Emily Moskowitz’s Post

I'm excited to share some great news. The startup I joined less than 2 years ago, Anonym, has been acquired by Mozilla! I couldn’t be more excited to join Mozilla and work with the amazing teams there. Like Anonym, Mozilla believes that we need a free and open internet supported by digital advertising, and that digital advertising doesn’t need to compromise people’s privacy. You can learn more about the acquisition by reading Mozilla's blog post (https://lnkd.in/eVkbmzkb) and the AdExchanger article (https://lnkd.in/euckaKPR).

I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to work at Anonym Inc., a privacy-enhancing-technology company that has been doing ground-breaking work on enabling secure analysis of customer data that minimizes privacy risks. Earlier this week, Mozilla announced its acquisition of Anonym (see link below), and Mozilla’s announcement outlines what makes Anonym special in the PETs world. I have the highest regard for Mozilla’s mission-driven enterprise, and, to be frank, think this is a match made in heaven. I should add that my tenure at Anonym gave me the chance to do some deep dives into the current state and future potential of PETs, and hardly a day goes by when I don’t apply some knowledge I acquired at Anonym in thinking about privacy—not least in the privacy questions raised by the acceleration of deployment of AI systems and features all around us. Here’s the Mozilla blog announcement of the acquisition: https://lnkd.in/eEha7dEu . I’ll note that while the announcement quite appropriately mentions use of Anonym tech in the context of digital advertising, there are many other use cases in which Anonym’s groundbreaking approach can reduce or potentially even eliminate common privacy risks. (Health-care data comes immediately to mind.)

Upcoming significant updates to Google Chrome are set to have a profound impact on the landscape of the modern internet. These changes, poised to redefine web browsing, privacy, and digital advertising, underscore the need for businesses and users to stay informed and adaptable. As Chrome leads the way, it's crucial for stakeholders to understand how these developments will influence online strategies and user experiences. #GoogleChrome #InternetEvolution #DigitalTrends https://lnkd.in/eQ2SAqji

"Today, IAB Tech Lab, the global #digitaladvertising #technical #standards-setting #body, released a comprehensive #analysis shedding light on the challenges associated with the industry’s adoption of Google’s #Privacy #Sandbox. The analysis (...) explores the implications of #Google’s plan to eliminate #thirdparty #cookie-based #tracking from its #Chrome #browser (...) “Embracing Google’s Privacy Sandbox is a seismic shift in the #advertising landscape, departing from the industry’s trajectory over the past 25 years,” said Anthony Katsur, #CEO, IAB Tech Lab. “Our findings highlight that the industry isn’t ready yet and identify multiple #challenges to #implementation due to limitations in accomplishing key advertising objectives. Chrome is focused on providing discrete components that support aspects of use cases, but which ultimately cannot be assembled into a whole that provides a viable #business foundation.” ➡ #Public #comments remain open until March 22, 2024 FYI Thomas Höppner / Alwin Viereck / Achim Schlosser

This discussion will go on for ages and there will not be an agreement, also not after the testing phase, and after responding to responses of the response... At the end, this is about (A) working (of course) compliantly with privacy laws while creating ROI for the ecosystem. Not a single person I have met is questioning this. (B) What does not matter in all details are questions like this one: Does LookAlike work in the Sandbox? This does not mean it is wrong to discuss in depth. It is right, it is needed to raise awareness and get closer to reality ... But, in this example - It will take a long time to verify if the aggregationAPI can be used to somehow establish a new concept of LookAlikes as Google now suggests. I personally doubt it in this case ... But, that also does not matter. Doing this in the Box is at least very different and will come - if at all - at a high cost. This is true for most of the "gray" use cases, they come at a high cost and with uncertainty... (C) The decisions for / against the Box is ruled by CMA which means this is about competition law, period. This is where the focus must be, the need for privacy compliance is a given, and there is not just one way to Rome. But, if the Sandbox is a level playing field needs to be evaluated. Does it benefit / slot in better in Google's Solution Portfolio than into others, are cost of building it prohibitive, ... During the testing period, we will answer some questions about the box' performance, for selected use cases, for publisher and advertisers. Adform is happy to contribute to this, extremely curios about the results, and glad to participate. However, most of the ones in the document will not be touched. How will uncertainty count in the CMA evaluation? Use Case coverage is an aspect here, but also the cost and opportunity cost to build the box with remaining large uncertainties on how to integrate it into modern Advertising technologies and business models. This is ultimately what CMA needs to determine and I believe this is where the cookie or the Box will crumble... https://bit.ly/3UCjeic Adform #privacy #sandbox #programmatic #advertising #cma #google #chrome #iabTechLab

