As the landscape of data privacy grows ever-more complex, the industry faces a slew of unprecedented challenges, writes UM Worldwide’s Arielle Garcia as part of The Drum’s Data Deep Dive.

​​Amid a fragmented regulatory environment, participants in the vast digital advertising ecosystem have been catapulted into what can only be described as a hybrid game of Scrabble-meets-Battleship, requiring them to unscramble, parse and apply new rules while simultaneously evading cannonballs on a trajectory toward their commercial goals.

While the disruption has created cost and complexity in the short term, the industry has generally accepted that the temporary discomfort is a necessary price to pay for the opportunity to repair fractured trust with consumers. Yet despite well-intentioned efforts to adapt to evolving regulations and expectations, diverging requirements and the spectrum of interpretations have distracted from the core goal of increased transparency and choice for people, and a fairer, more trustworthy online experience.

The regulatory landscape will undoubtedly remain dynamic, rendered further complex by changes spearheaded by big tech. We’ve already seen this evidenced with Apple’s iOS 14.5 AppTrackingTransparency and iOS 15 enhancements, Google’s deprecation of third-party cookies and its Privacy Sandbox proposals as well as, most recently, Facebook’s decision to restrict advertisers’ abilities to target based on sensitive topics and interests.

How does the industry break the costly cycle of reactivity? How do we stop backing into solutions and begin futureproofing our collective approach to data collection and use?

Read Full Article on The Drum.