Hey there --

This was a four-day week for us, but wow, so much happened! This is a longer than usual email (apologies!) but I wanted to give you a full readout on all our progress to ban Big Tech’s toxic business model of surveillance advertising:

• A refresher on surveillance advertising: Surveillance advertising is the practice of extensively tracking people, and then microtargeting ads at them based on their behavioral history, relationships, and identity. It’s how Facebook makes 98% of their revenue — hooking users for as long as possible with whatever keeps them scrolling and clicking, creating a vicious cycle that fuels the spread of disinformation and hate.

• Rewind to last March: Last year, Accountable Tech helped build a transatlantic coalition of over 50 advocacy groups fighting to ban surveillance advertising. The coalition’s diversity reflects the breadth of societal harms inherent to this extractive business model — from accelerating disinformation, discrimination, and threats to vulnerable communities, to undermining privacy rights, autonomy, and competition.

• Now this week in Congress: Senator Cory Booker with Representatives Anna Eshoo and Jan Schakowsky introduced the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act on Tuesday. Big Tech monopolies like Facebook will continue stoking discrimination, division, and delusion until we upend this perverse incentive structure — and that’s exactly what this bill would do by banning surveillance advertising. We’re so grateful for their bold leadership, and proud to support this landmark legislation.

• This week in the European Union: The European Parliament voted for new measures to ban surveillance advertising in the Digital Services Act in a key plenary vote this past Thursday. The new legislation will ban surveillance advertising for minors and prohibit the use of highly sensitive personal data for behavioral targeting of anyone.

• Next week for Accountable Tech: While we’ve been advocating for a legislative ban on surveillance advertising, we’ve also been pursuing a regulatory ban on the toxic business model. Accountable Tech filed a rulemaking petition with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prohibit surveillance advertising as an unfair method of competition. Next week is the end of a public comment period on this rulemaking petition. And that’s where we now need your help:

We aim to collect thousands of signatures to send a strong message to the FTC that the dangers of surveillance are real and pervasive. Add your name to this collective grassroots public comment urging the FTC to ban surveillance advertising:

We’ve already seen that real change happens when we band together. We’ve made great strides in our fight to uproot Big Tech’s toxic business model of surveillance advertising. 

Thanks for being with us,

Nicole

Nicole Gill
Co-founder & Executive Director
Accountable Tech