Category Archives: OpenX

FTC settles with OpenX Technologies for $2 million for allegedly violating children’s privacy law

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Advertising platform OpenX Technologies will pay the Federal Trade Commission $2 million over allegations that it failed to comply with a federal rule requiring online services to obtain parents’ consent before collecting data about children under the age of 13. OpenX offers automated ad buying that allows companies to reach a precise audience in real-time. The settlement effectively serves as a warning to digital advertising platforms, which funnel massive amounts of data through real-time advertising bids, often with little transparency. “OpenX secretly collected location data and opened the door to privacy violations on a massive scale, including against children,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Digital advertising gatekeepers may operate behind the scenes, but they are not above the law.” A complaint from the Department of Justice filed on behalf of the FTC alleges that the company knowingly collected information from hundreds of apps that […]

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Apps are sharing more of your data with ad industry than you may think

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Apps like Grindr, Tinder and Happn are (over-)sharing data about sexuality, religion, and location with a shadowy network of data brokers. And it’s not just dating apps that are doing it… Continue reading Apps are sharing more of your data with ad industry than you may think→

Ad industry body issues first certificates for anti-malware best practices

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The digital advertising industry’s cybersecurity assessment and information-sharing organization has issued its first set of anti-malware certifications, signing off on measures against cyberattacks taken by nine companies who represent as much as half of the digital advertising market. The Trustworthy Accountability Group, or TAG, issued “Certified Against Malware” seals Monday to AppNexus, DataXu, Google, LKQD, OpenX, Publishers Clearing House, Rocket Fuel, Sovrn, and The Media Trust, TAG CEO Mike Zaneis told CyberScoop in an interview. Zaneis estimated the nine companies between them probably touched up to half of digital advertising impressions on any given day. “I don’t have an exact percentage,” he added, “but there are major players here … A big chunk of the [digital advertising] supply chain.” The seal means that the companies have “implemented TAG’s rigorous anti-malware standards,” according to a statement from the group. Traditionally, ads have been a favorite way for hackers to serve malware and other malicious content, […]

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