TO BE PUBLISHED August 2024
Price: £150 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will examine the future for online advertising in the UK.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to examine priorities for online advertising in the context of the ongoing work of the Online Advertising Taskforce and the action plan, including opportunities for collaboration and increased transparency across advertising platforms, tackling fraud in online advertising, and improving the evidence base for online harms.
The conference will be a timely opportunity for delegates to consider these and wider issues as the new parliament begins sitting following the General Election.
Delegates will consider the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023 for advertisers, as well as strengthening protections for children and vulnerable groups online.
Those attending will assess the way forward for the UK’s data protection regime after the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill fell in the previous Parliament, with areas for discussion including industry priorities for future reform and what is needed to support the sector.
The agenda looks at the way forward for tackling illegal and fraudulent ads, including the role of technology and next steps for developing collaborative frameworks for stakeholders to improve counter-fraud efforts.
Discussion will also explore new frameworks for collective ad regulation, adopting whole system approaches to harmful ads, and assessing the roles and responsibilities of platforms, intermediaries and publishers.
Further sessions will assess the provisions and impact of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, including the implications of the increased regulatory powers granted to the Digital Markets Unit, priorities for stakeholder engagement on implementation, and future options for promoting innovation and growth in online marketing.
We are pleased to be able to include keynote sessions with: Shahriar Coupal, Director, Advertising Policy and Practice, Advertising Standards Authority; Christie Dennnehy-Neil, Head, Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Internet Advertising Bureau; Mark Lund, Deputy Chair, Online Advertising Taskforce; and Chair, Advertising Standards Board of Finance; and a senior speaker confirmed from Data & Marketing Association.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- the Online Advertising Programme:
- examining the next phase of policy and regulation for online advertising in the UK - collaboration and improving transparency across advertising platforms and their users
- Online Safety Act 2023:
- key issues for stakeholders and compliance - priorities for implementation - next steps for transparency reports - age assurance measures - closing regulatory gaps not covered in the Act
- way forward for data protection:
- industry priorities for future reform
- next steps for international data transfer and EU adequacy in the UK
- assessing the future of personalised and direct marketing
- regulation:
- roles and responsibilities for advertising platforms - transparency and accountability - opportunities for collaboration across the supply chain to adopt a whole-system approach to harmful advertising
- reviewing and improving industry-led, self-regulatory approaches - assessing and demonstrating effectiveness - discussing thresholds for intervention
- examining the strategy, scope and impact of AI-assisted, collective ad regulation - research areas for improving the evidence base of online harm
- tackling fraud in online advertising:
- roles and responsibilities of platforms, intermediaries and publishers - measures for information sharing and blocking - issues for Online Fraud Charter signatories
- examining the Gold Standard criteria, including recent changes and implications for compliance
The conference will be an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who are due to attend from Ofcom; NCA; NCSC; DSIT; DBT; DfT; HMRC; Home Office; and the Welsh Government.
The proceedings of the conference will be circulated more widely, to Parliamentarians, ministerial offices, and government and regulatory officials with an interest in the issues being discussed. All delegates will also receive a video recording of the conference.
