European Regulators Investigate Google-Meta Ad Secret Agreement Targeting Teens
JAKARTA European regulators have asked Google to provide more information regarding the secret advertising partnership that has been canceled with Meta Platforms, parent of Instagram. This ad is considered to ignore Google's rules regarding the protection of minors on online platforms. This was reported by the Financial Times (FT) on Tuesday, December 10.
An investigation by the Financial Times last August revealed how Google is working with Meta on a secret marketing project targeting YouTube users aged 13 to 17 years. The project is designed to promote Instagram, a platform owned by Meta.
Although the partnership has been canceled and discontinued to a global scale, regulators at the European Commission are still following up on the report. According to a Financial Times source, the Commission has gathered various information and sent it to other regulators who are considering further action.
In October, the European Commission ordered Alphabet's legal team, Google's parent company, to collect and review data, presentations, internal conversations, and emails related to this advertising campaign.
A Google spokesperson stated that the protection of teens, such as the ban on advertising personalization, remains at the forefront of industry. Google has also provided the latest internal training to ensure its sales team understands applicable technical policies and protections.
SEE ALSO:
Meta, owner of Instagram and Facebook, and the European Commission have yet to comment on requests for information from Reuters on the issue.
Google has a policy that limits ad targeting based on age, gender, or interest for users under the age of 18.
Meanwhile, this year's Meta has rolled out a significant update to improve parental privacy and control for user-owned Instagram accounts under the age of 18. This step is an attempt to respond to growing public concerns regarding the negative impact of social media on children and adolescents.
This report is in the new spotlight on the importance of strict supervision of advertising practices involving young users on digital platforms.