The NAI

🚀 Fresh insights from PETS 2025 – through the eyes of our intern! This summer, Chloe Cowan, attended the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS 2025) at Georgetown University. Chloe came back with a wealth of insights on how privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) can strengthen trust in digital advertising — and just published a guest blog breaking it all down. From misconfigured trackers and ineffective PII “opt-out” services, to deceptive “acceptable ads”, behavioral re-identification risks, and cross-app SDK tracking, the piece explores five new research studies that offer a clear roadmap for ad-tech to build privacy into its foundation. 💡 Key takeaway: Privacy isn’t just a compliance checkbox — it’s a competitive advantage. By embracing PETs, setting privacy-friendly defaults, and increasing transparency, the ad-tech industry can foster user trust and ensure its long-term sustainability. Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/e-iEdm6W #Privacy #AdTech #PETs #DigitalAdvertising #DataProtection #NAI

🤝 Welcome RTB House to the NAI! We’re excited to announce that RTB House has officially joined the Network Advertising Initiative — and we're even more thrilled to welcome Charles Simon, VP of Private Advertising, to the NAI Board of Directors. RTB House brings a vital European perspective to today’s global privacy conversation, informed by years of regulatory experience and technical leadership in privacy-preserving advertising. As Charlie shared: “Joining the NAI is an important step. It demonstrates our ongoing commitment to ethical advertising practices and reinforces our dedication to shaping thoughtful data governance that supports a free and open Internet.” 🚢 Welcome aboard, RTB House — we’re looking forward to the work ahead! https://lnkd.in/dfRAZrSc #Privacy #DigitalAdvertising #NAIMembers #AdTech #DataGovernance #OpenInternet #RTBHouse

Why Tailored Ads Are a Game-Changer for Small Businesses Small businesses don’t need big budgets to make a big impact—just the right message, to the right people, at the right time. That’s where tailored advertising shines. By focusing on audience interests, behaviors, and location, small businesses can: 1️⃣ Increase visibility with those most likely to convert 2️⃣ Spend smarter—no wasted impressions 3️⃣ Compete effectively with larger brands https://lnkd.in/dvu8iMvp #SmallBusinessMarketing #DigitalAds #TailoredAds #AdTech #TheNAI

🚀 Tailored Advertising Powers Small Businesses Small businesses are the backbone of our economy — and tailored ads are a key driver of their growth and resilience. ⚖️ Leveling the Playing Field — Tailored ads help small, niche businesses compete with larger players by using limited budgets efficiently and reaching the right audiences. ⛽ Fueling Economic Competition — Without tailored ads, customer acquisition costs would rise 37% which is nearly double the impact on larger firms. 69% of SMBs say they couldn’t have launched or sustained their business without them. 🪴 Driving Growth Efficiently — Tailored ads outperform contextual ads in cost-effectiveness & small businesses using them are 16x more likely to report sales growth. 🦸 Empowering D2C Brands — Tailored ads help D2C brands reach niche audiences, reduce overhead, and compete beyond the limits of contextual placements. 📉 Removing tailored ads would hurt small businesses — and jeopardize the 18% of GDP supported by the ad-funded digital economy. The NAI has published a research white paper on the benefits of tailored ads. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/dvu8iMvp #SmallBusiness #TailoredAds #DigitalMarketing #D2C #AdTech #EconomicGrowth

🎉 Celebrating 25 Years of Privacy Leadership at the NAI 🎉 This year marks a major milestone: 25 years of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) leading the charge on responsible data practices and privacy-forward innovation in digital advertising. From our founding in 2000 to today, the NAI has helped shape the standards, tools, and policies that define privacy self-regulation—empowering consumers, guiding the ad tech ecosystem, and working closely with regulators to support smart, ethical data use. Over the past two and a half decades, we've: ✔️ Built a trusted self-regulatory framework ✔️ Navigated waves of technological and legal change ✔️ Partnered with members to advance transparency, choice, and accountability ✔️ Championed privacy as a competitive advantage—not just a compliance requirement A heartfelt thank you to our members, partners, and policymakers who have made this journey possible. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and even more excited for what’s next! Here’s to the next 25 years of privacy, trust and accountability. #TheNAI #PrivacyLeadership #AdTech #SelfRegulation #DigitalAdvertising #ConsumerTrust

