‘Types’, online advertising transparency project funded by the EU Commission, promises that it will enhance the transparency inside the online advertising environment, improve the trust of consumers to the industry and finally contribute to its growth.
Online advertising generates a substantial revenue that enables the creation of numerous employment positions, as well as the support of fundamental internet services, such as social media and search engines. However, lack of consumer trust towards online advertising, especially in relation to the information collected and the techniques used for processing personal data, leads to the widespread adoption of ad blocking mechanisms.
The aforementioned targets are bound to be achieved by the development of a series of “easy to install” and “easy to use” tools:
- Web-browser plug-in for privacy violation detection and safeguarding,
- Proxy for privacy violation detection and safeguarding,
- Data valuation tools
- Privacy preserving data broker
The tools belonging to “Types” project will provide safeguards to the user so that no personal data are collected without consent. The user will be able to detect any unlawful use of their data and locate the infringer. The tools will also contribute to the understanding of individuals regarding the operation of the online advertising system and the value of personal data. In other words, “Types” is intended not only to educate personal data subjects about their rights stemming from the GDPR, but also to assist directly in the implementation of the regulation.
Apart from the apparent benefits enjoyed by the user, the project would also entail benefits and competitive advantages for over the top service providers (OTT SPs), such as Facebook and Google. “Types” recommend that OTT SPs adopt the new tools and share with the user the way that their data is being processed moving towards a more transparent approach. It is believe that the user may not proceed to a general blocking of advertising content but rater control and select the information disclosed resulting in increase of the amount of collected data.