#Chrome now directly tracks users, generates a "topic" list it shares with advertisers. Simply because #Google is an advertising agency, remember. You can turn it off: https://lnkd.in/eKZcreKJ But way better is switching to a different browser, like #Firefox. It is faster too, and a great experience. https://lnkd.in/egH7WUHM

Advertising | Mozilla has acquired Anonym, a trailblazer in privacy-preserving digital #advertising. This strategic acquisition enables #Mozilla to help raise the bar for the advertising industry by ensuring user #privacy while delivering effective advertising solutions. The online advertising industry is undergoing a significant transformation. With growing consumer concerns and increasing scrutiny from regulators, it’s evident that current data practices are excessive and unsustainable. We are at the forefront of a pivotal shift in how privacy and advertising coexist, reshaping the digital landscape for advertisers, platforms, and consumers. Amidst this moment of change, Anonym stands out for its unique privacy-preserving technology. By securely combining encrypted data sets from platforms and advertisers, Anonym enables scalable, privacy-safe measurement and optimization of advertiser campaigns, thereby leading a shift toward a more sustainable advertising ecosystem.  Here’s how it works: ✅ Secure Environment: Data sets are matched in a highly secure environment, ensuring advertisers, publishers, and Anonym don’t access any user level data. ✅ Anonymized Analytics: The process results in anonymized insights and models, helping advertisers measure and improve campaign performance while safeguarding consumer privacy. ✅ Differential Privacy Algorithms: These algorithms add “noise” to the data, protecting it from being traced back to individual users. #Anonym was founded in 2022 by former Meta executives Brad Smallwood and Graham Mudd. The company was backed by Griffin Gaming Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Heracles Capital as well as a number of strategic individual investors.

Google's impending end to third-party cookies via Chrome is prepared to reshape online advertising, prioritizing user privacy but posing challenges for smaller web publishers. With Chrome holding a 60% market share, alternatives like Safari and Firefox offer limited relief. While Google promises privacy-preserving ad technologies, there are concerns regarding revenue losses for publishers and potential shifts in data collection norms. Larger tech firms with walled gardens and direct user relationships are better prepared to adapt, leaving smaller players vulnerable to extinction. The upheaval prompts uncertainties in ad spending distribution, amplifying challenges for the open web ecosystem. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e3nDiZgU  . . . #Google #thirdpartycookies #cookies #internet #searchengine #techupdates #technews #GoogleChrome #olineadvertising

https://lnkd.in/eHcxfxtH? Google is limiting the ability of ad blocking extensions to continuously update their blocklists. One classic piece of tech business wisdom is that it's dangerous to build a product that's entirely dependent on someone else's platform. The more extreme amendment might be: it's an especially bad idea to build a product that blocks ads and is dependent on a platform controlled by a company that makes all of its money from ads.

🚀 Big Changes Ahead in Ad Tech! 🚀 Heads up, folks! The deprecation of 1% of 3PC on Chrome is right on our doorstep. 🌐 This sets the stage for a massive industry opportunity to put the Google Privacy Sandbox through a rigorous test. At Criteo, our commitment to testing has always been rock-solid, and this time is no different! However, before we dive into the deep end of this major transformation, let's take a moment to digest the insights shared by my colleague Caio Camilli. In his article, he tackles some important statistical challenges that all testers should be aware of. 📊 These considerations are key to avoiding false conclusions in what could be the most significant change in the history of the open web advertising ecosystem. 💼 #AdTech #PrivacySandbox #ABTesting