The Biden Administration took aim at tech companies with a new Executive Order. It urges 12 different federal agencies to aggressively regulate big business, including the FTC and Justice Department which have broad antitrust enforcement powers. “The Order includes 72 initiatives by more than a dozen federal agencies to promptly tackle some of the most
Google’s cookieless future needs a little more time. The plan by Google to block third-party cookies in Chrome has been put on hold. For now. “While there’s considerable progress with this initiative, it’s become clear that more time is needed across the ecosystem to get this right,” Vinay Goel, Google Privacy Engineering Director announced via
It may be the largest data leak of passwords of all time. According to Cyber News, the leak may have exposed more than 8.4 billion passwords. The person posting the leaked passwords on a hacker forum claimed originally to have access to 82 billion passwords. “The compilation itself has been dubbed ‘RockYou2021’ by the forum
You would think that marketers would want to target the people with disposable income that can most easily afford your products. Instead of constantly targeted the people in society that hold more than 60% of all wealth, there remains an obsession with going after the youngest group of consumers. That may have made sense in
For years, many in the advertising community have maintained that consumers want targeted marketing with relevant advertising. It appears, however, that as consumers get an increased say in how they are targeted, that idea isn’t holding up. When Apple updated its iOS operating system for iPhones and iPads, it came with an opt-in component. That
iOS 14.5 is out and it’s a big deal when it comes to privacy. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency Apple’s app tracking transparency has been the target of public outcry from the folks at Facebook, saying this makes it harder for small businesses to track customers and will drive up digital ad prices. Privacy advocates applauded
A new study by Clario Tech has analyzed which tech giants are wealthier than entire countries! Tech giant, Apple dominates global industry and has reached a colossal value of $2.2 trillion. This study shows just how large Apple and other tech giants would be if they were recognized countries on Earth. Looking at GDP versus market capitalization
We all heard that “Content is the King” for some time. When you use content with the right purpose, you can really help your business. COVID-19 has taught us that an integrated and online world is possible for all of us. With the increasing e-commerce activities, businesses need to find new ways to make themselves more visible.
Whether you’re buying PPC ads to get to the top of search engine rankings or using SEO to rank high organically, it’s all about mobile these days. More than two-thirds of search ad clicks (67.8%) in Q4 2020 happened on a mobile device — primarily smartphones — according to a new study by Merkle. 61%
With people stuck inside their home, they relied on technology to stay connect more than ever. Businesses had to adapt to this online shift. It resulted in new online habits and the way people used the internet in 2020. A study done by the UK Domain has revealed the top 100 websites for 2020 and
Here’s a new wrinkle to Google search for local businesses. Advertisers on Google can now display a green checkmark, which Google will tag businesses with either “Google Screened” or “Google Guaranteed.” It’s only available right now for certain categories of business, such as law, financial planning, and real estate for the Screened badge and service-oriented
New research revealed the amount of information grocery stores really have on you. The study has shown that grocery stores know all about your physical attributes, what you enjoy and what your purchases say about your domestic situation. 53% of Americans participate in a loyalty program because of ease of use, allowing stores to track their purchases. So,
Now is the time to create a fully functioning digital platform for your small or medium-sized business. Customers should be able to do everything online. They should be able to see your services, or your menu, and should be able to make appointments or buy online (even if just for click-and-collect or curbside pickup). Your
It’s going to be a very long time before the government gets a day in court against the big tech firms, at least if you look at the Department of Justice complaint against Google as an indication. The tentative trial date for court action is September of 2023. “If anybody thought we would be getting
Google says people asked “Why” in searches more than ever before. They also asked “What day is it?” a lot. Overall, here are the top five searches in 2020 in the US. Election results Coronavirus Kobe Bryant Coronavirus update Coronavirus symptoms Globally, results were similar: Coronavirus Election results Kobe Bryant Zoom IPL Top searches in
A new report by Uswitch has revealed which countries have been the worst hit by data breaches and the US ranks first with nearly 19 million data records stolen. That’s more than 4X the next closest country (South Korea). Canada, the UK, and Australia rounded out the top five. China and India aren’t listed anywhere in
The folks at Clario have put together a fascinating chart that breaks down which online platforms and brands collect the most data and what they know about us. I thought it was worth sharing. Facebook and Instagram top the list (no surprise). We all do it – click ‘accept’ on a cookie pop-up without reading
When you launch an advertising campaign, you want results. For B2C products, a digital ad with an incentive, such as a discount or limited-time sale, can lead ROI in short order. The sales cycle is short. Sales can also stop the minute you stop advertising. For B2B businesses, the sales cycle is much longer. 74%
Marketing your brand is essential for every business owner, whether established or just getting off the ground. You might already have established a routine of scheduling social media posts on a weekly basis to market your brand, but feel that there is more you can do to get your name out there. With companies in
“Our investigation leaves no doubt that there is a clear and compelling need for Congress and the antitrust enforcement agencies to take action that restores competition, improves innovation, and safeguards our democracy.” Rep. David Cicilline After reviewing more than 1.3 million internal documents and interviewing more than 240 people and three dozen antitrust experts, and
We’re in for some big changes when it comes to tracking and advertising. While government regulators are making noise about taking action against major tech companies, the industry has not-so-quietly been making a couple of key changes that could lead to a cookie-less future. Cookies are those things websites use to track you as you
Facebook is publicly ramping up the battle with the Australian government over pending legislation that would force it to pay royalties for use of copyrighted news content. It’s a battle being watched closely in both media and tech circles because the implications go farther than just what’s happening in Australia. The tech giants likely fear
Digital giants’ dominance of advertising marketplace, control of online content put radio and TV broadcasters at competitive disadvantage News Release from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) The dominant marketplace power of a handful of digital technology platforms puts local broadcast radio and television stations at a competitive disadvantage for advertising revenue and impedes broadcasters’
It’s amazing how slowly government works some times. The California Consumer Privacy Act was passed in 2018. With more than a year warning for companies to comply, it went into effect in January 2020. Enforcement was held off were the regulations were being finalized. There have been many changes, including a redefinition of what classifies
Nearly half of Americans now believe major tech companies should face more regulation. That was one key finding in a new survey by the Pew Research Center. The survey was released as a House Judiciary Committee is looking into tech companies. Specifically, they are examining anti-trust concerns. Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple were expected to
More than a thousand advertisers have now stopped spending on Facebook. Those behind the efforts say Facebook hasn’t made a commitment to changing anything. Jonathon Greenblatt with the Anti-Defamation League, along with leaders of other civil rights groups (NAACP, Color of Change, Free Press), organized the Stop Hate for Profit campaign to hold Facebook accountable.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) went into effect on January 1st, but enforcement efforts were put on hold until July 1, 2020. Now that the deadline has passed, CA AG Xavier Becerra has issued warning letters to companies over alleged violations as reported by MediaPost. It’s the toughest law enacted in the U.S. so
Google and Deloitte combined forces to look at mobile load times for 30 days across four verticals: Retail Luxury Travel Lead generation (such as insurance or auto sites) The results, published in a Whitepaper titled “Milliseconds make Millions,” were clear: 1. Faster sites mean more customers will reach checkout 2. Faster sites encourage people to
Facebook’s facing a revolt among advertisers. Where will it end up and will it have a real impact? The campaign is asking businesses to stop advertising on Facebook in July to send a message. “We are asking all businesses to stand in solidarity with our most deeply held American values of freedom, equality and justice
SOURCE: News Release U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet, and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), ranking member of the subcommittee, in introducing the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (PACT) Act, new bipartisan legislation to update Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The PACT Act would