“Self-regulation organizations are like effective neighborhood watches. They make the industry safer.” -- FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson 🔒 Self-regulation contributes to enhanced industry compliance and consumer protections, but must, and will, evolve. At the 2025 NAI Summit, one core message stood out: in a world of complex and shifting privacy laws, self-regulation remains essential to building trust, enhancing compliance, and supporting innovation. Organizations like the NAI help bridge the gap between regulation and real-world implementation—working closely with agencies like the FTC, and supporting members with practical guidance, industry standards, and consumer education. Self-regulation: •  Builds accountability and integrity into the digital ecosystem •  Helps companies turn privacy into a competitive advantage •  Fosters collaboration between industry and regulators As FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson put it: “Self-regulation organizations are like effective neighborhood watches. They make the industry safer.” We couldn’t agree more. 📖 Read more insights from the Summit in our blog: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dVDcWvCP #NAISummit2025 #SelfRegulation #PrivacyLeadership #ConsumerTrust #DigitalAdvertising #DataEthics #AdTech #PrivacyCompliance #FTC

🏛️ The FTC will focus on more traditional enforcement areas, like fraud, consumer protection, and trade regulation, but will still prioritize sensitive data. At the 2025 NAI Summit, a standout moment was our fireside chat with FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who laid out his vision for the agency: less rulemaking, more enforcement. Under his leadership, the FTC is focusing on: •  Fraud prevention •  Consumer protection from unfair or deceptive practices •  Traditional trade regulation Chairman Ferguson made it clear: the FTC will continue to prioritize children’s and sensitive data, voicing strong support for COPPA 2.0 and committing to active enforcement through actions and amicus briefs. He also emphasized a measured approach to AI, aiming to enforce existing laws around deception and anti-competitive conduct, rather than overregulating prematurely. Notably, he distanced the agency from the term “surveillance advertising,” affirming the economic value of data-driven advertising when done responsibly. While calling for a modernized national privacy law, Ferguson stressed that Congress—not the FTC—must lead, though he’d welcome an enforcement role if authorized. 📖 Dive deeper into this and other key moments from the Summit in our latest blog: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dVDcWvCP #NAISummit2025 #FTC #PrivacyEnforcement #DigitalAdvertising #ConsumerProtection #COPPA #AdTech #DataPrivacy #SelfRegulation

🛡️National security concerns have created new risk assessment and data governance requirements. At the 2025 NAI Summit, one emerging theme was clear: the U.S. government’s focus on limiting foreign access to Americans’ sensitive data is creating a new layer of compliance challenges for the digital advertising ecosystem. Companies must now navigate: •  Ambiguous and complex policy requirements •  New diligence expectations for partner vetting and data handling •  Increased enforcement signals from the DOJ and FTC, particularly around health and location data This shift demands greater resources and a more rigorous approach to risk assessment and data governance. While government guidance remains limited, enforcement priorities are taking shape. At NAI, we’re committed to helping members: ✔️ Interpret emerging obligations ✔️ Develop best practices ✔️ Stay ahead of compliance risks tied to national security 📖 Learn more in our Summit recap blog: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dVDcWvCP #NAISummit2025 #DataGovernance #NationalSecurity #AdTech #RiskAssessment #SelfRegulation #movingprivacyforward

🏛️ Congress has reset efforts around a national privacy law, but the focus remains on state-level legislation. At the 2025 NAI Summit, it was clear: while Congress is revisiting national privacy legislation, state legislatures are still setting the pace. So far, 19 states have passed comprehensive privacy laws, with growing alignment on: •  Children’s data protections •  Consumer choice requirements •  Sensitive data restrictions •  Stricter data minimization standards (e.g., Maryland’s “strictly necessary” model) At the federal level, the House Republican Privacy Working Group is gathering input in hopes of striking a balance between privacy protections and innovation. But despite renewed interest, bipartisan consensus remains elusive. Meanwhile, AI—once a top policy priority—is seeing less legislative urgency in 2025. A proposed federal moratorium on state AI regulation remains stalled, and a national AI law appears unlikely in the near term. 📖 Explore the full recap from our Summit blog: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dVDcWvCP #NAISummit2025 #PrivacyLegislation #DataPrivacy #StatePrivacyLaws #DigitalPolicy #AdTech #SelfRegulation #movingprivacyforward

🤝 Effective consumer choice requires industry collaboration. At the 2025 NAI Summit, one message came through loud and clear: protecting privacy through consumer choice is only effective when it’s simple, consistent, and respected across the entire data ecosystem. While third-party ad tech has traditionally led the way, new legal frameworks increasingly shift the burden to publishers—creating fragmented signals, inconsistent implementations, and rising risk across the supply chain. We are actively working with members and stakeholders to: • Simplify and align choice mechanisms; • Ensure compliance with both regulatory mandates and consumer expectations; • Build trust through clear, interoperable privacy signals; • Industry-wide collaboration is the key to making consumer choice work—for companies and for the people they serve. 📖 Read more in our latest blog post: https://lnkd.in/dVDcWvCP #NAISummit2025 #ConsumerChoice #AdTech #SelfRegulation #DigitalAdvertising #DataGovernance #movingprivacyforward