Emails go out today for next weeks U3ACommunities computing talk on "real time bidding (or, how targeted ads work)".

See https://u3acommunities.org/event/real-time-bidding-how-targeted-ads-work/

100% free, we are simply trying to share.

Subscribe to email lists here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/

Real time bidding (how targeted ads work)

Start: 19 August 2025 3:00 pm
End: 19 August 2025 5:00 pm

This month we look at the Real Time Bidding (RTB) system – this is the mechanism that provides targeted ads to your web pages and devices.  We’ll cover the basic mechanism, what data is held, how do they know it’s you, main companies involved, pros & cons and what can be done.

Plenty of time is reserved for discussions.

Joining details will be emailed to subscribers nearer the time.  If you aren’t a member, it’s free to join here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/.

https://u3acommunities.org/event/real-time-bidding-how-targeted-ads-work/

Scientific study finds that #adtech IS using browser #fingerprinting to track people and so it no longer matters so much how good you are at blocking #cookies and #trackers

https://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2025/06/websites-are-tracking-you-via-browser-fingerprinting.html

They call on browser makers to do more. @jon is your team putting effort into this area?

@johnnyryan I suggest this area is added to your investigations since it is linked to the #RTB system and #databrokers

#browserfingerprinting #surveillancecapitalism
#privacy

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (#ICCL) secures permission to take Ireland’s first ever class action
Pioneering lawsuit against #Microsoft follows ICCL undercover investigation of data brokers that trade millions of people’s sensitive personal data

The online advertising's Real-Time Bidding (#RTB) is the biggest data breach ever recorded.

Details:
https://www.iccl.ie/rtb/

Lawsuit:
https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/iccl-secures-permission-to-take-irelands-first-ever-class-action/

Animation credit: ICCL

In a historic win for data protection and privacy, the High Court of Ireland has this afternoon granted ICCL permission to take Ireland’s first ever class action. The lawsuit targets Microsoft’s vast online advertising business.

The litigation is anticipated to affect Microsoft’s operations across Europe, because Ireland is the venue of Microsoft’s EU headquarters.

Dr Johnny Ryan, Director of ICCL’s Enforce unit, is leading the case. Speaking after the hearing, he said:

“The significance of today's decision extends beyond just Microsoft. Ireland is also the HQ venue for Google, Meta, TikTok, X and Apple. Today, nine years and one day after the GDPR was first introduced, we are finally opening up a way to enforce it against big tech on behalf of everyone. Regrettably, the Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has paralysed enforcement of EU data law. But that need no longer be the case.”

The litigation follows research by ICCL Enforce that uncovered how people’s intimate relationships, finances, and other secrets, are broadcast by Microsoft into the Real-Time Bidding (RTB) advertising system. Microsoft’s RTB system operates behind the scenes on websites and apps to match advertising to specific people.

ICCL argues this system is exposing users to malicious profiling and discrimination. It also argues that the system is undermining European security.

ICCL is taking the legal action on behalf of all affected people in Ireland under the new EU Collective Redress Directive. The organisation hopes to force Microsoft to bring its systems into compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Posing as a data buyer, ICCL Enforce obtained thousands of RTB data “segments” about Irish people. These include information such as whether a person gambles, their finances and debt, and even such sensitive information as whether the person works in a sensitive national security role.

https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/iccl-secures-permission-to-take-irelands-first-ever-class-action/

"We have identified more than 46,000 #ads, approved and delivered by #Meta to European users more than 292 million times, these products generally promoting dubious #medicines or ‘remedies’ not approved by national or European #health bodies."

Yet another data point to show how dangerous the current #RTB-based #SurveillanceAds industry is.

Report by @aiforensics_org:

https://aiforensics.org/work/meta-health-ads

"The tech industry has sought to hide its vast data breach behind sham [#GDPR] consent popups."

"Real-Time Bidding (RTB), [is] the vast advertising auction system that operates behind the scenes on websites and apps. #RTB tracks what Internet users look at and where they go in the real world. It then continuously broadcasts this data to a host of companies, enabling them to keep dossiers on every Internet user.

[I]t is impossible to know what then happens to the data."

https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/eu-ruling-tracking-based-advertising-by-google-microsoft-amazon-x-across-europe-has-no-legal-basis/

Belgian appeals court rules #TCF's #consent framework that enables 80% of the internet's #SurveillanceAds is illegal.

What a fantastic win for the complainants (@edri members) @panoptykon, @bitsoffreedom, and #ICCL !

https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/eu-ruling-tracking-based-advertising-by-google-microsoft-amazon-x-across-europe-has-no-legal-basis/

Important #UK #petition to sign: "Ban behavioural data extraction for advertising"

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/713456

If you are a UK citizen or UK resident PLEASE SIGN THIS

We need the #government to take this seriously so creeps like this #databroker don't get more data:
https://gizmodo.com/data-broker-brags-about-having-highly-detailed-personal-information-on-nearly-all-internet-users-2000575762

And #democracy is undermined by the #microtargeting from #socialmedia - #Trump /Brexit/Romania etc