed Apple's decision to require developers to obtain consumers' consent before tracking them.

In Europe, IAB France went so far as to bring an antitrust complaint over Apple's consent setting, which rolled out in 2021.

On the other hand, advocacy groups -- including Nobel Peace Prize winner Amnesty International -- told Apple they supported the opt-in approach to mobile tracking.

In any event, Apple clearly intends to stay the course for the foreseeable future. Just this week, the company released a five-minute ad touting the iPhone's privacy features, including the one that only allows tracking after users consent.

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January 26, 2023 at 10:43PM