a report of advertising quality transparency platform Adalytics suggests that YouTube served adult-focused ads on nearly 100 videos deemed “made for kids.” Some of these ads reportedly included content inappropriate for children, such as car accidents, medical injuries, and clips from TV-MA shows. Adalytics found that the websites linked in the ads delivered cookies to their devices that could also display ads targeted at children.
As Adalytics points out, Google’s own policies Say that ads in content made for kids should not use third-party trackers or collect personal information without getting permission from a parent. Dan Taylor, Google’s vice president of global ads, reiterates this policy in an answer on the Google websitewhere he calls the Adalytics report “deeply flawed”.
“We do not allow the use of third-party trackers in ads served in content made for kids on YouTube,” Taylor writes. “This report falsely claims that the presence of cookies indicates a privacy breach. The opposite is true, and the report does not prove otherwise.
The Adalytics investigation has already caught the attention of Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). In a letter to the chair of the FTC, Lina Khan, the two lawmakers urge the agency to investigate Adalytics’ claims, noting that “YouTube and Google may have violated COPPA, as well as its 2019 FTC consent decree, flagrantly.” The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires online platforms to receive parental permission to collect data from users under the age of 13.
The report is also having an impact on advertisers, with some major companies, including IPG Mediabrands, advising clients to stop advertising on YouTube. according Well-informed person.
Google is already facing scrutiny over an earlier report from Adalytics suggesting the company misled advertisers about where it placed video ads. Google also called that research flawed, despite a report from ad age saying at least one ad agency executive told the outlet that Google refunded some customers for discrepancies, a move that Google representatives said was “not uncommon” and that issuing credits is part of the build. normal relationship with advertisers.
