New Delhi: In a landmark move, the United Nations is urging big tech companies to rethink their advertising practices. The aim is to curb the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech online.
This call to action is part of a wider initiative by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. He recently launched the five Global Principles for Information Integrity, and tackling the role of advertising is a key component.
The UN argues that the current system, heavily reliant on programmatic advertising, is fueling the spread of harmful content.
Programmatic advertising is an automated system where advertisers bid on ad space across different websites and apps. This allows for highly targeted advertising campaigns, but it also creates a situation where ads can be placed next to unreliable or even harmful content, unintentionally.
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The UN’s “healthy incentives” principle specifically highlights the need to move away from such models.Experts agree with the UN’s assessment. Jake Dubbins, co-founder of the Conscious Advertising Network, calls the UN’s move “common sense.” He acknowledges the benefits of programmatic advertising for businesses, but emphasizes the need to consider its downsides.
The UN points out that while programmatic advertising has driven significant growth for companies like Google and benefited smaller businesses as well, it has also been exploited. Political and private entities have used the system to spread misinformation and hate speech.
The UN’s push for reform goes beyond just changing the advertising model. They are also calling for increased transparency in ad tech systems.The current lack of transparency makes it difficult to track how ad dollars are spent and can unintentionally fund harmful content creators.
The UN’s recommendations have been met with cautious optimism. Whether big tech companies will heed the call and implement significant changes remains to be seen. However, the UN’s initiative marks a crucial step towards creating a healthier online information environment.
