Privacy vs. Profit: Inside the Ad Tech Ecosystem

Award-winning data ethics and responsible media luminary Arielle Garcia is the Director of Intelligence at Check My Ads. In her role, she partners with businesses and organizations to lead research and develop standards and solutions that foster a healthier market, protect civil and human rights, and promote industry accountability. 

A steadfast advocate for transparency, trust, and fairness in the digital ecosystem, she has advised 100+ marketers on the evolving digital landscape, driving the development and adoption of trustworthy and effective media and data strategies for the benefit of brands and their customers. She was previously the Chief Privacy and Responsibility Officer at UM Worldwide, and she holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.. In 2021, Arielle was inducted into the AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement. She has also been recognized by Crain's New York Business "20 in their 20s," a Cynopsis "Top Woman in Media" in 2021, and a "Top Woman in Media & Ad Tech" by AdExchanger in 2023.

In this episode…

In the intricate world of ad tech, the exchange of data has become as common as trading stocks on Wall Street. Marketers now have advanced tools to pinpoint their target audience, but this data trove also brings significant privacy concerns. Brands are often challenged with the privacy implications of tracking, data selling, and sharing. And that's understandable -  it's a complex web of information, and it's not always clear where consumer data ends up. 

With the imminent demise of third-party cookies, companies are exploring new methods to sustain behavioral targeting like data clean rooms, conversion APIs, and alternative identifiers, raising questions about their privacy implications. That's why Check My Ads is on a mission to keep the ad tech ecosystem in check by calling out false narratives and defunding bad actors that spread misinformation to drive systemic change.

In today's episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi and Justin Daniels welcome Arielle Garcia, the Director of Intelligence at Check My Ads, to discuss some of the biggest privacy challenges facing the ad tech ecosystem today. Arielle highlights the fundamental conflict between ad tech business models and business privacy obligations, emphasizing the need for a shift toward consumer-centric approaches. She also shares the implications of third-party cookie deprecation, critiques current and emerging advertising business models, and discusses the critical need for implementing secure and effective media and data practices to benefit companies and their customers.