The European Union has taken a lot of steps to reduce the number of personalized ads that will get shown to its citizens. It took such steps because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up protecting user privacy, but it turns out that European telcos are trying to go ahead with a joint venture so that such ads can be easier to implement than might have been the case otherwise.
Trials for this joint venture have already been undertaken in Germany, but in spite of the fact that this is the case it is currently uncertain whether or not the EU’s regulatory commission will sign off on it. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this venture will comprise Orange from France, Deutsche Telekom from Germany, Vodafone from the UK and Telefonica from Spain.
These companies represent the largest telco concerns in Europe with all things having been considered and taken into account. That gives them a considerable amount of power, and given that they are based in the EU they may be able to use this power to great effect. It remains to be seen whether or not the EU will grant these companies the power that they need to take the right steps, but it is an interesting move on their part and we will have to wait to find out if their efforts bear any real fruit.
All eyes are now on the 10th of February when the EU commission will finally weigh in on the matter at hand. Creating an infrastructure that crosses all boundaries can be useful, but it also has the potential to put user privacy in serious jeopardy.
It’s essential to balance the needs of consumers with those of telcos. These companies have to turn a profit to survive, and they don’t seem to be able to do that without personalized ads. Chances are that this will revitalize European efforts to restrict access to user data and limit third party tracking wherever it’s possible.
Read next: Insightfulness May Play An Important Role In Assessing Misinformation As Per This Study
Trials for this joint venture have already been undertaken in Germany, but in spite of the fact that this is the case it is currently uncertain whether or not the EU’s regulatory commission will sign off on it. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this venture will comprise Orange from France, Deutsche Telekom from Germany, Vodafone from the UK and Telefonica from Spain.
These companies represent the largest telco concerns in Europe with all things having been considered and taken into account. That gives them a considerable amount of power, and given that they are based in the EU they may be able to use this power to great effect. It remains to be seen whether or not the EU will grant these companies the power that they need to take the right steps, but it is an interesting move on their part and we will have to wait to find out if their efforts bear any real fruit.
All eyes are now on the 10th of February when the EU commission will finally weigh in on the matter at hand. Creating an infrastructure that crosses all boundaries can be useful, but it also has the potential to put user privacy in serious jeopardy.
It’s essential to balance the needs of consumers with those of telcos. These companies have to turn a profit to survive, and they don’t seem to be able to do that without personalized ads. Chances are that this will revitalize European efforts to restrict access to user data and limit third party tracking wherever it’s possible.
Read next: Insightfulness May Play An Important Role In Assessing Misinformation As Per This Study
